While progress is being made in the black community to erase the stigma of seeking mental health treatmentHowever, one aspect of therapy that keeps many of us from taking the plunge is cost. For NBA superstar Paul George, money may never have been a burden, but figuring out how to address his own mental health needs certainly was. And with his new partnership with BetterHelp, he seeks to address both issues, not only to reinforce his commitment to his own journey, but also to help others, especially black men, begin theirs as well.
George says PEOPLE that talking about mental health is “a difficult conversation” for most men, but “especially in the African-American community, there has always been a stigma.”
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“We are taught so much to control our emotions and work with them ourselves, that you think you are weak if you need help,” he continued.
Throughout his participation in the 2020 NBA Bubble, George became a benchmark for athletes and in managing mental health issues as he struggled to overcome anxiety and depression during competition.
“It was like my well,” he tells PEOPLE.
If you recall, the NBA power forward faced an embarrassing loss late in the season alongside Kawhi Leonard inside the Disney World basketball bubble. Due to a poor performance of him in court, he quickly became fodder online, with trolls from all corners of the net coming to harass and embarrass him further.
After being dubbed “Pandemic P” due to the 2020 elimination, George says looking back and speaking publicly about his depression for the first time “was like my coming out party.”
“When I had that moment, of saying, ‘Hey, I’m not okay right now, there’s stuff going on and I don’t know how to address it, I don’t know how to solve this.’ “
The seven-time NBA All-Star says he “has so much to deal with on a day-to-day basis,” and now he knows “it’s okay to ask for a little help in certain situations.”
George began seeing a therapist and expressed the benefits of having someone to talk to. “It’s good to have another person’s perspective,” he says.
The Clippers star recently took to twitter announcing its partnership with BetterHelp, a mental health platform that offers Online services connect patients with professionals. It’s giving away a free month of services to those who apply and qualify, a total of $3 million in services.
George says he is now using his platform to “really help others” through the partnership.
“And I’m very proud of that.”
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