Beyond Risk: Supporting Black Men’s Health in Real Life
September 2026
Written by: Tony Johnson, Ph.D., MPH, LCSW (he/him)
Better health can mean different things to different people. For one person, it might mean managing anxiety. For another, it might mean having more energy, keeping a medical appointment, or feeling comfortable asking for help.
For Black men, including Black gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM), health conversations too often focus only on problems and risks. Those concerns matter, but so do people’s goals, strengths, relationships, and everyday lives.
Start with what matters.
In my research with Black MSM in Chicago, three parts of health goal achievement stood out: choosing a meaningful and realistic goal, finding resources to support it, and developing ways to respond when barriers arise.
For community mental health providers, this means asking more than, “What symptoms are you experiencing?” It also means asking, “What would feeling better allow you to do?”
That question makes room for the person behind the diagnosis.
Being resilient does not mean doing it alone.
Resilience is not just pushing through or being strong. Sometimes it means calling a trusted friend, connecting with community, setting a boundary, or asking for professional support.
It also does not erase the effects of racism, discrimination based on sexual orientation, financial stress, or negative experiences with health care. Providers need to recognize those barriers rather than treating every difficulty as a lack of motivation.
Finding hope and a next step.
Psychological self-sufficiency, or PSS, connects recognizing barriers with building hope andtaking action toward a goal.
In everyday terms, it means asking: What is getting in the way? What could help? What is one step that feels possible right now?
The answer might be arranging transportation, finding an affirming provider, or asking someone for support. Progress does not have to be perfect to matter.
Supporting Black men’s health means seeing the whole person, listening to what matters to them, and working together to make meaningful progress possible. Better health is not only about reducing risk. It is also about having support, choices, and hope for the life someone wants to live.
Dr. Johnson is an LCSW Staff Therapist at Little Seed Wellness. He specializes in providing culturally affirming therapy for Black and Brown LGBTQ+ individuals navigating trauma, identity exploration, grief, discrimination, and life transitions. He has immediate openings. You can read more about Dr. Johnson here. Interested in working with Dr. Johnson or in receiving services at Little Seed Wellness? Click here to contact our intake team.
