Not all young people feel comfortable opening up.

“We as a culture have not overcome post-slavery,” said a 28-year-old African American woman in the District who sees a therapist but did not want her name used. “I think that in the black community we have to be strong and we cannot be perceived as weak.”

The woman said she has told close friends, but not family members, about her therapy. “I’m at a place where my peers are like-minded, but I think the older generation tends to think that it’s not needed.”

For many older people, a church, rather than a counselor or psychiatrist, is the natural place to turn for psychological healing.

“There’s no stigma going to a pastor, it doesn’t cost any money, and they know you because they see you every Sunday,” Barnes said.

Some churches have perpetuated people’s distrust in mental health services. “Many churches see therapy as antagonistic to some sort of spiritual calling,” said William Lawson, professor and chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Howard University.

But increasingly, black churches are forming partnerships with mental health providers and requiring their own ministers to get some training in counseling. At Zion Baptist Church in the District, Lawson and other mental health care providers give regular talks on topics such as depression and anxiety disorders.