Once upon a time, the term “mental illness” did not exist—just madness, lunacy, idiocy, and melancholy.
Public discussions about promoting and protecting mental health did not exist. Words like “depression” and “anxiety” were discouraged. Individuals with mental illness were expected to live in the shadows and in silence. People of color with mental illness were even less visible.
But times have changed.
Today, thanks in part to the explosive impact of digital technology and social media, mental health has
become one of the hottest, openly discussed topics nationwide. Postings about personal mental health
journeys and mental health issues abound. Even within communities of color, which have been
historically distrustful of the mental health system, there has been a notable uptick in digital searches and
queries around mental health-related issues.
Increasingly, mental health providers are faced with mounting pressure to step away from the traditional
setting and office couch and into the new reality of virtual sessions and interactions in the digital space.
But navigating the virtual space comes with its professional challenges around ethics, boundaries, and
confidentiality, which makes many providers cautious and reluctant to enter. Others hesitate to adopt
platforms for fear that they might exclude low-income communities or, worse, surveil them.
Enter pioneering psychiatrist, Dr. Derek Suite, who has been somewhat of an “admiral” on the ever-expanding digital sea.
A clinical professor at Columbia University and the founder of FCC Wellness, a multidisciplinary digital
mental health platform, Dr. Suite regularly incorporates digital, virtual, and AI technologies to increase
overall client engagement and narrow gaps between mental health utilization and difficult-to-engage
communities. As the host of the daily Suite Spot Podcast, he also provides educational information and
daily insights on mental health topics with the goals of destigmatizing and demystifying mental illness.
“People of color have been understandably hesitant to engage with mental health providers.” Suite said.
“The podcast, website, and digital platform give them an opportunity to get to know me and feel my
energy and vibe at their pace and on their terms –be it in the car, the gym, or their homes.”
Synthesizing Science and Soul: Integrative Approach to Content Development
Using motivational wellness podcast weekday titles such as Making Moves Monday, Win it All
Wednesday and Slow Down Sunday, the Suite Spot‘s educational podcast, tackles a wide range of mental
health-related topics daily. Dr. Suite’s conversational approach belies the Suite Spot’s sophisticated
blending of concepts from neuroscience, psychology, biology –even astrophysics– with insights from
various disciplines, including social sciences and spirituality.
“If we were making music, the Suite Spot would be a ‘mash up’ of actionable, accessible insights created
from a fusion of science and the soul,” says Dr. Suite, whose podcast is available on YouTube and a wide
array of popular streaming services. “Synthesizing science and soul is our tag line. It’s what most of our
listeners were asking for. They did not want one at the exclusion of the other.”
The challenge, according to Suite, was to come up with a way to filter the scientific theories and make
them digestible, practical, and applicable to real-life situations and harmonize them with the psychological, cultural, and spiritual dimensions that are important to listeners. “What we learned is that people want to understand themselves and how they, and their situation, fit into a larger, more meaningful narrative,” says Dr. Suite. “Synthesizing the science and the soul dimensions puts us in the sweet spot with our audience.”
Time and Patience: Building a Meaningful Relationship with Social Media.
Dr. Suite, who is on multiple digital platforms, emphasizes the crucial need for abundant patience when
providers engage with social media. He cautions that rapid growth is rare and that listeners, and the
platform’s algorithmics, need time to know how to assess and best use posted content. It can take months if not years to build up a significant following.
Suite advises that providers should presume they have “silent readers” who choose to absorb their
information from a distance, and that it is possible to have different numbers of followers and different
levels of engagement on different platforms. Focusing on the number of likes, downloads, or reposts may
not be an accurate barometer of how many people are watching, according to Suite.
“I have had many people scroll through my online posts and podcasts and say they benefited greatly,
even took notes, but never engaged or liked anything on the platform.” Dr. Suite explains. “We call them
the Invisibles. You don’t see them but, trust me, they’re engaged– and most likely benefitting from what
you post.”
Measuring Success and Impact in the Digital Space
Beyond surface metrics, Dr. Suite advises observing other metrics such as profile views and time
spent on the page to further spot invisible engagement. Suite’s team employs a proprietary analytics system that aggregates and analyzes data from various touchpoints, including emails, phone calls, and digital engagements, to assess trends, patterns, correlations, and the impact on mental health engagement and usage.
“We have seen an 18 % rise in overall usage of Full Circle services coming directly from predominantly
Blacks and Latinos of who have heard the podcast since we started podcasting,” says Dr. Suite.
“Approximately 7 % of the increased users identified as black males, which suggests we have really
improved outreach to this challenging-to-engage population.” Full Circle also fields approximately 15
Inquiries are received monthly from individuals across the country, looking for referrals to local mental health providers. “Though our numbers are comparatively small, we are making a measurable impact on the communities we serve and steadily increasing engagement.” Suite says. “Social media has been a game changer –it gives everyone open access.”
Seizing the Megaphone: Implications for Clinical Practice
The time has come for providers, especially providers of color, to step out and step-up, in the virtual space, according to Dr. Suite. “Our training and cultural sensitivity position us to take an authoritative role in shaping the online messaging to communities of color. If we don’t proactively respond to the moment, the space will be missing an important safeguard,” says Suite.
Dr. Suite adds that increasing access to mental health care for the historically underserved remains a
critical challenge for many communities –a challenge that could be effectively addressed through digital
and virtual engagement. He asserts that providers of color are uniquely qualified to use the digital space to translate scientific advancements, dismantle longstanding healthcare barriers, and build bridges to
engagement with marginalized communities.
“Clinicians of color can also challenge homogenized digital therapy algorithms that overlook racialized
stressors,” says Dr. Suite, “and use things like intersectional matching to align care with clients’ lived
experiences, which is critically needed in the digital space.”
About the Author: Dr. Sonia Banks is a dynamic clinical psychologist and behavioral strategist known for her innovative, play-based personal and professional transformation approach. With a doctorate from George Washington University, she blends psychology with creativity, using interactive methods to help individuals and organizations unlock their “Possible Selves.” Her expertise spans anxiety, life transitions, and stress management, all delivered with her signature vibrancy.
