G Herbo's rise as a rapper has been rooted in telling realistic tales of the horrors he's experienced on the East Side of Chicago. With his latest album, PTSD, he took these feelings past the surface level by opening himself and his listeners to clinical diagnoses. Now, Herbo wants to further this stance by establishing an initiative that will help connect Black youth with therapeutic resources.
G Herbo and Audiomack announce that they have partnered with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and InnoPsych to create a new mental health initiative called Swervin' Through Stress.
Swervin' Through Stress' Dream Team Therapy Fund will provide 12 weeks of free therapy sessions to Black youth nationwide between the ages of 18-25. The initiative also includes a hotline that will be monitored by professionals provided by NAMI, while InnoPsych will help match patients with adequate therapists. InnoPsych's participation is important because the platform is focused on eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health in minority communities as well as specializing in therapy for people of color.
Outside of his music, Herbo has been open about the anxiety he experiences and how it has impacted his life when talking to the media. He's also been vocal about seeking help and his personal experience with therapy.
"I think it was important for me to talk to somebody who's never been through the stuff that you been through," Herbo said when discussing therapy with MTV News. "Talking to my therapist, I was telling her certain stuff and she couldn't believe it. I was so nervous during my first therapy session that I cracked my ID in half. She told me, 'You have PTSD.'"
"I had to really, like, get naked with her in a sense," he continued. "Every day I left out the house, I really felt like I was going to die or just go to jail for protecting myself. It's important to just talk to somebody. A lot of times, we'll block that intuition in the back of our head because we're desensitized by it and we think its normal. She was there to tell me, 'No, it's not normal."
Those interested in taking advantage of the Swervin' Through Stress initiative can sign up on the website. The sessions are set to begin on Sept. 10.
