for NPR: This Harlem pastor fights mental health stigma — and shares his own struggles by José A. Alvarado Jr.

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for NPR: This Harlem pastor fights mental health stigma — and shares his own struggles

josé a. alvarado jr.

Apr 2, 2025

It was his own mental health crisis that helped Michael A. Walrond, Jr. to understand and embrace mental health care. "Out of nowhere, I had a suicidal ideation," Walrond recalls. He was in his late 30s at the time, already busy building a life and expanding his congregation at First Corinthian Baptist in Harlem, New York.

His Masters of Divinity degree hadn't involved much training in clinical mental health care, and the subject was not a part of his family life growing up in New York City. "I grew up in a traditional West Indian Caribbean household," he says. "It definitely wasn't talked about."

Suicidal ideation — thoughts of dying by suicide — can be a sign of serious mental illness, and Walrond had not realized at the time that he was dealing with depression and anxiety. Research shows clergy suffer from high rates of burnout and often struggle with thoughts of suicide and self-harm. After his own suicidal ideation, Walrond immediately pursued mental health care.

Photographed for NPR, with words by Katia Riddle

This Harlem pastor fights mental health stigma — and shares his own struggles
First Corinthian Baptist Church founded a separate nonprofit that employs therapists to bring mental health care to a community where stigma remains a high barrier to healing.
Npr.org

José A. Alvarado Jr.

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