Some of you may know me personally. Others may have come across my work through the Black Daddies Club — and for some, this may be your first introduction. My name is Brandon Hay, and I am currently a Gestalt Therapist (in training).

My journey into therapy began after a deeply personal rupture: my divorce. That experience forced me to re-examine everything I thought I knew about manhood, fatherhood, and identity. I had built much of my self-worth around being a husband and father. When that structure collapsed, I felt completely unrooted.

My first experience with therapy came through couples counselling toward the end of my marriage. While the therapist was skilled, I spent much of the time explaining the cultural nuances of my experience as a Black man. That invisible labor added another layer to an already difficult process.

Later, I began individual therapy with a Black woman therapist from the Caribbean. I felt more seen. But even then, I noticed my own discomfort — wondering if I was being judged, or if I was revealing too much of myself.

Those early experiences taught me something crucial:

Therapy isn’t just about what’s said — it’s about who’s in the room.
Our healing is deeply shaped by identity, culture, and lived experience.

Years later, a colleague told me she was studying Gestalt therapy. I attended an orientation session at the Gestalt Institute of Toronto, and something shifted. Gestalt’s emphasis on present-moment awareness, embodiment, and relational connection helped me understand what my body had been trying to tell me — long before I had the language to describe it.

As I moved deeper into my training, I noticed I was the only Black man in my cohort. That reality brought forward questions that still guide my path today:

What does healing look like for Black people?
If our trauma is cultural, historical, and systemic — shouldn’t our healing be as well?

These questions led me across the African diaspora — from Ghana to Brazil, Barbados, South Africa, and Kenya — where I connected with other Black therapists and healers to explore what collective and culturally relevant healing might look like.

In 2020, I launched Sunday Dinners, a therapeutic space for Black men and Black-identified men. What started online during the pandemic has now become a trusted in-person community for dialogue, connection, and care.

All of this work has led to my newest chapter:

Inner Movements Therapy (I.M. Therapy)

I.M. Therapy is built on the belief that healing is not linear, but cyclical, relational, and embodied. Through this practice, I combine my lived experience, community organizing, and Gestalt training to support others — particularly Black men — in navigating their own paths to healing.

This is where my story continues: at the intersection of personal transformation, community care, and the ongoing question of what it means to be fully human as a Black man in today’s world

 By Brandon Hay

Connect with Me:

 Website: www.innermovementstherapy.com
Email: brandon@innermovementstherapy.com
  Psychology Today Profile: psychologytoday.com/profile/1619229
  Instagram: @InnerMovementsTherapy