Africans, especially the Senegalese, have been the largest visible immigrant group in the United States (US) over the last 30 years. The cultural understanding necessary for effectively providing for their mental and other health needs is limited. This article involves a first-person phenomenographic (Marton 1986) account of an investigation of the Senegalese system of mental health care at its roots in Dakar, Senegal. Thick description (Geertz 1973) is pursued, with appropriate attention to details of ethnographic fieldwork. The knowledge obtained provides a basis for understanding mental health needs and expectations of Senegalese immigrants in the United States, and implications for counseling are considered.