Each July, as part of BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month, health care organizations and professionals bring awareness to the unique challenges Black, Indigenous, and people of color face in accessing mental health care.
During this observance, those in the field can advocate for mental well-being within their communities by sharing information that destigmatizes therapy and curating mental health resources. This year, Mental Health America created a free Mental Health Toolkit, also available in Spanish, that provides graphics and messaging for daily communications.
While BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month serves as an important reminder about the inequities that exist within mental health care, actively addressing disparities year-round is critical for ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their race or ethnicity, have access to the care they need.
Building a Foundation for Equitable Initiatives Through Learning
Continuous learning and reflection are key for informing equitable initiatives in your practice.
“People of color is a multifaceted term and can include people who are Latin or Hispanic, Asian, Black, Indigenous, and other racial backgrounds. It essentially means, non-White. Disparities vary for different non-White cultures,” said Karena Heyward, Ph.D., LPC, ACS, VTMHI Clinical Supervisor and Head to Heart LLC Counselor & Consultant. “We cannot diminish the unique experiences of differing cultural groups encompassed by the term “BIPOC” or “people of color”. There is some universality for how to approach equity in health care, but efforts should be centered around an individual’s specific lived experiences and the experiences of their cultural group(s), rather than one or the other. And that starts with learning the challenges that exist for patients you serve.”
Recognizing Differences in Culture and Background
Language may pose a challenge for some patients of color while generational stigma against seeking therapy exists for others, among many other obstacles.
“For many Hispanic or Latin cultures, mental health services can be a foreign concept with stigma and family pressure being factors for not receiving mental health care,” said Paula Schoenau, Mental Health Counselor at Health Brigade Free Clinic.
“In my experience as an African American, there can be a stigma around sharing personal information outside of your family or close circle that you trust. Seeking therapy can be seen as a sign of weakness or a cultural taboo,” Heyward said.
Differing perspectives require tailored approaches that respect and incorporate cultural specificities. Overlooking these differences can result in ineffective interventions and a lack of trust between mental health providers and the communities they intend to serve.
Considering Systemic Factors
There are systemic oppressions people of color have faced and continue to experience today, causing a qualifying distrust in health care systems.
Many cultures around the world are rooted in collective systems, yet therapy tends to individualize approaches to healing. There is often a missed opportunity for those individuals who may have a more communal way of thinking about self-care.
“When encouraging individuals to seek mental health services, we’re asking some people to enter a health system they may not trust,” Heyward said. “We have to think about the bigger picture and what can be improved or recreated, if needed, to improve health care experiences for patients of color.”
Growing equity in health care also requires diverse representation in the field and staff teams that reflect various cultural backgrounds and lived experiences. Those voices need to be at the table when discussing procedures and policies that will impact the patient.
Learning From Your Community
To support marginalized patients of any kind, health care professionals need to go to the places where they are seeking support: churches, community centers, and local NAACP, among others. Ask those trusted resources important questions like What does your community need; what challenges do your members face when seeking mental health services; and what would they need to feel safe and trusted in a health care environment?
“You can do research and read a chapter in a textbook, but until you go into the community and you’re asking people directly what they need, you’re missing the point of it all,” Heyward said. “With the free clinics VTMHI works with, some patients do not have access to food or housing. They need to have those basic needs met before they can focus more deeply on mental health. We know that connecting them with financial, housing, and food resources in the community is part of investing in their mental well-being.”
Building a foundation based on the individual experiences, disparities, and needs of patients you aim to serve ensures that efforts are tailored, impactful, and resonate deeply, fostering genuine inclusivity and addressing unique challenges.
Additional Resources:
- Creating & Maintaining Safe Therapeutic Spaces for Black Clients, the National Association for Addiction Professionals
- How to Talk About Race with Your Therapy Clients, Psychology Today
- Understanding BIPOC Mental Health, Mental Health America