How to Break Mental Health Barriers in Communities of Color

Feb 26

Our first session is on how to break mental health barriers in Communities of Color. We know that mental illness and emotional distress affect 20-23 percent of the general population annually, and that mental illness is evenly experienced and prevalent in every community. However, BIPOC communities are systematically underserved. The reasons for this are complex. Join AGP psychotherapist Colette Brown, MA, MA Ed, LMSW, who will discuss the complex reasons for these disparities and explore practices that can help democratize access for all.

We are thrilled to announce a new monthly Community Support Series. We hope this series can support the larger community as we work together to build resilience and heal during tough times. Each month, an AGP therapist will host a conversation about an important topic that we hope can reduce stigma through education. Each session is designed to provide participants with the skills and information they need to support themselves, friends, families and others in mental wellness. Each monthly session is free to the community!

You can find the UnRESTS assessment here and the Trauma Symptoms of Discrimination Scale (TSDS) here.

Colette’s sources and book recommendations:

Haeny AM, Holmes SC, Williams MT. The Need for Shared Nomenclature on Racism and Related Terminology in Psychology. Perspectives on Psychological Science. 2021;16(5):886-892. doi:10.1177/17456916211000760
Williams, Monnica & Holmes, Samantha & Haeny, Angela. (2021). Posttraumatic stress disorder and racial trauma. 32. 1-9. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/publications/rq_docs/V32N1.pdf
Carter, R. T., Mazzula, S., Victoria, R., Vazquez, R., Hall, S., Smith, S., Sant-Barket, S., Forsyth, J., Bazelais, K., & Williams, B. (2013). Initial development of the Race-Based Traumatic Stress Symptom Scale: Assessing the emotional impact of racism. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 5(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025911
Carter, R. T., & Sant-Barket, S. M. (2015). Assessment of the impact of racial discrimination and racism: How to use the Race-Based Traumatic Stress Symptom Scale in practice. Traumatology, 21(1), 32–39. https://doi.org/10.1037/trm0000018