There is a great deal of angry social protest happening around the world regarding the seemingly endless number of deadly encounters between people of color and local law enforcement agencies. There is also great anxiety and stress caused by the ongoing Covid19 pandemic.
It’s no surprise that many people are reporting on virtually all social media platforms that they are experiencing related mental health problems including debilitating anxiety, depression and despair. People are scared with many fearing for their lives, the lives of their loved ones and members of their communities. Overcome by those twin fears and feeling vulnerable, powerless and neglected can easily lead to feeling unable to cope with it all.
This has put a premium on accessing mental health services. But for a lot of folks accessing providers who share and appreciate their ethnic and racial background is not a likely to happen for them.
However, in a thoughtful and informative blog post written by Rosie Cappuccino, the creator of talkingaboutBPD.co.uk, interviews one of the leaders of an organization in the UK – the Black, African and Asian Therapy Network or BAATN. According to their mission statement, BAATN is the “largest independent organisation to specialise in working psychologically, informed by an understanding of intersectionality, with people who identify as Black, African, South Asian and Caribbean”. You can read the interview here.
The problem of underrepresentation is not unique to the UK. It exists in many places around the world, including the US where the issue is to a great extent an economic one. Many people from minority communities are financially challenged and simply can’t afford the cost of mental health therapy. However, we recently became aware of an independent not-for-profit organization that provides financial stipends to women of color who are seeking, but unable to afford, mental health services. The LoveLand Foundation raises money through donation campaigns such as their Therapy Fund For Black Women And Girls that allows them to overcome the financial barrier. Each recipient receives funding for 8 hours of therapy. You can learn more about their work here and, if you are so inclined, you can make a donation as well.
There are a number of organizations that provide therapy and/or therapeutic resources for people of color and other minority community members. Here area a few:
National Alliance on Mental Illness
Black Mental Health Matters
Black Girls Smile
Therapy for Black Men
National Queer And Trans Therapists Of Color Network
If you know of a similar minority mental health advocacy organization please share that information with us and we will add it to this list. Email us at infobdvideo@gmail.com. Thank you
Finally, for a take on why and how the American Psychological Association is addressing the issue of racial inequality and bias in mental health in the US, here’s an interesting and informative post from the APA newsletter on the topic of racism in psychology.
Signup for BPD Updates
[wpforms id=”27400″ title=”false” description=”false”]
