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As Minority Mental Health Awareness Month comes to a close, it is crucial to spotlight the experiences and insights of BIPOC mental health professionals. Their voices highlight the unique challenges and opportunities that creating a more inclusive and supportive mental health landscape provides.
In conversations with three of our Canopie providers--Dr. Aretha Hampton, PhD, LCSW, MSW, Dr. Akilah Reynolds, PhD, MEd, and Gloria Lopez, LMHC, CLC-- we dive into the changes they wish to see in healthcare, the importance of representation, and their personal journeys in self-care and mental health.
Together, these dedicated voices remind us that the mental health of BIPOC folks is not just a personal issue, but a community one.
There are a number of considerations. One is training that is based on current research of BIPOC populations and non-binary people's history. Secondly, the average 15-to-20-minute office visit is not sufficient to address the whole person. In the current system, visits are disease-focused which reinforces the biomedical model so that when physicians and other healthcare professionals are stressed they default to thoughts and behaviors that tend to be biased.
Diverse healthcare spaces that are aware of and value diverse perspectives and collaboration are essential to best support patients and providers. It's essential that healthcare spaces also value their providers' health and wellbeing.
I'd like to see free healthcare for all, better pay across the board for providers, especially mental health clinicians, and an overhaul of institutions like higher ED (education) that still perpetuate racist and culturally insensitive practices impacting BIPOC patients/clients. Additionally, increased access to affordable higher ED programs and postgraduate training is crucial. This includes moving toward ensuring that the first 2 years of college are free for all in the US, so that patients have greater access to providers who look like them and share similar lived experiences.
As an African American mental health provider, through training, personal history, and education, I've learned and gained lived experience that informs my practice of inclusion and curiosity. Constructs about race, gender, age, and sexual orientation have historically been ostracized in dominant cultures.
My lived experience and cultural knowledge help me understand diverse patient needs and provide cultural capital to connect with patients. It also sensitizes me to acknowledge and be aware of my own limitations and seek consultation and support to provide care to diverse patients.
I have to acknowledge and adjust practices I learned as part of my training that may not align with being culturally sensitive to clients outside of cis/het/white/male/US norms. I try to make sure that I am making my services accessible to the community.
Representation matters. Patients get to see someone who may have a shared history and feel more relaxed and safer sharing what they're struggling with. Patients don't feel like they have to interpret their history for me to understand. Additionally, patients feel humanized and treated as a whole person, rather than as a disease. They feel heard and seen. I have experienced medical discrimination, being othered, and having my symptoms minimized, which made me question if what I was experiencing was real. It's important for me to provide services that reinforces that patients' comfort and sense of belonging.
It's important to build healthy and strong communities by addressing mental health disparities and increasing access to culturally attuned mental health services.
Because what affects some of us ultimately impacts all of us. Focusing on minority mental health decreases stigma overall around mental health challenges and promotes increased engagement with support services within these communities. It also activates individuals within and outside of minority groups to get involved in changing systems that oppress and negatively impact the mental health of BIPOC clients and providers alike.
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I worked in a group home for girls who were removed from their homes due to neglect and abuse. I saw how these girls were housed and received very few services and were still expected to live a normal adolescent life away from their homes. These girls often ran away and got into more trouble: a cycle of trauma. I became a social worker because I wanted to do systemic work to address policies and education that often penalize children and families rather than supporting them to heal and make different choices.
I knew mental health was important, but I did not see enough attention in healthcare on understanding and providing inclusive and culturally attuned care to diverse patients. I wanted to embrace mental health for myself, my family, and my community, and pursuing a career in this field would help me introduce and encourage mental wellness in my community.
My curiosity about what makes people who they are and behave in the ways that they do--both the good and the bad. It also offered a way to understand myself and those important people in my life, and to help and be of service to others.
I can't make good choices and have clear vision if I'm exhausted. It defeats the purpose of being a change agent. I take care of my needs incusing rest, doing fun things and moving my body so that I can be the best version of myself. I also remind myself that I am not a savior, but one part of the system that can do good, one step at a time. There are no superheroes, just humble and passionate people who want to create safe and inclusive spaces.
I am aware of what supports my mental health - such as physical activity, eating well, sleep, spending time with family and friends, solitude and stillness, spirituality, and having fun. For me, these are essential and I prioritize them in my everyday life. I also monitor how I’m feeling, and if I notice my self-rating trending low, it usually means I haven’t been attending to some of these essentials I mentioned. I take care to change my behaviors to increase these self care activities so that I can restore my wellbeing.
I do my best every day to do at least one thing for my self-care and mental health (long walks, catch up with a friend, read, attend my own therapy, set and hold healthy boundaries, attend to my physical health and grooming, be present with my partner + son, etc.). I’ve gotten better at adhering to the practice of “progress not perfection” and self-compassion on the many days I inevitably forget to prioritize my self care and mental health. Being intentional about practicing Mindfulness almost daily has also helped me combat my anxious brain and helped build tolerance for the uncertainty of life and the many things I can’t control.
If you're a Canopie user, sign up for a class with Dr. Hampton ("Babyproofing Your Relationships"), Dr. Reynolds ("Pregnant & Stressed: The Ultimate Guide to Coping", and Gloria ("Mom & Baby Sleep: For Expecting Parents" and "Ask Me Anything: Postpartum Mom & Baby Sleep Office Hour") in the Canopie app!
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