July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, sometimes referred to as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Mental Health Awareness Month. It is a time to center attention on the unique mental health needs BIPOC people face as a result of systemic inequities, celebrate the rich traditions that exist within diverse cultures, and advocate for improving mental health outcomes among BIPOC people.
The month is also sometimes referred to as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Moore Campbell, who lived from 1950 to 2006, was an author, journalist, teacher, and advocate whose work explored and shed light on issues of mental health in Black communities and among other underrepresented groups.
At The Jed Foundation (JED), we are dedicated to creating mental health initiatives that consider the inclusion and belonging of all communities while protecting emotional health and preventing suicide. This month — and every month — we strive to implement mental health programming and create resources that are mindful of diverse perspectives, experiences, and cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and also bolster the unique strengths of BIPOC communities.
Our approach, known as Equitable Implementation, ensures that our programs and resources are tailored to address the specific challenges and additional stressors various groups face while leveraging their inherent strengths.
In a new JED video series, three mental health professionals and JED Advisory Board members share how their cultural and racial identities have informed their understanding and practices around mental health. The series, #StrengthInDiversity, highlights the powerful healing potential of exploring your racial identity and leaning into your communities.
“My mental health has benefitted from therapy, yes, but, just as importantly, my mental health flourishes with understanding Asian American history; getting appreciation for survivance, creativity, and contributions of our communities; and from actively living my values,” Dr. Helen Hsu, a clinical psychologist and JED Advisory Board member, says in her video, Traditions for Your Mind, Body, and Spirit.
“Traditions my ancestors have practiced for thousands of years now validated as evidence-based as beneficial for health — things like tai chi, meditation and mindfulness, plant medicine, balancing inflammation through foods, and art and creative expressions like music, song, writing, and poetry,” Dr. Hsu says. “There’s no single model of health or wellness.”
As a BIPOC person, there are many ways to seek out support that leave you feeling seen and heard, including working with a culturally competent therapist, joining a BIPOC support group, and curating a social media feed that reflects your identity.
JED offers mental health resources specifically focused on the needs of teens and young adults of diverse identities and a guide on how to find a culturally competent therapist. We also have resources geared toward members of particular communities.
In another of our #StrengthInDiversity series videos, Carolina Zerrate, M.D., a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist and JED Advisory Board member, says she learned to integrate her Latiné identity with her professional practice by working with Latiné youth and families.
“As I naturally connected with my patients and families in a more authentic way, not only did I become happier and more comfortable in my job, but I got better at it every day,” she says in her video, Celebrating Latinidad. “Living in my Latinés’ values, honoring my heritage and background truly allow me to practice in a more culturally humble stance, honoring and respecting the fact that, as humans, we each have different and unique experiences, knowledge, expertise, skills that are equally important when we’re working together.”
Find additional mental health resources for diverse identities, this month and anytime, on our website, or watch the full #StrengthInDiversity series on YouTube.
If you or someone you know needs to talk to someone right now, text, call, or chat 988 for a free confidential conversation with a trained counselor 24/7.
You can also contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741-741.
If this is a medical emergency or if there is immediate danger of harm, call 911 and explain that you need support for a mental health crisis.
