In July, Serenity brings awareness to the specific struggles that racial, ethnic, and LGBTQIA+, and gender minority communities face regarding mental illness in the United States. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it harder for these minority groups to get access to mental health and substance-use treatment services.
Mental Illness Does not Choose Who is Affected By It, but Culture, Race, Gender, or Sexual Orientation Can Affect Access to Treatment, Level of Support, and Overall Quality of Care for many people of minority.
People of Minority Cultures Experience the Intersectionality of Cultural Stigma, lack of Culturally Sensitive Providers, Less Access to Care, Lower Quality Care, Language Barriers, Lack of Trust in their Healthcare System, and Lack of Diversity in their Healthcare providers.
Minority Mental Health Supportive Resources
Latinx/Hispanic Communities
Therapy for Latinx: national mental health resource for the Latinx community; provides resources for Latinx community to heal, thrive, and become advocates for their own mental health.
Latinx Therapy: breaking the stigma of mental health related to the Latinx community; learn self-help techniques, how to support self & others.
The Focus on You: self-care, mental health, and inspirational blog run by a Latina therapist.
Black And African American Communities
Therapy for Black Girls: online space encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls; referral tool to find a therapist in your area.
The Loveland Foundation: financial assistance to Black women & girls seeking therapy.
Therapy for Black Men: primarily a therapist directory for Black men seeking therapy; includes some resources and stories.
Safe Black Space: Safe Black Space is the umbrella under which various services are offered to address people of African ancestry’s individual and community reactions to cultural and racial trauma.
Asian American & Islander Communities
Asian American Psychological Association (AAPA): dedicated to advancing the mental health and wellbeing of Asian American communities through research, professional practice, education, and policy.
Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum: focused on improving the health of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders.
○ Community Care Package: COVID focused weekly digital “community care package” includes inspirational stories, resources in a variety of languages, tools for adjusting and managing mental health, and platform to share your story/connect with others.
southasiantherapists.org: directory of South Asian therapists, including therapists of Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Afghanistani and Nepali heritage.
Asian Mental Health Collective: raises awareness about the importance of mental health care, promotes emotional well-being, and challenges the stigma concerning mental illness amongst Asian communities globally.
