BIPOC Mental Health: Awareness Meets Action

July is BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to recognize the unique mental health experiences, challenges, and strengths of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. While mental health impacts almost everyone in some way, systemic racism, intergenerational trauma, cultural stigma, and access barriers continue to create inequities in how BIPOC individuals experience and receive mental health care.

Many BIPOC individuals share overlapping systemic and cultural barriers to accessing mental health support, such as:

• Racism and discrimination which can lead to stress, anxiety, and depression,
• Historical and generational trauma from displacement and oppression from years past,
• Lack of representation in healthcare and mental healthcare providers,
• Cultural stigma that prevents individuals from seeking care due to shame or silence, and;
• Inadequate access to care due to geographical, financial, and/or language barriers.

1. Normalize Having the Conversation: Have open and honest conversations around mental health and wellness within the BIPOC community. Normalizing the conversation creates an authentic and welcoming environment for individuals to be open about their mental health experience, not feel shame, and breaks the stigma.
2. Educate Yourself and Others: The best way to close the access barrier to mental healthcare is to educate yourself on what those barriers are and why they exist. Learn about BIPOC communities through reading, interacting with BIPOC-led organizations, and researching historical stigmas within the BIPOC community.
3. Support Culturally Competent Care: Competent care starts with more representation in the workforce and advocating for equal access to care. Advocate for policies and programs that expand equitable care to underserved communities, and train yourself and others in trauma-informed care and cultural humility.

BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month is more than a calendar event; it’s a movement. One that requires ongoing reflection, action, and commitment to knocking down the barriers that have long excluded communities of color from safe, affirming, and accessible mental health support.

Together, we can work toward a future where every person, regardless of race or identity, receives the care and compassion they deserve.

No matter where you are in life, our clinical team is here for you! Get in touch with us today to get connected to one of our team members.

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