Mental Health Resources for BIPOC Community
In an attempt to break down all of the various and interconnected ways that systemic racism is a public health crisis, this guide also highlights a sampling of resources that focus specifically on the mental health repercussions within the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) community. This page contains the following:
Video Clips
Source: Newsy. (2020, June 22). Understanding Racial Trauma. YouTube. https://youtu.be/gIyp8AZV1vs
Source: AJ+ (2015, November 23). If You're Not White It's Harder To Get Mental Health Care. YouTube. https://youtu.be/FgNaqfGTysU
Source: Vice News. (2020, August 18). We Went to a Support Group for Black People in America. YouTube. https://youtu.be/p7Z3YyHR7vs
Source:TED. (2015, February 17). How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime | Nadine Burke Harris. YouTube. https://youtu.be/95ovIJ3dsNk
Source: AJ+ (2020, July 25). The Criminal Justice System Has a Mental Health Crisis. YouTube. https://youtu.be/1n_YFhQRU_0
Books
Podcasts
Therapy for Black Girls
Therapy for Black Girls is an online space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls.
At Liberty
Episode: The Impact of Intergenerational Immigrant Trauma
Laverne Cox
Episode: Trauma Resilience & Healing
Doin' The Work
Episode: Anti-Racist, Anti-Oppressive Mental Health
Code Switch
Episode: Can Therapy Solve Racism?
Speaking of Racism
Episode: Healing Racial Trauma with Dr. Candice Nicole Hargons
Good Ancestor with Layla Saad
Episode: Breaking the Chains of Intergenerational Trauma
Psychiatry Unbound
Episode: Transgender and LGBTQ Mental Health
Therapy For Black Girls
Episode: Getting Rid of Sexual Shame
Being Well
Episode: Institutional Racism and Traumatic Stress with Dr. Alfiee
Black Mental Health Podcast
The black mental health podcast is dedicated to understanding and unraveling the mental issues in the African American community.
Body Trauma: A Storytelling Podcast
Through all types of agency and marginalization people share their body’s story. Hosted by Nia Patterson.
Naming It
Bay Area Psychologists, Dr. Bedford Palmer & Dr. LaMisha Hill, explore the intersections of Social Justice, Psychology, & Blackness.
Black Gaze
Episode: Black Mental Health & Self Care
Affirm
The podcast for women of color who affirm their worth, value mental health, and seek wholeness. Biweekly mental health podcast hosted by Davia Roberts, LPC (licensed in WI).
Latinx Therapy
Break the stigma of mental health as it relates to the Latinx community.
Couched in Color
This podcast hosted by Dr. Alfiee M. Breland-Noble (Dr. Alfiee) is designed to enlighten the public and encourage dialogue on the mental health needs of youth and young adults of color.
Ourselves Black
A weekly podcast that speaks with black mental health experts while also providing a glimpse into the mental health journeys of others.
Truth Be Told
Episode: No More Shame
Gentler: Practical Self-Care
Episode: A Message to non-Black people + Self-care for Black People.
Black History Year
Episode: The Psychological Effects of White Supremacy
Cultivating H.E.R. Space
Dr. Dominique Broussard, a college professor and psychologist, and Terri Lomax, a techie and motivational speaker, initiate authentic, uplifting conversations for the Black woman.
Asians Do Therapy
Conversations with Asians and Asian Americans on both sides of the couch.
We Live Here
Episode: Uprising Black Mental Health
Between Sessions
Two brown chicks changing the face of therapy on both sides of the couch.
Asian Mental Health Project
Educate. Empower. Advocate.
*not a replacement for therapy*
All My Relations
All My Relations is a team of folks who care about representations, and how Native peoples are represented in mainstream media.
Balanced Black Girl
Tune in for approachable health, self-care, personal development, and well-being advice from Black women wellness experts.
Latinx Mental Health Podcast
This is the Latinx Mental Health Podcast where we talk to therapists, researchers, artists, activists, and students about their experiences in the intersections of mental health and Latinx identity.
Mental Health Mukbang
Asian Mental Health Collective podcast where we try to break down big mental health ideas into easily digestible sound bites.
Articles
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- (2020) 'Allostatic Load' Is How Unrelenting Stress Damages Your Body | Vice
- (2020) America's racial reckoning is putting a spotlight on Black mental health | NBC News
- (2019) Biological Weathering and Its Deadly Effect on Black Mothers | Self
- (2020) The Chronic Stress of Being Black in the U.S. Makes People More Vulnerable to COVID-19 and Other Diseases | Yes Magazine
- (2019) How the Stress of Separation and Detention Changes the Lives of Children | New Yorker
- (2019) The Mental Health Cost of Code-Switching on Campus | Teen Vogue
- (2019) Images of Racial Violence on Social Media Are Affecting My Body and Mind | Vice
- (2018) Racial Battle Fatigue: What is it and What are the Symptoms? | Medium
- (2020) The Role of Minority Stress in Health Disparities | Very Well Health
- (2020) Structural racism is taking a toll on children’s mental health | CNN
- (2020) White Supremacy's Impact on Mental Health of BIPOC Folks | Very Well Health
- (2018) This Racism Is Killing Me Inside | NPR
- (2021) After a Traumatizing Year, Black People Turn to Therapy | New York Times
- (2020) Black kids are watching this moment. What will it teach them? | Vox
- (2018) Childhood Trauma And Its Lifelong Health Effects More Prevalent Among Minorities | NPR
- (2020) For Black Americans, Using Social Media Means Risking PTSD | Slate
- (2015) The Link Between Racism and PTSD | Psychology Today
- (2018) Psychological Damage Inflicted By Parent-Child Separation is Deep, Long-Lasting | PBS Nova Newsletter
- (2020) Racial Trauma in the Age of Social Media | Medium
- (2020) Racial Trauma in Film: How Viewers Can Address Re-traumatization | Northwestern Counciling Staff
- (2020) Racial Trauma Is a Public Health Emergency | Psychology Today
- (2018) Research Shows Entire Black Communities Suffer Trauma After Police Shootings | Yes Magazine
- (2019) Separated Migrant Children Suffered Trauma, Watchdog Report Finds | PBS News Hour
- (2016) When black death goes viral, it can trigger PTSD-like trauma | PBS Newshour
- (2015) America's Largest Mental Hospital Is a Jail | The Atlantic
- (2020) Daniel Prude Was in ‘Mental Distress.’ Police Treated Him Like a Suspect. | NY Times
- (2020) Inside Mental Health Care For Families Separated at the Border | Time
- (2019) Mental Health in Black Moms Is Largely Ignored—5 Ways We Can Improve It | Self
- (2020) Police Are the First to Respond to Mental Health Crises. They Shouldn’t Be | Vice
- (2019) When Mental Illness Becomes a Jail Sentence | The Atlantic
- (2019) When therapists gaslight Black people into tranquility instead of validating our legitimate anxieties | Black Youth Project
- (2019) Why Latinx People Need Better Mental Health Support | Teen Vogue
- (2021) Psychiatry Confronts Its Racist Past, and Tries to Make Amends | New York Times
- (2018) Childhood Trauma And Its Lifelong Health Effects More Prevalent Among Minorities | NPR
- (2020) Mental Health Disparities Among Black Americans During the COVID-19 Pandemic | Psychiatric Times
- (2018) Latina Suicide Rates Are Out of Control — Here’s Why | Refinery
- (2019) More Hispanic Kids Are Depressed Than Their Peers As Anti-Migrant Rhetoric Rises | NPR
- (2020) The Role of Minority Stress in Health Disparities | Very Well Health
- (2019) 'Mental Health Parity' Is Still An Elusive Goal In U.S. Insurance Coverage | NPR
- (2023) For Black Men, Barriers To Mental Health Care Can Be Complex | NPR
- (2020) College students count on their schools for mental-health help, but now many can’t get it | Washington Post
- (2020) The Extra Stigma of Mental Illness for African-Americans | New York Ti
- (2020) Mental Health Is Often A Privilege For BIPOC. Here’s Why That Needs To Change. | HuffPost
- (2019) Why We Need to Destigmatize Mental Health in Latinx Community | Oprah Magazine
- 6 Black Therapists on the Best Ways to Practice Self-Care Right Now
- 52 Mental Health Resources for Disabled People, POC, LGBTQ Folks
- 11 Black Self-Care Tips From Real People
- A Black Psychologist Shares Some Tips On Starting Therapy
- The Four Bodies: A Holistic Toolkit for Coping With Racial Trauma
- A Therapist Explains What She Does For Self-Care Before, During, & After A Protest
- Microaggressions are a big deal: How to talk them out and when to walk away
- How a Black Psychiatrist Deals with Depression and Racism
- Grief is a direct impact of racism: Eight ways to support yourself
- What Is Therapy?
- Supporting Black LGBTQ Youth Mental Health
Scholarship
- (2021) Police Encounters as Stressors: Associations with Depression and Anxiety across Race| by Sirry Alang
- (2020) Application of the Minority Stress Theory: Understanding the Mental Health of Undocumented Latinx Immigrants | Mislael Valentín‐Cortés
- (2021) Childhood adversity and physical health among Asian Indian emerging adults in the United States: Exploring disease-specific vulnerabilities and the role of anger. | Anthony F. Santoro
- (2013) Diagnosing Discrimination: Stress from Perceived Racism and the Mental and Physical Health Effects | by Katherine Freeman Anderson
- (2018) Early Childhood Stress and Child Age Predict Longitudinal Increases in Obesogenic Eating Among Low-Income Children. | Alison Miller
- (2018) Discrimination, Segregation, and Chronic Inflammation: Testing the Weathering Explanation for the Poor Health of Black Americans. | Ronald L. Simons
- (2020) Examining the Relationship Between Discrimination and Depressive Symptomatology in African American Men: A Literature Review Utilizing a Metanarrative Approach | Jumelie Miller
- (2018) An exploratory study of stress and coping among Black college men. | Janelle R. Goodwill
- (2019) Gender and Frequent Mental Distress: Comparing Transgender and Non-Transgender Individuals' Self-Rated Mental Health. | Halley P. Crissman
- (2018) Integrating the Neurobiology of Minority Stress with an Intersectionality Framework for LGBTQ‐Latinx Populations. | Luis Parra
- (2019) Weathering Probation and Parole: The Protective Role of Social Support on Black Women's Recent Stressful Events and Depressive Symptoms. | Marion Malcome
- (2015) Whose Stress is Making Me Sick? Network-stress and Emotional Distress in African-American Women | Cheryl L Woods-Giscombé
- (2020) Linked fate and mental health among African Americans | Ellis P. Monk
- (2020) Addressing the "Myth" of Racial Trauma: Developmental and Ecological Considerations for Youth of Color. | Farzana T. Saleem
- (2019) American Indian Historical Trauma: Anticolonial Prescriptions for Healing, Resilience, and Survivance | William Hartmann
- (2007) Are There Racial Differences in the Experience of Harmful or Traumatic Events within Psychiatric Settings? | Karen J. Cusack
- (2018) Barriers and facilitators for access to mental health services by traumatized youth | April Joy Damian
- (2020) Black Women and Girls & #MeToo: Rape, Cultural Betrayal, & Healing. | Jennifer M. Gómez
- (2017) Comparing Trauma Exposure, Mental Health Needs, and Service Utilization Across Clinical Samples of Refugee, Immigrant, and U.S.-Origin Children. | Theresa S. Betancourt
- (2019) The Discriminatory Gesture: A Psychoanalytic Consideration of Posttraumatic Reactions to Incidents of Racial Discrimination | Anton Hart
- (2017) "One Scar Too Many:" The Associations Between Traumatic Events and Psychological Distress Among Undocumented Mexican Immigrants. | Luz M. Garcini
- (2017) Post-traumatic stress and trauma-related subjective distress: Comparisons among Hispanics, African-Americans, and whites with severe mental illness. | Thomas O'Hare
- (2020) Racial Trauma and Dissociated Worlds within Psychotherapy: A discussion of 'Racial difference, rupture, and repair: A view from the couch and back'. | Pratyusha Tummala-Narra
- (2021) The relationship between race-based traumatic stress and the Trauma Symptom Checklist: Does racial trauma differ in symptom presentation? | Katheryn Roberson
- (2019) Trauma, immigration, and sexual health among Latina women: Implications for maternal–child well‐being and reproductive justice | Sheri Lapatin Markle
- (2019) Mental health care among blacks in America: Confronting racism and constructing solutions| by Sirray Alang
- (2015) Sociodemographic Disparities Associated With Perceived Causes of Unmet Need for Mental Health Care| by Sirray Alang
- (2007) Are There Racial Differences in the Experience of Harmful or Traumatic Events within Psychiatric Settings? | Karen J. Cusack
- (2020) A Call for Mental Health Treatment in Incarcerated Settings with Transgender Individuals. | Eman Tadros
- (2021) Crisis Counseling for Black Lives Matter Protests | Darius Green
- (2019) Feminist/Womanist/Intersectional Approaches to Interventions with Black Girls and Women. | Wendi Williams
- (2018) Improving the Mental Health Outcomes of LGBTQ Youth and Young Adults: A Longitudinal Study. | Kirstin R. Painter
- (2020) Land-Based Intervention: a Qualitative Study of the Knowledge and Practices Associated with One Approach to Mental Health in a Cree Community. | Russ Walsh
- (2017) Mental Health Care Access and Treatment Utilization in African American Communities: An Integrative Care Framework | Babe Kawaii-Bogue
- (2019) Mental health care among blacks in America: Confronting racism and constructing solutions. | Sirry M. Alang
- (2015) Misdiagnosis of African-Americans with Psychiatric Issues – Part II | Carl C. Bell
- (2019) The role of coping strategies in understanding the effects of institutional racism on mental health outcomes for African American men. | Tawanda M. Greer
- (2020) Adverse childhood experiences and mental and physical health disparities: the moderating effect of race and implications for social work | Catherine A. LaBrenz
- (2018) Age-Related Racial Disparity in Suicide Rates Among US Youths From 2001 Through 2015 | Jeffrey A. Bridge
- (2019) A culturally Informed Systematic Review of Mental Health Disparities Among Adult Indigenous Men and Women of the USA: What is known? | Kristi Ka'apu
- (2018) Mental Health Disparities Among College Students of Color | Sarah Ketchen Lipson
- (2015) Persistence of racial disparities in prescription of first-generation antipsychotics in the USA | Thomas B. Cook
- (2021) Racial Disparities in Access to and Utilization of Jail- and Community-Based Mental Health Treatment in 8 US Midwestern Jails in 2017 | Bethany Joy Hedden
- (2018) Racial/Ethnic Inequities in Low Birth Weight and Preterm Birth: The Role of Multiple Forms of Stress. | Joanna Almeida
- (2021) Reducing mental health disparities by increasing the personal relevance of interventions. | Nagayama Hall
- (2019) Socioeconomic Inequalities in Psychological Distress and Suicidal Behaviours Among Indigenous Peoples Living Off-reserve in Canada | Mohammad Hajizadeh
- (2020) Inequities along the Depression Care Cascade in African American Women: An Integrative Review | Nicole Beaulieu Perez
- (2018) Barriers and facilitators for access to mental health services by traumatized youth | April Joy Damian
- (2019) Barriers and facilitators to mental health help-seeking among African American youth and their families: A systematic review study | Arrianna M. Planey
- (2019) Beyond access: Psychosocial barriers to undocumented students' use of mental health services. | Biblia S. Cha
- (2020) Challenges and barriers in mental healthcare systems and their impact on the family: A systematic integrative review. | Ángela Carbonell
- (2020) Immigrant Mothers’ Perspectives of Barriers and Facilitators in Accessing Mental Health Care for Their Children | Mia Tulli
- (2017) Mental Health Care Access and Treatment Utilization in African American Communities: An Integrative Care Framework | Babe Kawaii-Bogue
- (2021) Systematic Review of Cultural Aspects of Stigma and Mental Illness among Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups in the United States: Implications for Interventions. | Supriya Misra
- (2013) Racial and Ethnic Minority College Students' Stigma Associated With Seeking Psychological Help: Examining Psychocultural Correlates | Hsiu-Lan Cheng
Hotlines, Advocacy Groups and Tool Kits related to BIPOC Mental Health
- Ayana TherapyWe match users with licensed professionals that share their unique traits, values, and sensibilities.
- CalmImprove sleep quality, reduce stress and anxiety, improve focus.
- Healthy Minds InnovationWith a combination of podcast-style lessons and both seated and active meditations, you’ll learn what the science says about the brain while developing skills.
- RejuHelps equip people to overcome adversities and manifest into their best selves
- Headspace: Meditation and SleepHeadspace is your guide to mindfulness for your everyday life. Learn meditation and mindfulness skills from world-class experts.
- Liberate: Black Meditation AppA safe space for the Black community to develop a daily meditation habit.
- Safe Place AppAn app to bring more awareness, education, and hope to this serious issue.
- Shine: Calm Anxiety and StressCreate a daily self-care ritual to help you meditate, connect, and reflect.
- The Tapping SolutionThis app builds meditations around an alternative technique called tapping (also known as Emotional Freedom Techniques, or EFT).
- NAMI Illinois Helpline 1-800-950- NAMI (6264)The Information HelpLine for the National Alliance on Mental Illness is an information and referral service which can be reached by calling 1 (800) 950-NAMI (6264), Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.- 6 p.m., EST.
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a national network of local crisis centers that provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Dial (800) 273-TALK or (800) SUICIDE - SAMHSA’s National Helpline – 1-800-662-HELP (4357)SAMHSA’s National Helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information service (in English and Spanish) for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders.
- Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860Trans Lifeline provides trans peer support for our community that’s been divested from police since day one. We’re run by and for trans people.
- Trevor Project Lifeline: 1-866-488-7386The Trevor Project's Lifeline is the leading crisis prevention hotline for LGBTQ people. The organization also provides an instant messaging service via their website.
- American Psychological AssociationRacism, bias, and discrimination resources.
- Anxiety and Depression Association of AmericaSince ADAA’s founding 40 years ago, we have been committed to ensuring that everyone who struggles with an anxiety disorder, depression or PTSD can obtain the resources they need to live healthier and more productive lives.
- Asian Mental Health CollectiveIt is the mission of the Asian Mental Health Collective to normalize and de-stigmatize mental health within the Asian community.
- Asian Mental Health ProjectA website offering different types of resources. As the project grows, it will provide live events and community engagement opportunities catered to the needs of its audience.
- Asians Do TherapyReducing Stigma and Increasing Accessibility.
- Black Emotional Health Collectiven (BEAM)We are a collective of advocates, yoga teachers, artists, therapists, lawyers, religious leaders, teachers, psychologists and activists committed to the emotional/mental health and healing of Black communities.
- Black Mental Health AllianceBMHA offers an opportunity for clinicians to gain culturally relevant educational growth through its network of subject matter experts in behavioral health.
- Black Mental WellnessThe mission of Black Mental Wellness, Corp. is to provide access to evidence-based information and resources about mental health and behavioral health topics from a Black perspective, to highlight and increase the diversity of mental health professionals, and to decrease the mental health stigma in the Black community.
- Black Women's Health ImperativeThe first nonprofit organization created by Black women to help protect and advance the health and wellness of Black women and girls.
- Brown Sisters SpeakMental Health Empowerment & Peer Support for Womxn of Color!
- Center for Healing Racial TraumaProvides continuing education and training for mental health, education, business, religious, and medical professionals, and we engage in and support activist work, to create an anti-racist world.
- Equity in Mental HealthThe Equity in Mental Health Framework provides colleges and universities across the country with accessible information, ideas and examples to inform and strengthen their mental health supports and programs for students of color.
- Inclusive TherapistsWe are a community of social justice-oriented professionals that strive to be: anti-discrimination, anti-oppression, anti-stigma, anti-racist & anti-ablest.
- Loveland FoundationLoveland Foundation is committed to showing up for communities of color in unique and powerful ways, with a particular focus on Black women and girls. Our resources and initiatives are collaborative and they prioritize opportunity, access, validation, and healing.
- Mental Health America: BIPOC Mental HealthMental Health America understands that racism undermines mental health. Therefore, we are committed to anti-racism in all that we do. This means that we pledge to work against individual racism, interpersonal racism, and institutional racism in all their forms.
- Mental Health CoalitionWorking together to end the devastating stigma surrounding today’s most prevalent public health crisis.
- National Alliance for HIspanic HealthCommunity-based members provide services to more than 15 million Hispanics throughout the U.S. every year and national organization members provide services to more than 100 million people annually.
- National Alliance on Mental IllnessWhat happens at the intersection of mental health and one’s experience as a member of the Black community? While the experience of being Black in America varies tremendously, there are shared cultural factors that play a role in helping define mental health and supporting well-being, resiliency and healing
- Ourselves BlackUnapologetically . . . Our Images, Our Narratives, Our Mental Health.
- Sista AfyaSista Afya is a social enterprise that provides low-cost mental wellness services that center the experiences of Black women. We believe that by making mental wellness simple, accessible, affordable, and centered around Black women's experiences, more people will get what they need to have a full, whole life.
- Strong Hearts HelplineStrongHearts Native Helpline 1-844-7NATIVE (762-8483) is a safe domestic, dating and sexual violence helpline for American Indians and Alaska Natives, offering culturally-appropriate support and advocacy daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT. Anonymous and confidential.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services AdministrationThe agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA's mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities.
- SwitchboardSwitchboard is a confidential listening service for the LGBT+ communities. We offer support across our helpline, email and instant messaging, 10am-10pm daily.
- Therapy for Black GirlsTherapy for Black Girls is an online space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls.
- Therapy for Black MenWith a directory of over seventy licensed mental health professionals throughout the fifty states thus far, we’re here to provide judgement-free, multiculturally-competent care to Black men.
- Trevor ProjectThe Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people under 25.
- We R NativeWe are a comprehensive health resource for Native youth, by Native youth, providing content and stories about the topics that matter most to them. We strive to promote holistic health and positive growth in our local communities and nation at large.
Therapist Directories
- Psychology Today Directory of African American TherapistsContains detailed therapist listings for states and major cities, including Bloomington-Normal.
- African Amerian Therapists DirectoryFind a black therapist, African American counselor, psychologist, social worker or psychiatrist in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Oakland, Miami and other major cities.
