{"id":16537,"date":"2025-07-03T17:07:50","date_gmt":"2025-07-03T17:07:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/?p=16537"},"modified":"2025-07-03T17:07:50","modified_gmt":"2025-07-03T17:07:50","slug":"july-is-black-mental-health-awareness-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/2025\/07\/03\/july-is-black-mental-health-awareness-month\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a0 \u00a0July Is Black Mental Health Awareness Month"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_9520\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-9520\" style=\"width: 193px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-9520\" src=\"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Bernadette-Joy-Graham-193x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"193\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Bernadette-Joy-Graham-193x300.jpg 193w, http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Bernadette-Joy-Graham-161x250.jpg 161w, http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Bernadette-Joy-Graham.jpg 216w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 193px) 100vw, 193px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-9520\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bernadette Joy Graham, MA, LPCC, LLC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><strong>A Mental Health Moment<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>By Bernadette Joy Graham, MA, LPCC, LLC<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>The Truth Contributor<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 a time dedicated to spotlighting the mental health challenges uniquely affecting the Black community. As a licensed clinical mental health therapist, I witness firsthand how deeply systemic inequities, generational trauma, and social pressures impact the emotional well-being of Black individuals and families.<\/p>\n<p>Our community\u2019s resilience is powerful, but it must not come at the cost of our mental health.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The State of Black Mental Health: What the Numbers Tell Us<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>According to the <strong>S. Department of Health and Human Services<\/strong>, Black Americans are <strong>20 percent more likely to experience serious mental health problems<\/strong> than the general population.<\/li>\n<li>However, only <strong>one in three Black adults who need mental health care actually receive it<\/strong>, according to the <strong>National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Suicide rates among <strong>Black youth ages 10\u201319 rose by 60 percent<\/strong> between 2001 and 2020, making it the fastest-growing rate of any racial group in that age category.<\/li>\n<li>Despite similar rates of mental illness compared to white Americans, Black individuals are <strong>less likely to receive evidence-based treatment<\/strong> and <strong>more likely to be misdiagnosed<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These disparities are not simply due to individual choices \u2014 they are the result of long-standing racial inequities in health care access, stigma, and cultural misunderstanding within the medical system.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Understanding the Roots: Why Black Mental Health is Under Strain<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mental health in our community is deeply connected to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Historical Trauma<\/strong>: Legacies of slavery, segregation, and systemic racism still shape our experiences and identities.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Daily Racism and Microaggressions<\/strong>: Constant exposure to racial bias contributes to chronic stress, anxiety, and depression.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Economic Inequality<\/strong>: Poverty, housing insecurity, and underemployment increase mental health vulnerabilities.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stigma<\/strong>: Cultural messages that equate therapy with weakness or &#8220;airing dirty laundry&#8221; discourage many from seeking help.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Lack of Representation<\/strong>: Many Black individuals don\u2019t feel understood by non-Black providers, leading to mistrust and underutilization of services.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Solutions: What Can We Do to Heal Our Minds and Strengthen Our Spirits?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As a therapist working in and for the Black community, I offer these solutions:<\/p>\n<h3>1. Normalize the Conversation<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Mental health is health. We must treat therapy as we do check-ups or physical training \u2014 a proactive investment in ourselves.<\/li>\n<li>Encourage open dialogue in churches, barbershops, beauty salons, and family gatherings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>2. Culturally Competent Care<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Seek out <strong>Black mental health professionals<\/strong> or those with cultural humility and training in anti-racist care.<\/li>\n<li>Platforms like <strong>Therapy for Black Girls<\/strong>, <strong>Therapy for Black Men<\/strong>, and <strong>Clinicians of Color<\/strong> make it easier to find culturally aligned providers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>3. Community Healing Spaces<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Group therapy, support circles, wellness retreats, and community-led healing events help build collective strength and reduce isolation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>4. Spiritual and Holistic Practices<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Mindfulness, meditation, yoga, art, and storytelling are culturally rooted tools that help manage stress and reconnect us to joy and purpose.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>5. Policy Change and Advocacy<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Push for equity in mental health funding, insurance coverage, and culturally competent training for all providers.<\/li>\n<li>Support Black-led mental health initiatives and nonprofits doing grassroots work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Healing Is a Form of Resistance<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In a society that too often dismisses or devalues Black lives, protecting our mental health is a radical and necessary act of self-love and survival. This July, take a mental health moment; let\u2019s not just raise awareness \u2014 let\u2019s <strong>take action<\/strong>, seek healing, and uplift one another.<\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t have to struggle in silence. <strong>Your story matters. Your healing is possible. Your mental health deserves care.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em>If you or someone you love needs immediate mental health support, call or text <strong>988 <\/strong>to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. To find a Black therapist, visit: <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.therapyforblackgirls.com\/\"><em>www.therapyforblackgirls.com<\/em><\/a><em>, <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.therapyforblackmen.org\"><em>www.therapyforblackmen.org<\/em><\/a><em>, <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\"><em>www.psychologytoday.com<\/em><\/a><em>\u00a0 or <\/em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.inclusivetherapists.com\/\"><em>www.inclusivetherapists.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Mental Health Moment By Bernadette Joy Graham, MA, LPCC, LLC The Truth Contributor \u2014 a time dedicated to spotlighting the mental health challenges uniquely affecting the Black community. As a licensed clinical mental health therapist, I witness firsthand how deeply systemic inequities, generational trauma, and social pressures impact the emotional well-being of Black individuals [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"wf_post_folders":[300],"class_list":["post-16537","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16537"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16537\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16538,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16537\/revisions\/16538"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16537"},{"taxonomy":"wf_post_folders","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/wordpress.thetruthtoledo.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wf_post_folders?post=16537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}