They work with organizations and treatment practitioners to provide mental health services to American Indian and Alaska Native individuals, families, and tribal and urban Native communities to strengthen their capacity to deliver quality care.
They’re also hosting weekly virtual events to keep folks informed during the pandemic.
Joy Harden Bradford, aka Dr. Joy, is a clinical psychologist who’s had a tremendous impact on the mental health climate for Black women. Her blog, podcast, and Therapy for Black Girls Thrive Tribe give Black women a safe place to address personal and systemic issues that impact their lives. Most recently, she’s developed a provider directory that makes it easier for Black women to locate mental health services across the United States.
Harden Bradford provides therapy, an opportunity for community, and direct access to resources. These days she highlights a range of COVID-coping strategies, including but not limited to pandemic-related anxiety.
Sahaj Kohli—a writer, editor, and therapist in training—founded Brown Girl Therapy so that those who hail from immigrant backgrounds—especially South Asians, first-gens, hyphenates, and women of color—had a place to learn more about therapy and identity exploration. (She also hoped it would serve as a space for mental health professionals to increase their cultural competency.)
The Brown Girl Therapy newsletter includes information on its virtual meetups, workshops, and resources on mental health. Their IG is filled with tips related to growing up in an immigrant family in a pandemic world and the importance of community care during a crisis.
Living through systemic oppression is exhausting. The lack of rest experienced by BIPOC individuals impacts their physical and mental health.
The Nap Ministry—which was founded by Tricia Hersey—wants folks to examine the liberating power of naps and believes that rest and napping are necessary for all that we hope to achieve, including resistance.
When we’re not social distancing, they provide immersive workshops and curate performance art. During the pandemic, their Instagram has been a wealth of thought-provoking pro-rest content, encouraging folks to stop and restore.
Melody Li, FMFT, developed Inclusive Therapists hoping to create a place where individuals of a wide range of backgrounds could go to find transparent and value-based inclusive care.
The directory includes a wealth of providers to reaffirm that “all identities in all bodies deserve equal access to quality, culturally responsive care.” They achieve that by featuring therapists who are ready to work with patients at each of their possible intersections—no, seriously. Check it out; they have folks for EVERYTHING.
In an attempt to reduce the impact of COVID-19, they are offering reduced-fee virtual therapy or teletherapy.
The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation is a nonprofit founded by Taraji P. Henson that is working to change the perception of mental illness in the Black community. Ultimately, they aim to increase access to mental health professionals in urban schools as well as in the public sector and reduce the prison recidivism rate through partnerships with other organizations.
In response to COVID-19, they’re offering up to five free sessions to Black Americans who are dealing with life-altering stress and anxiety related to the coronavirus through the COVID-19 Free Virtual Therapy Support Campaign.
Adriana Alejandre, LMFT created Latinx Therapy, a bilingual podcast and directory that aims to “break the stigma of mental health as it relates to the Latinx community while teaching self-help techniques, how to support oneself and their loved ones struggling with mental illnesses, and create cultural competency for other providers working with the Latinx population.”
Alejandre provides support to clients seeking therapy through individual counseling and offers support to providers as well. She hosts a number of consultations and trainings so providers are better prepared to support clients through grief and trauma and offers a Community Consultation Circle for Latinx Therapists.
South Asian Mental Health Initiative and Network (SAMHIN) was established to address the full range of mental health needs for South Asian community members—individuals with origins from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives—who are living in the United States. Through research and mental health education, SAMHIN works to reduce social and economic barriers that limit access to care for South Asian individuals.
SAMHIN keeps the South Asian community informed with upcoming events for individuals local to New Jersey, resources on addiction and mental health, and features a provider directory on its site.
This article was originally published on Self.
