Faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, growing unemployment, loss of family members and police brutality, the past couple of months have been undeniably overwhelming. The uncertainty that many of us are facing right now can lead to, anger, sadness, anxiety and a world of other emotions.
Although the news and social media can be trusted sources to provide us with inciteful information, they also can be traumatic and triggering for many people at this time.
As protests erupted across the country over the weekend demanding justice for George Floyd and other Black people who have been brutalized and killed by police, many have battled with the idea of staying informed and needing a break.
Although these feelings are all very normal during such times, they have to be managed so that we don’t resort to dealing with them in an unhealthy fashion. There are many organizations and resources available to our community to make sure that we are making our mental health a priority during this time.
Here is a list of five organizations that were founded to help Black people deal with mental health.
Sista Afya – This is a community organization founded by licensed clinical social worker Camesha L. Jones. Sista Afya connects and engages Black women across the African diaspora to maintain mental wellness. The organization achieves its mission in four ways: mental wellness education, resource connection community support, and mental wellness merchandise.
National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network – NQTTCN works to transform mental health for queer and trans people of color in America. One way it does that is by offering an interactive directory to help those seeking mental health practitioners.
BEAM – The Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective is a nonprofit organization founded by Yolo Akili Robinson to remove the obstacles Black people face in gaining access to emotional health care and healing. The organization accomplishes this through education, training, advocacy and creative arts.
Therapy for Black Girls – This organization was founded by licensed psychologist Joy Harden Bradford to destigmatize therapy in the Black community and provide Black women with the therapy they need. Therapy for Black Girls also has a weekly podcast that tackles mental health and everyday topics.
Ourselves Black – This is an outlet created by Sarah Y. Vinson, M.D., a Florida A&M University graduate who received her training at Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School. She also is founder of the Lorio Psych Group, a mental health practice based in Atlanta. Ourselves Black is a platform that unapologetically informs and tells the stories of our community to promote mental health.
