BEM’s Black Mental Health Initiative:

This Page Includes:

  • Resources by Category

  • Understanding Black Mental Health

  • Resources for Mental Health Providers

  • Self-Care Apps

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Mental Health Issues Facing the Black Community:

“Racism is a public health crisis,” according to a May 2020 statement from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). This means that racism — whether unintentional, unconsciously, or concealed — has affected Black Americans’ access to equal and “culturally competent” health care.

Resources:

  • For Black Women & Femmes

  • Wellness + Mental Health

  • Suicide Prevention

  • Black Men & Mental Health

  • Black Teens x Youth Mental Health

  • Black LGBTQIA + Mental Health

  • Healing

  • Self-Care Apps

For Black Women & Femmes:

  1. Balanced Black Girl This gorgeous feed features photos and art of Black people, along with summaries of Balanced Black Girl podcast episodes, worthwhile tweets you can see without having to scroll through Twitter, and advice about trying to create a balanced life even in spite of everything we’re dealing with. Balanced Black Girl also has a great Google Doc full of more mental health and self-care resources.

  2. Therapy for Black Girls is an online space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls. ( Twitter | Facebook | Podcast )

  3. Black Female Therapists On this feed you’ll find inspirational messages, self-care-Sunday reminders, and posts highlighting various Black mental health practitioners across the country. Black Female Therapists also recently launched an initiative to match Black people in need with therapists who will do two to three free virtual sessions.

  4. Black Girls Heal This feed focuses on Black mental health surrounding self-love, relationships, and unresolved trauma, along with creating a sense of community. (Like by holding “Saturday Night Lives” on Instagram to discuss self-love.) Following along is also an easy way to keep track of the topics on the associated podcast, which shares the same name.

  5. Black Girl in Om This brand describes its vision as “a world where womxn of color are liberated, empowered & seen.” On its feed you can find helpful resources like meditations, along with a lot of joyful photos of Black people, which I personally find incredibly restorative at this time.

  6. Black Girls Smile Inc. promotes positive mental health for young African American girls.

  7. Brown Girl Self-Care With the mission to “Help Black women healing from trauma go from ‘every once in a while’ self-care to EVERY DAY self-care,” this feed features tons of affirmations and self-care reminders that might help you feel a little bit better. Plus, in June, the account is running a free virtual Self-Care x Sisterhood circle every Sunday.

  8. The Hey Girl Podcast This podcast features Alexandra Elle, whom I mentioned above, in conversation with various people who inspire her. Its Instagram counterpart is a pretty and calming feed of great takeaways from various episodes, sometimes layered over candy-colored backgrounds, other times over photos of the people Elle has spoken to.

  9. Saddie Baddies Gorgeous feed, gorgeous mission. Along with posts exploring topics like respectability politics, obsessive-compulsive disorder, self-harm, and loneliness, this Instagram features beautiful photos of people of color with the goal of making “a virtual safe space for young WoC to destigmatize mental health and initiate collective healing.”

  10. Sad Girls Club This account is all about creating a mental health community for Gen Z and millennial women who have mental illness, along with reducing stigma and sharing information about mental health services. Scroll through the feed and you’ll see many people of color, including Black women, openly discussing mental health—a welcome sight.

  11. Sista Afya This Chicago-based organization focuses on supporting Black women’s mental health in a number of ways, like connecting Black women to affordable and accessible mental health practitioners and running mental health workshops. It also offers a Thrive in Therapy program for Illinois-based Black women making less than $1,500 a month. For $75 a month, members receive two therapy sessions, free admission to the monthly support groups, and more.

  12. Transparent Black Girl: Transparent Black Girl aims to redefine the conversation around what wellness means for Black women. Its feed is a mix of relatable memes, hilarious pop culture commentary, beautiful images and art of Black people, and mental health resources for Black people.

  13. OmNoire Self-described as “a social wellness club for women of color dedicated to living WELL,” this mental health resource actually just pulled off a whole virtual retreat. Follow along for affirmations, self-care tips, and images that are inspirational, grounding, or both.

  14. Sista Afya Community Mental Wellness sustains the mental wellness of Black women through building community, sharing information, and connecting Black women to quality mental wellness services.

  15. The Loveland Foundation provides financial support for therapy for Black women and girls.

Wellness + Mental Health:

  1. Decolonizing Therapy Instagram and Twitter : Resources on healing ancestral trauma compiled by Dr. Jennifer Mullan, clinical psychologist and community organizer.

  2. Depressed While Black: An online community, blog, and video hub for Black mental health.

  3. Grief is a Direct Impact of Racism: Eight Ways to Support Yourself: An article by global health professor Roberta K. Timothy.

  4. Black Mental Wellness Founded by a team of Black psychologists, this organization offers a ton of mental health insight through posts about everything from destigmatizing therapy to talking about Black men’s mental health to practicing gratitude to coping with anxiety.

  5. Ethel’s Club This social and wellness club for people of color, originally based in Brooklyn, has pivoted hard during the pandemic and now offers a digital membership club featuring virtual workouts, book clubs, wellness salons, creative workshops, artist Q&As, and more. Membership is $17 a month, or you can follow the feed for free tidbits if that’s a better option for you.

  6. Heal Haus This café and wellness space in Brooklyn has of course closed temporarily due to the pandemic. In the meantime, it has expanded its online offerings.

  7. Representation Matters in Social Work: We Need More Black Therapists by Relando Thompkins-Jones

  8. Sharing Hope: Speaking with African Americans about Mental Health an hour-long presentation that can help increase mental health awareness in African American communities by addressing a number of important topics | NAMI

  9. 44 Mental Health Resources for Black People Trying to Survive in This Country | By Zahra Barnes, Self Magazine

  10. Inclusive Therapists This community’s feed specializes in regular doses of mental health insight, a lot of which seems especially geared toward therapists. With that said, you don’t have to be a therapist to see the value in posts like this one, which notes, “You are whole. The system is broken.”

  11. The Loveland Foundation Founded by writer, lecturer, and activist Rachel Elizabeth Cargle, the Loveland Foundation works to make mental health care more accessible for Black women and girls. It does this through multiple avenues, such as the Therapy Fund

  12. The Nap Ministry If you ever feel tempted to underestimate the pure power of just giving yourself a break, the Nap Ministry is a great reminder that “rest is a form of resistance.” Rest also allows for grieving, which is an unfortunately necessary practice as a Black person in America, especially now. In addition to peaceful and much-needed photos of Black people at rest, there are great takedowns of how harmful grind/hustle culture can be to our health.

  13. Academics for Black Survival and Wellness an organization of Black counseling psychologists and their colleagues who practice Black allyship.

  14. Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM) is a training, movement building, and grant making organization dedicated to the healing, wellness, and liberation of Black and marginalized communities.

  15. Black Mental Health Alliance develops, promotes, and sponsors trusted, culturally-relevant educational forums, trainings, and referral services that support the health and wellbeing of Black people and other vulnerable communities.

  16. Black Mental Wellness provides access to evidence-based information and resources about mental health and behavioral health topics from a Black perspective, highlights and increases the diversity of mental health professionals, and decreases the mental health stigma in the Black community.

  17. Melanated Social Work Instagram and podcast: Mental health resources, information, and discussions created and curated by four men of color in the social work field.

  18. Eustress raises awareness on the importance of mental health in underserved communities, allowing individuals to identify and overcome challenges to achieve a healthier and productive lifestyle.

  19. Inclusive Therapists aims to make the process of seeking therapy simpler and safer for all people, especially marginalized populations.

  20. Melanin and Mental Health connects individuals with culturally competent clinicians committed to serving the mental health needs of Black & Latinx/Hispanic communities.

Suicide Prevention:

  1. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255

  2. National Organization for People of Color Aganist Suicide, founded by suicide loss survivor, Dr. Donna Barnes, works to reduce the stigma of suicide prevention among communities of color through training and advocacy

  3. American Foundation for Suicide Prevention: Their mission is to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide. Also follow their IG for more resources.

  4. Trans Lifeline: provides trans peer support for our community. Offering direct emotional and financial support to trans people in crisis – for the trans community, by the trans community.

Black Men & Mental Health:

  1. Transparent Black Guy, the brother resource to Transparent Black Girl, is also very much worth a follow, particularly given the stigma and misconceptions that often surround Black men being vulnerable about their mental health.

  2. Healed Men Heal Men: Black Men Heal provides access to mental health treatment, psycho-education, and community resources to men of color.

  3. Therapy for Black Men is an organization working to help change the narrative around Black men seeking mental health support and helping men find the resources they need. The website has a directory of therapists, and now the organization is offering free therapy sessions for men that are concerned about the cost of therapy. Instagram

  4. The Hidden Genius Project: Black male youth demand, and are working towards, a future where their genius is celebrated, realized, and shines every day and is no longer hidden, suppressed or belittled.

Black Teens + Youth Mental Health:

  1. The AAKOMA Project helps diverse teenagers and their families achieve optimal mental health through dialogue, learning, and the understanding that everyone deserves care and support.

  2. Black teens face mental health crisis but are less likely than whites to get treatment, published by the Conversation: Article

  3. Teens PACT, a youth-driven health education program, believes everyone has the right to accurate, non-judgmental information on all health & body matters. Teens PACT peer leaders promote sexual health & body autonomy through education / outreach in NYC.

  4. Racism and Violence: How to Help Kids Handle the News: A conversation between Kenya Hameed, PsyD and Jamie Howard, PhD of Child Mind Institute.

  5. Black Education Matter’s Daily Affirmations. Positive Affirmations help Black & Brown youth develop positive foundations on which to grow, and starting as a child makes it much easier to do later in life.

Black LGBTQIA + Mental Health:

  1. The National Queer & Trans Therapists of Color Network (NQTTCN) is a healing justice organization committed to transforming mental health for queer and trans people of color (QTPoC).

  2. Trans Lifeline: provides trans peer support for our community. Offering direct emotional and financial support to trans people in crisis – for the trans community, by the trans community.

Healing:

  1. Healing in Action: A Toolkit for Black Lives Matter Healing Justice & Direct Action: A guide by Black Lives Matter Healing Justice Working Group on preparing for action, self-care during an action, and restoration and resilience after an action.

  2. Mental Health Tips for African Americans to Heal after Collectively Witnessing an Injustice: A self-care video by Brandon J. Johnson, M.H.S.

  3. Racial Trauma and Self-Care in Tragedy: A resource list by University of North Texas.

Self-Care Apps: 

  1. THE SAFE PLACE: This free app is geared towards people of the black community to provide awareness, education, and hope to African American mental health. There are self-care tips on how to cope after experiencing police brutality, breathing techniques, black mental health statistics, and open forum discussions.

  2. ELEVATE: Elevate is a free app that was designed to address the specific issues of the black community that were not being met in other self-care and wellness apps. Through the app, there’s guidance and inspiration to overcome adversity, a place to set goals, and create healthy habits, as well as connecting with other people through a community forum.

Resources for Mental Health Providers:

Understanding Black Mental Health:

Here’s a resource by Randy Palmer that explores…

Mental illnesses such as depression and substance abuse can have a biological component, but they also can be caused or made more likely by external factors. Some are more likely to be experienced by Black individuals, including Violence, Incarceration, Involvement in the foster care system. Some other factors are peculiar to the Black Americans’ history, such as Enslavement, Oppression, Colonialism, Racism & Segregation.

Also - find a comprehensive library of free mental health videos that may help to further educate on topics of mental health, substance use, and suicide prevention at www.psychhub.com

Learn more at, Sunshine Behavioral Health:

A Guide on Racism, Inequality, & Health Care for Black Americans:

African Americans and other people of color have been disproportionately underserved and denied access to quality healthcare coverage and care – a disparity that continues today. There have been drastic disparities in health outcomes for African Americans compared to their non-Hispanic white counterparts for decades. While higher rates of education, higher earnings, and the ACA’s enactment have helped narrow the gap somewhat, the disparities are still glaring.

Here is a guide on Racism, Inequality, and Health Care for African Americans by the Derm Review.

In this guide you will discover:

The Real Impact of The Coverage Gap

Disparities in Health Outcomes

Chronic Health Conditions Among African Americans

Leading Causes of Death

Mental Health

Solutions