Cultural Competency in Mental Health: Are We Doing Enough?
Only 5-16% of People of Color with a mental health diagnosis will seek therapy.
Many cultural competency trainings for mental health professionals have taught us the sensitivities necessary to provide people of color the best quality of care. While the force of mental health professionals is becoming more knowledgeable every day, are we doing enough?
The mental health disparities People of Color face will not be reduced to a statistic. It is past time to begin engaging those who face overwhelming symptoms yet underutilize treatment options.
POC experience complex stress and higher instances of trauma responses. Systems of oppression contribute to poor mental health functioning, including anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts.
Those most likely to experience mental illness are often the least likely to seek help.
Unlike their white counterparts, POC can face systemic barriers to accessing care like increased stigma, insurance costs, language barriers, finding a...
Treating Social Media Addiction: 5 Habits to Help Patients
Nearly 46,000 lives were lost to suicide in 2020.
For better or worse, we have all become accustomed to living online. In just seconds, one digital device can take hold of our attention for hours on end. How is this affecting the mental health of those most vulnerable?
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), 3 million children aged 12–17 had serious thoughts of suicide in 2020.
Social media fatigue, addiction, and burnout can exacerbate and develop into more serious mental health dilemmas such as anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts, especially in younger generations. Bullying at schools carries on at home through social media feeds. Pressures to compare and conform become inescapable as popularity contests are held in the form of likes, comments, shares, and views.
As a mental health professional, you can encourage your patients to put their phones down and their mental health first.
5 Social Media Habits to Help Patients...
Good Grief: A Guide to Healthy Healing
Both personal and universal, grief is a process unique to everyone who experiences it.
As mental health professionals, It is crucial that we adopt the understanding that there is no ‘right’ way to process difficult or dark emotions. Additionally, we must recognize in ourselves and others when coping becomes harmful, not helpful.
What is grief?
Grief is a natural reaction felt upon experiencing many kinds of loss. Sadness, anger, despair, and guilt are common yet not exclusive signs of grief. Other physical cues associated with grief include not being able to sleep and changes in appetite. Prioritizing safety and health is key to practicing healthy healing.
Many things can cause grief including:
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The death of a loved one, including pets
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Changes in your health or the health of a loved one
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Divorce or changes in a relationship, including friendships
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Losing a job or changes in financial security
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Changes in lifestyle (retirement/moving)
