If you are dealing with a mental health emergency, please click here,
or scroll below the text to find hotlines readily available for your support.
We don’t talk about mental health enough, especially in its clinical sense and especially especially how it impacts people of color. We negate conversations of potential chemical imbalances and environmental triggers, making it taboo in our homes, workplaces, classrooms, and many other environments.
We label “who gets to” be given grace when fighting the struggles caused by mental illness. We erase and exclude the people “who get to struggle” like the single mother who just gave birth, the star athlete, the dad–a product of his time–who feels the weight of carrying his family on his back, the straight-A student who graduates from an Ivy League institution, the medical student who is just trying to make it through the week, the quiet girl in class who goes home to be showered with unintentional soul wounds from words spoken by the person she craves love from the most. We say, “they have the perfect life” or “what more could his parents have given him” in our attempt to intellectualize or categorize, hell, let’s be real, sometimes justify, their struggle, discussing that person like a case study written in a medical journal. And to be quite honest with you, I don’t think we will ever move forward unless we admit that and the role we play in it.
I know this post will not solve the deficits in mental health support or the deficiencies in access to mental health resources and care. I admit my commentary above is not fully developed or researched, as I am trying to deal with my realizations and audit my mind in the role I play in the perpetuation of stigma, expectation, and participation in a system that clearly keeps failing the health of girls and women that look like me. Still, I feel like someone may need this post. Like right now.
So if you could, please share it. Add to it by writing your favorite resources in the comments and I’ll do my best to update the post. I need you to do that because someone you know is really struggling right now and may not know how to tell you. These COVID years have taken a toll on us all whether we want o admit it or not; many of us are burnt out, exhausted, and attempting each day to live in a high-pressure, high-anxiety reality. And it would not be “strange” if you started to feel your mind and body physiologically taking score. We don’t all have the privilege to have access to supportive family members and friends or even resources and services at our disposal. Still, I think there is a way we can help each other: sharing stories, resources, and being there (like actually being there in person) for the people we love.
As I said, this post isn’t really the end all be all for the work we must do for ourselves, our loved ones, our community, and our legacies. Nevertheless, I have learned so far in life is that in most cases, it is storytelling that opens the doors to healing. So, to the person reading this right now who may be struggling, hold on for me. I get it–personally, spiritually, and clinically. I pray this helps you find the affirming support, clinical care, and overall spaces that you may need right now. Hang in there for me.
Before you move anywhere else in this post, please not that I am not a mental health professional BY ANY MEANS. Anything I say is not clinical advice, nor will I claim it to be. If you are reading this in the future and I am a medical student or doctor, I probably didn’t go into psychiatry and you should still seek a licensed mental health professional for your personal needs.
Emergency Hotlines:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline | 1-800-273-8255
Free Support from a Trained Coucelor | Text ‘Brave’ to 741741 of Call 1(800)-273-TALK (8255)
National Hopeline Network | Call +1(800)656-4673
S.A.F.E Alternatives for Stopping Self Harm | Call +1(800)366-8288
Trevor Crisis Hotline – Confidential Suicide Hotline for LGBTQ+ Youth | Call +1(866)488-7386
Trans Lifeline | Call +1(877)565-8860
NAMI Self-Harm Helpline | Call 1-800-950-6245
Post Partum Depression Hotlins | 1(800)PPD-MOMS
Veterans Crisis Line | 1*800)273-8255
Find a Therapist:
Are you looking for a therapist? Check out some of these resources below to help you find one that offers services that are free, in network of your health insurance, or takes uninsured patients. This is not an extensive list and may be missing therapists fluent in your language. I encourage you to use this as a starting point and branch out to other therapists, psychologist, and psychiatrists by google searching professionals that may better fit your needs.
Digital Communities/Websites:
Note: Some of these communities cost money while others are free. The descriptions offered are from the about section of the official website.
Nia Noire Therapy | Culturally-sensitive mental health teletherapy for Black women and women of color in Washington, DC
Transparent Black Girl | transparent&black is a wellness collective creating spaces for Black people to heal from intergenerational trauma.
Therapy for Black Girls | “So often the stigma surrounding mental health issues and therapy prevents Black women from taking the step of seeing a therapist. This space was developed to present mental health topics in a way that feels more accessible and relevant.”
The Loveland Foundation | “The Loveland Foundation is the official continuation of this effort to bring opportunity and healing to communities of color, and especially to Black women and girls. Through fellowships, residency programs, listening tours, and more, ultimately we hope to contribute to both the empowerment and the liberation of the communities we serve.”
Ethel’s Club | We believe that People of Color deserve spaces and experiences that prioritizes their healing and joy. At Ethel’s Club, we see you as a unique individual that deserves celebration and healing. We believe that when given the tools to thrive as individuals, we create new worlds where we come together as a community. Our team is dedicated to seeking and providing more ways to inspire communal care around the world.
Black Girls Smile | “Black Girls Smile was founded with a mission to provide young Black women with education, resources, and support to lead mentally healthy lives. BGS’ mission is grounded in research, focus group findings, and personal experiences highlighting the under-served and underrepresented mental health needs of young Black women.”
Sista Afya | Sista Afya is a social enterprise that provides low-cost mental wellness services that center the experiences of Black women. We have a community support approach to mental wellness. We believe that community support for people living with mental health conditions can foster healing, growth, freedom, and self-actualization.
The Sad Girls Club | We see you. We hear you. We feel you. We’re a community on a mission to diminish stigma around mental health, supporting young women of color.
The Boris L. Henson Foundation | The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation’s vision is to eradicate the stigma around mental health issues in the African-American community. Our mission is to provide support and bring awareness to mental health issues that plague our community. We partner with other nonprofit organizations who offer programs that educate, celebrate, and make visible the positive impact of mental health wellness.
Real Brown Girls | The Real Brown Girls National Network is a nationally recognized, multi-industry, super-connection safe haven for Black women to feel at home and tap into the resources, knowledge, opportunities and support that is often invisible to them in professional spaces.
Grad Girl Wellness | Grad Girl Wellness is a health and wellness blog that documents my attempt to live an active lifestyle while pursing a PhD in Anthropology in NYC. I created this site for three reasons: 1) to hold myself accountable for maintaining a healthy lifestyle while in graduate school; 2) I noticed that a lot of women academics of color who transitioned to work in the health and wellness industry only talked about their life after graduation, so I wanted to document my journey pursuing wellness while on the path to degree; 3) to be a resource for students and anyone else who finds themselves short on the motivation and resources to be well during grad school.
Black Girl In Om | Black Girl in Om is a platform designed to help Black women breathe easily. Black Girl In Om exists to hold and catalyze healing within black women around the world on their unique journeys towards wholeness. We support the necessary transformation, spiritual awakening, consciousness shifts, and intergenerational healing occurring within the diaspora.
Chapter Harmony | Chapter Harmony is a platform that launched back in January 2019 to help Black women know our worth, prioritize our care, and reflect on ourselves by encouraging content such as blog articles, mantras, and inspiring apparel. Chapter Harmony also holds events that provide us with the tools we need to manifest the life we want for ourselves.
Black Girls Breathing | A safe space for black women to actively manage their mental health through breathwork and community. deepening our inhales, lessening our stress. Our work has impacted thousands of black women across the globe and is innovating the wellness industry by providing free and accessible mental health care to an overlooked and underserved population.
Faith-Based Support
Grace Alliance | Grace Alliance was founded to reinvent the mental health “support group” model into a grace-filled discipleship experience for those experiencing mental health challenges (individuals + marriages/families). Utilizing a whole-health (i.e., holistic) approach, Grace Alliance integrated evidence-based science (neuroscience, psychology, biomedical, etc.) and Biblical scriptures/faith experience to restore lives, relationships, meaning, and purpose.
Focus on the Family | At Focus on the Family, our passion is to help families thrive in Christ. Mental health issues can prove to be a major component of the family – Christian and non-Christian alike. As the subject of mental health and mental illness are repeatedly in the media headlines and discussed more openly in Christian and secular arenas, our desire is to equip you and your family with helpful information.
Faith-Based Mental Health Resources for Christians
Christian Therapy Services for Women
Apps:
Talkspace – Talkspace is an app and web service designed for users seeking online psychotherapy. Users are paired with a licensed therapist after a free consultation. Talkspace offers therapists that specialize in various backgrounds (e.g. stress and anxiety, depression, PTSD, LGBTQ issues, work/life issues, and couples’ therapy). The main app screen is the “Talkspace”, where users can text, video, and voice messages their therapist. Users can adjust settings, view timelines and track their progress in the “Journey” tab.
Minds of the Culture – Created and designed by therapist, Dr. Chanda Reynolds, this mobile app is a tool to help the black community cope with mental health. The app is targeted towards millennial. The app includes a mood journal, black therapist directory, blogs and videos about mental health matters, faith-based coping and more!
The Safe Place – “The Safe Place” Is a Minority Mental Health App geared towards the Black Community. African Americans are 20% more likely to experience serious mental health problems than the rest of the general population. However, many black people still do not wish to seek professional help for their mental illnesses. The Purpose of the “Safe Place” is to bring more awareness, education, and hope to this serious issue.
Liberate – Liberate is the meditation app for us, by us that is Black-owned. We’re not only just a meditation app, we’re a safe space for the Black community to develop a daily meditation habit. Anyone is welcome to use Liberate, we just want to be clear who we’re here for.
Better Help – BetterHelp is the convenient way to get professional help from a licensed therapist. With over 20,000 trained, experienced, and accredited therapists covering a wide range of areas – from depression and anxiety to family and couples therapy – it’s never been easier to receive personal, professional help when you need it.
Headspace – Headspace is your guide to practicing mindfulness in your everyday life. Learn how to relax, manage stress, and focus your energy to become more centered and well rested. Create a calm and positive environment with Headspace.
Shine App – Founded by two women of color on a mission to make taking care of your mental health easier, more representative, and more accessible, Shine is your space for daily self-care. Start 2022 with Shine for better mornings, brighter days, and the truest you.
Soulaceapp – Soulace uses an algorithm to match clients with therapists; utilizing in-app scheduling, clients have access to text and video therapy sessions.
Wellness Podcasts:
Below you will find some podcasts that you may find helpful in navigating or starting your wellness journey. These are not substitutes for therapy. I repeat. These are not substitutes for therapy. However, they may be helpful to add to your wellness toolbox.
H.E.R. Space: Uplifting Conversations for The Black Woman | In a world where black women are often underrepresented and misunderstood, we need more safe spaces to just… be. Every Friday, join Dr. Dom, a college professor and psychologist, and Terri Lomax, a techie and motivational speaker, as they initiate authentic conversations on everything from fibroids to fake friends. If you’re a Black woman looking for an extra dose of inspiration on the go, pull up a seat and join us on the Cultivating H.E.R. (Healing, Empowerment, Resilience) Space podcast.
Black Girls in Om Podcast | This podcast is a warm embrace, soothing realness, and conscious girl talk. Black Girl In Om exists to hold and heal black women and women of color around the world on their unique wellness journeys, mending us from the inside out. Come into conversation with our founder, Lauren Ash and wellness and Spirit-centered guests across various industries to talk all things self-care and self-love, spiritual awakening, intergenerational healing, and more.
The Motif Podcast | Feel connected to women of color who are navigating the world just like you on The Motif Podcast. Every week, host and Black creative, Shanetta McDonald will have relatable conversations with women of color, sharing their stories and journeys throughout life, with an emphasis on improving our overall wellness in our mental, physical and spiritual health. We women of color deserve to control our own narrative, and we’re starting here.
Identity Politics Podcast | Identity Politics is a podcast that features new stories and perspectives about race, gender and Muslim life in America. From pop culture to politics, each episode co-hosts Ikhlas Saleem and Makkah Ali invite guests to talk about issues impacting their lives as Muslims at the intersection of multiple identities.
The Balanced Black Girl Podcast | Balanced Black Girl is a podcast dedicated to helping you feel your best. Tune in for approachable health, self-care, personal development, and well-being advice from Black women wellness experts.
Therapy for Black Girls Podcast | The Therapy for Black Girls Podcast is a weekly chat about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves
15 Minutes on the Couch | 15 Minutes on the Couch focuses on giving you bite-size advice, guidance, and knowledge about topics that interest you. Each week, BFT will take about a host that YOU (the audience) have suggested. Join us as we laugh, learn, and push you outside of your comfort zone for your ultimate growth.
Hey, Girl Podcast | hey, girl. is a podcast that unites the voices of phenomenal women near and far. Created with sisterhood and storytelling in mind, author Alex Elle sits down with people who inspire her. From friends to family members and strangers, the hey, girl. guests give us a peek into their stories through candid and intimate conversations.
AFFIRM | The podcast for women of color who affirm their worth, value mental health, and seek wholeness. Biweekly mental health podcast hosted by Davia Roberts, LPC (licensed in WI).
*As of October 2019, the AFFIRM podcast has discontinued + will no longer release episodes. Thank you for your support.*
Between Sessions | [dope therapists + dope conversations]
Two brown chicks changing the face of therapy on both sides of the couch.
NATAL | NATAL is a podcast docuseries about having a baby while Black in the United States. We pass the mic to Black parents, to tell their stories in their own words, about their pregnancy, birthing, and postpartum care, in their own words. The docuseries also highlights the birthworkers, medical professionals, researchers, and advocates fighting daily for better care for Black birthing parents.
Visit www.natalstories.com for bonus content, our community blog, and resource hub. Follow @natalstories on Instagram and Twitter.
The Faith & Mental Wellness Podcast with Brittany Moses |
Welcome to the podcast integrating faith and mental health where we have real conversations at the intersection of both clinical and lived experience, hosted by Brittney Moses.
Black Women Talk Work | A podcast candidly exploring the experiences of black women at work while highlighting our success stories along the way! Join host Myriha Burce as she dives into diversity and inclusion through the lens of black working women. Featuring interviews with women across multiple industries and at various stages of their careers, Black Women Talk Work offers insightful conversation into career pathing, the state of corporate for black women and how they continue to carve their own paths to success.
Brown Girls Self-Care | Join Bre, The Self-Care Pusher from Southern California, as she shares life experiences, weighs in on current events, amps up her wellness/health habits & finds clean(ish) products to try all for the sake of taking her physical, spiritual & emotional wellbeing to the next level & (hopefully) inspire other women of color to do so as well. It’s time to be obsessed with our self-care!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and explore through this post. Like I said above, this is not an extensive (nor should it be) resource list for you. None of these resources (digital spaces, websites, podcasts, apps, etc.) should be used instead of a mental-health professional. However, I hope some of these things can add to your wellness toolbox in prioritizing your mental health. Thank you all for reading and remember, if anything, please know you are blessed, brilliant, and beautiful. Talk soon, sis.
TD <3
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
Psalm 34:17-18
he delivers them from all their troubles.
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
