July is BIPOC Mental Awareness Month
July is BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month, and Centering Wholeness Counseling is happy to celebrate our community.
As BIPOC people, we must be aware that our mental health is essential to human life/health. Understanding this will open the door for us to take further steps towards prioritizing it, taking care of it, and perhaps healing it.
Mental Health was taboo in most BIPOC communities, and as a matter a fact it still is today. The stigma around mental health is harder than a turtle’s shell, so breaking it takes more than one person’s effort. It is a collective effort!
Centering Wholeness Counseling is in the pursuit of breaking the shell and destigmatizing the topic of mental health among ourselves. We can all agree that after the pandemic, our mental state is at risk and we were all in desperate need of mental health care. Unfortunately, not everyone had access to it and support. This article from www.diverseeducation.com says “BIPOC Americans are less likely to get needed treatment and are more likely to delay care or not seek it at all. When BIPOC Americans do get mental health treatment, it is likely to be low-quality care”.
Taking care of our Mental Health doesn’t have to cost us an arm and a leg. On the contrary, it should be an easy, stress-free process that can motivate us to elevate our standard of living.
We’ve already given you the first step, which is awareness. Now, we will look into what is the so-called “intake process” and what to expect from therapists/counselors and practices when looking into therapy:
Most practices offer a brief consultation. This is usually free. This is a time to connect with the therapist and see if you will be a good fit for each other.
The therapist can ask you questions about payment, symptoms or experiences, time commitment, and location. Prepare to ask the therapist questions. Also, make sure the therapist is licensed in your State.
You can decide to schedule an initial appointment or take some time to think about it before deciding.
If you choose to schedule an initial appointment, the initial appointment is considered an intake appointment. It often lasts between 45 minutes and an hour.
In the intake session, the therapist would ask questions about what brings you to therapy, family history, substance use history, history of any symptoms, medication, sleep, and eating habits. Some therapists may ask about your community, support statement, and coping skills.
Please ASK QUESTIONS. Therapists are available to answer any questions you may have.
Recently, Alice Mills Mai, our founder/director used Instagram Reels to briefly share about “what doing the work in therapy requires” click to watch the video here.
She says, “Therapy is not an easy journey to embark on. Doing the work in therapy requires:
Commitment, Accountability, Honesty, Transparency, and Reflection. All these require labor every week to go through the process”. Alice will talk more about this on Instagram Live, this Friday, July 15th, 2022 at 12:00 PM EST. Be sure to bring your questions!
Whether you are in the stage of awareness, or you passed that stage we have compiled a few resources to further understand and perhaps help you embark on the therapy journey and support your Mental Health adequately.
BIPOC Mental Health Resources (compiled from InnerBody.com)
Sista Afya: A community-based mental wellness organization for Black women.
AAKOMA Project: Mental health resources for youth of color
Let’s make Mental Health a priority of ours every day! Remember, to take small steps and remember it is not a luxury, you can create a space in your everyday life to take care of your mind and connect with yourself. Don’t know where to start? it’s ok, we’d like to invite you to our Monthly Community Conversations on Friday, July 29th from 6:30-7:30PM EST via ZOOM. The Art of Healing Manifesting Joy & Recuperation Through Creativity with Katherine Vargas “Tap into your inner child through an art-filled guided meditation session. We will explore the practicality of using art as a coping outlet, and the peace of allowing your inner child to heal through therapeutic art exercises”.