Did you know more 80% of of mental health providers are not trained in treating race-based trauma? Source: https://projects.apnews.com/features/2023/from-birth-to-death/mental-health-black-children-investigation.html#:~:text=Most%20mental%20health%20care%20providers,%2C%20said%20Kniffley%2C%20the%20psychologist.
My name is Jasmin Pierre. I’m a mental health advocate, peer support specialist, and the creator of The Safe Place, a culturally aware mental health app for the Black community.
When I was a little girl, I really needed mental health resources. Trigger Warning: I was molested by my brother and stepsister. I also experienced other family issues with my mom and stepmom (they could both be verbally abusive and manipulative at times). However, it was the molestion from my siblings that impacted my mental health the most.
I have depression, anxiety ptsd, and a physical disorder called Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD for short). I’ve also experienced severe suicidal ideation due to PMDD and the trauma of being molested by my family.
However, I kept most of this inside until adulthood. A culturally aware therapist helped me put things into perspective. I started being honest with myself and cut off toxic family members for the sake of my mental health.
When I was a little girl in the 90s, talking about mental health was very taboo. Especially in my community. Many Black people have been made to believe that we don’t go through mental illness or need therapy services.
Growing up, I wasn’t sure why we felt that way in my community; I just knew that we did. We have been taught to be strong, pray, and read our Bible to get over things.
Now, as an adult, I know this way of thinking in my community comes from systemic racism. Psychology has a deep history of racism towards Black people dating all the way back to slavery.
For example, the mental illness called Drapetomania was created by an American physician by the name of Samuel A. Cartwright. What is Drapetomania? If a Black person ran away, they would be considered mentally ill and captured back into slavery.
While Drapetomania is no longer considered a mental illness, Black people with mental health disorders are still severely over policed in the mental healthcare system. Black people in a mental health crisis have a higher chance of being overly retrained by law enforcement …or even murdered.
When I ask many of my mental health colleagues, “Have you ever heard of drapetomania?” Many tell me “No. ” This is not surprising. Racism in psychology is not required in the healthcare field.
I’m working to change that. My app recently launched a mental health training called “Art Exposing Psych Racism.”
Through facts, canvas art that I created, and storytelling, healthcare workers can learn more about racial disparities during slavery, the Civil rights era, etc. And how all of it still impacts Black people trying to navigate the mental healthcare system in modern-day society.
I created this training because racism in psychology is still a serious problem. Also, only 4% of mental healthcare providers are Black. We need more cultural competency.
Here is a short instagram video that tells more about the training and how healthcare providers can take it.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cz55s2DuRWe/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
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