TW // Police Brutality, Discussion of Racism and Racial Discrimination.
July is Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, an important time to highlight perspectives on mental health across different backgrounds and communities. When reflecting on the total lack of support for Black people and BIPOC in America, the importance of addressing mental health disparities needs to be emphasized for these communities in particular. According to the American Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), “racial and ethnic minority groups in the U.S. are less likely to have access to mental health services, less likely to use community mental health services, more likely to use emergency departments, and more likely to receive lower quality care.” (2018)
It’s important also to note that people can be vicariously traumatized by seeing disturbing images and news accounts of traumatic events involving race. The Louisville community has experienced a collective trauma following the murders of Breonna Taylor and David McAtee by Louisville Metro Police. According to Gilad Hirschberger of the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, “for perpetrators, the memory of trauma poses a threat to collective identity that may be addressed by denying history, minimizing culpability for wrongdoing, transforming the memory of the event, closing the door on history, or accepting responsibility.” (2018) There has been no true justice for Breonna, and Louisville Metro Police are not holding themselves accountable. Instead, they have been attempting to transform the memory of the event and are denying history, shading protestors in a negative light when all they want is justice for the lives lost.
Trying to find light in these times is not easy. We are here to remind you that you are worthy of mental health treatment and getting the help you deserve to process the trauma you may have experienced. The Center for Behavioral Health offers affordable treatment at our Collective Care Center for people who have experienced or are experiencing race-based stress. This may include those who have been direct victims of discrimination, targets of racial slurs, or witnesses to a traumatic event. We offer a group therapy meeting twice a week and also individual or couple centered options. If you or someone you know could benefit from our Collective Care Center or connecting with a student clinician at our Center for Behavioral Health, contact us today at [email protected] or (502)792-7011.
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