Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

By NCSPA Equity Committee

July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. During this month, the Equity Committee encourages us all to take time to learn about ways to support and promote the psychological, emotional, and mental well-being of the students we serve. The Committee will share two resources this month that specifically focus on ways to support the mental well-being of persons from racially or ethnically minoritized and marginalized groups.

Some individuals within racial and ethnically marginalized groups face more obstacles and challenges in getting care than others. As we work toward mental health equity and work to support students and families in our communities, it is important that we as practitioners use non-stigmatizing language, share information, learn about implicit bias, learn about microaggressions, listen with nonjudgment, and ensure materials and conversations are inclusive and empowering for students and families (from Prioritizing Minority Mental Health). 

One way to empower students and families is through collaborative efforts. Some questions we can consider asking when working with students and families to support student mental health are:

• What are the student’s and the family’s goals?
• What are their desires for the student’s well being? 
• How might we best support the student and the family in these efforts?

Two resources that might support us in our work with students are:

• Prioritizing Minority Mental Health from the Centers for Disease Control: this resource provides recommendations for working collaboratively for mental health equity
• Addressing Race and Trauma in the classroom from The National Child Traumatic Stress Network: this resource is intended to help educators understand how they might address the interplay of race and trauma and its effects on students in the classroom

As many of us reflect on our practice and get ready for the coming school year, let us take time to increase our cultural competence in order to provide even stronger services to the students in our communities. 

If you are interested in supporting NCSPA’s equity work, we invite you to participate in a number of ways. Fill out this interest form if you would like to join the Committee, share a resource you’d like us to consider highlighting, or email us a success story you’ve had supporting students.

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