The Importance of Cultural Consciousness in Mental Health for Black Employees.

Hello there! Let's go right into a very crucial subject: mental health services for Black people in the UK. Think of yourself as a Black British therapist who fights mental illness! You have direct experience with the detrimental effects that unjust things like systematic racism and white supremacy may have on people's mental health. Even if things are improving, ensuring that Black people receive quality mental health treatment remains a major challenge.

One significant problem is that not all therapists truly understand how other cultures function. Similar to how the same medicine given to everyone who is ill does not always work, Therapists should be aware of what makes each individual special and what struggles they could be facing due to issues like racism. Unfortunately, not everyone is aware of this information.

Consider attending a party where there is just one genre of music playing. There aren't always a variety of people working as therapists, which is occasionally the case. Black people may find it difficult to trust them as a result. It's similar to having someone who doesn't understand you try to support you with your emotions.

What's extremely fantastic, do you know? This can be fixed! We must educate therapists from a variety of backgrounds to ensure that they comprehend and care about everyone's experiences in order to improve the situation. like a large superfamily of mental health professionals with many superpowers!

Therapists should also be educated on the negative effects racism has on mental health. It acts like a supervillain who causes mental havoc on victims. Therapists can learn to combat it, though! They can learn to be kind and empathize with people of color. And they can make people feel better and stronger by doing it.

Check out this now: Because of the injustices in society, black people may experience mental health issues more frequently. It's difficult to win, for example, if there are rocks in the path while you're attempting to run a race. Therefore, we must ensure that everyone has a fair chance. Working on issues like racism in healthcare, employment, and schooling is necessary. Everyone's mental health can improve if we do that.

But what's this? On this, people are already working! Black people with mental health difficulties are being assisted by the NHS, which is sort of like the superhero of healthcare. Additionally, fantastic organizations like Black Minds Matter UK provide Black individuals with free mental health support.

What can we do, then? We must continue the conversation about mental health and ensure that everyone receives proper care. Therapists should educate themselves about other cultures and how racism can cause problems. And society must respect everyone equally, regardless of where they come from.

Imagine a society where anyone in need of assistance may receive it. It is like a large, joyful mental health party! So let's learn more about this and discuss it more. Together, we can ensure that everyone has vigorous and healthy mental health!

References:

Alexander, P. (2018). Racism and mental health: the African American experience. Current Psychiatry Reports, 20(7), 53.
NHS England. (2020). Ethnicity facts and figures: mental health. Retrieved from https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/health/mental-health
Public Health England (2020) Beyond the data: Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on BAME groups. Retrieved from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-understanding-the-impact-on-bame-communities
Race Equality Foundation. (2019). Race equality in mental health care: a briefing for mental health practitioners. Retrieved from https://raceequalityfoundation.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Race-equality-in-mental-health-care.pdf
Satcher, D. (2019). Mental health: culture, race, and ethnicity. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 6(1), 1–5.