Community Resources for Students from Underrepresented Backgrounds

Community Resources for Students from Underrepresented Backgrounds

Therapy: These are helpful resources to connect to mental health professionals who are committed to working with individuals of diverse backgrounds.

Helplines: These helplines offer support to individuals from a variety of backgrounds and identities by providing information, resources, and advice.

Podcasts: These podcasts are focused around encouraging people to talk more openly about their emotional well-being and mental health.

Social Media Pages: These are great pages to follow to learn more about how to take care of your own mental health and support others.

 

Mental Health Resources for African Americans

Sawubona Healing Circles - The Association of Black Psychologists, Inc. (ABPsi) provide a culturally-grounded  crisis response program to interrupt the stress and trauma response. The Sawubona Healing Circles are virtual safe spaces for individuals of African ancestry that draw upon culturally-grounded healing strategies in coping with anti-Black racial trauma/stress and community violence. These circles are not therapy. They are supportive and culturally-affirming spaces to promote wellness and overall social-emotional adjustment. Participants will learn principles of cultural wisdom and protective factors to assist in coping with racial stress, such as COVID-19 culturally-specific disenfranchisement. The circles are held for adolescents, adults, and elders.

Therapy for Black Girls - Therapy for Black Girls is an online space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls. So often the stigma surrounding mental health issues and therapy prevent Black women from taking the step of seeing a therapist. I developed the space to present mental health topics in a way that feels more accessible and relevant.

Black Therapists Rock - Since being established in March 2016, BTR has become a network of over 18,000 professionals! Our vision is to elevate the conversation around Black Mental Health to a national platform that creates innovative resources and opportunities for healing.

 

Mental Health Resources for Asian Americans

Suicide Awareness and Prevention

Asian Americans Advancing Justice’s Tell Your Story

Stop Asian American Pacific Islander Hate (reporting)

Asian American Psychological Association COVID-19 Related Resources

 

Helpful videos for Asian Americans parents (talking to their kids about racism and xenophobia)

Acknowledge, Validate, Reframe: How Asian Americans Can Respond to Covid-19 Descrimation

Use your WITS: How Asian Americans Can Respond to COVID-19 Descrimination

 

Mental Health Resources for Latino(a)s

SanaMente: mental health and wellness options in Latino families and communities

 

Mental Health Resources for LGBTQ communities

Lyon-Martin Health Services: Lyon-Martin Health Services provides excellent health care to heterosexual women, bisexual women, lesbians and transgender people in a safe and compassionate environment, with sensitivity to sexual orientation and gender identity; all services are regardless of ability to pay. Telephone: (415) 565-7667

Pacific Center for Human Growth, East Bay GBLT Community Center: Pacific Center for Human Growth fosters and enhances the well-being and self respect of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer youth, seniors, and adults through the delivery of LGBTQ competent mental health and wellness services, and through the cultivation of a strong community of LGBTQ-proficient mental health care professionals. Telephone: (510) 548-8283

VIDEO: LGBTQI+ Breathe In (988)

Gaylesta: The organization provides links to health resources in the Bay Area offering various types of support to LGBTQ clients.

Rainbow Community Center in Concord: The Rainbow Community Center (RCC) is the only organization in Contra Costa County that is solely focused on serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning  (LGBTQ) community; our current priorities are to build services for LGBT youth, seniors, people living with HIV/AIDS and to develop community building efforts that will diminish the sense of isolation and promote  greater acceptance of all LGBTQ people.

The Gender Health Center in Sacramento: Gender Health Center is focused on providing an accessible therapy and counseling program for the gender variant community. We are interested in developing a collaboration with other agencies that are committed to addressing the full spectrum of issues specific to the transgender community in a positive approach for getting people to understand that there is a better life when gender identity issues are addressed in a safe and supportive environment.

HRC's Transgender and Gender-Expansive Employee Resource Group's important reminders to know about how to support the transgender community.

  1. When you meet one transgender person… you've only met one transgender person.

There is not just one sweeping transgender experience. The term "transgender" describes a collective community of individuals whose gender identities, expressions and/or lived experiences differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. Trans people have different stories and narratives that make them who they are.

  1. Everyone has different personal boundaries.

Refrain from asking transgender people personal questions about their bodies, surgeries and other aspects about their transition process unless you have their consent to do so.  And, just because a trans person might have talked with you about one personal topic doesn't mean they want to discuss everything.  And, remember: Different people have different boundaries.

  1. Non-binary people can identify as transgender or cisgender -- or neither -- and that's OK.

Non-binary describes individuals who do not identify exclusively as men or women, or who do not identify as either at all.  A non-binary person may also use the terms genderqueer, gender fluid, gender non-conforming or others to describe their gender identity.  It's essential to always respect the terms that someone uses to describe themself.

  1. There is no "right" way to be trans. 

Trans people are everywhere and as diverse as the fabric of our nation.  They live and work in every town, study at school, shop for the best deals at the mall -- or hunt for the best avocados in the produce aisle at your grocery store.  You can't tell if someone is trans just by looking at them, and there is no one, universal way that all trans people live their truths.  Not all trans people want surgery or hormones, and no one is more or less trans because of it.  Trans people have always been here and #WontBeErased.