July is National Minority Mental Health Month, but What Does That Really Mean?

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The Department of Health and Human Services officially recognizes this month as a time to bring awareness to the stigma and barriers racial and ethnic minorities face in accessing and utilizing mental health services. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) states that while most minority groups have similar or fewer mental disorders than whites, “the consequences of mental illness in minorities may be long lasting.” This is due to a lack of access to primary healthcare, insurance, and mental health education. Additionally, racial minority groups are often treated with cultural insensitivity by healthcare and mental health professionals. According to the APA, many patients in minority groups are underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed, and factors that contribute to this include “language differences between patient and provider, stigma of mental illness among minority groups, and cultural presentation of symptoms.”

Our mental health and wellness providers at CII are acutely aware of these issues, which is why a culturally sensitive, trauma-informed approach is the foundation of their work. We asked a few of our staff why specifically recognizing minority mental health is crucial. Here’s what they shared:

“Mental health in our communities is still a hard thing to sell, especially in lower income communities. Our communities have a hard time trusting systems, and this has created a barrier. Breaking down this barrier has been an amazing process for me, specifically.”

– Jessie E Gonzalez. Clinical Supervisor

“It is important to recognize minority mental health, because mental illness does not have a specific race/ethnicity, and it can affect anyone regardless of their race. However, not everyone is able to get the support needed due to mental health being stigmatized in many minority groups. It is very important that mental illness gets treated in all minority groups.”

– Elizabeth Magana, Child and Family Specialist

“I feel that it’s important because I am aware that racial and sexual minority groups experience higher levels of anxiety and other challenges.”

– Anna Maria Guerra, Therapist

“In mental health particularly, it is important to provide the services necessary to restore trust and mend what has been broken by systems that have marginalized, exploited, and forgotten communities of color for centuries.”

-Karen Luna Gonzalez, Therapist

“Recognizing minority mental health is very important as it helps our community become better in a sense that people can learn to be more understanding and help reach those that need assistance but may not have the resources.”

– Ashley Ramirez, Intensive Care Coordinator

“Coming from a Latino family and community, mental health is considered a myth. Therapists and medication are for ‘crazy people’ or ‘the weak minded’. It’s important to educate our communities and let them know that it is okay to speak about trauma. It is okay to seek help without having to fear what people will think of you or how they will perceive you. It took me a while to be able to seek help myself, because I did not want my family to see me as a ‘weak’ person. I’m thankful that I was able to connect with a therapist of my own and also educate my family on the importance of mental health to break the stigma.”

– Sofia Manzo, Parent Partner

The Office of Minority Health has put together an abundance of resources for anyone looking to seek care or learn more about how to advocate for minority mental health equity. For an extensive list of information on coping with stress, trauma, violence, substance use, diagnoses, and treatment, head to: National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month — Resources and Publications (hhs.gov)

If you or someone you know is experiencing thoughts of self-harm, harm to others, or any other mental health crisis, call or text 988 to get connected to a free crisis counselor.

Watts Campus Hosts USC’s Center for Health Journalism Fellows

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Children’s Institute (CII) was thrilled to welcome University of Southern California’s (USC) Center for Health Journalism Fellows at our Watts Campus on Wednesday.

Award-winning journalists from across the country were given grants to fly to Los Angeles and learn about different health services.  Because USC’s Annenberg School of Journalism recognizes CII as a cornerstone in wrap-around social services, they asked CII to host their fellows so the journalists could learn more about the vital work we do across LA.

The group of 26 journalists met at our original Watts campus to observe our Community Schools Summer Program, where they got to see a volunteer CII staff member read The Rainbow Fish aloud to students who asked questions to the guest reader and wished them well in a group cheer. Mary Brougher, Senior Director of Community Schools & Experiential Learning, explained how we work with schools near our campuses to provide academic enrichment, health services, and social-emotional skill-building resources.

After observing the Community Schools program, CII staff escorted the journalists to the new Watts campus where they were invited to observe Toddler Socialization, a program designed to bring parents and families from our home-based early education programs together to form a support system and develop social skills. Vice President of Early Childhood Services, Ana Palacios, explained that Home-Based Services allow our Home Visitors to meet with families in their homes once a week to provide socialization, nutrition and wellness skills, or assist with obtaining any other resources the family may need.

Then, CII hosted two presentation panels: one consisting of staff and one made up of current clients. President and CEO, Martine Singer, gave a brief overview of CII’s services and spoke to the benefit of our two-generation approach. She shared that chronic absenteeism—missing more than 10% of the school year— is a major issue affecting children and families, especially due to the pandemic.

Vice President of Head Start, Justine Lawrence, explained how our Early Education Program works within this two-generation model to provide wrap around services and trauma-informed individualized treatment plans for children and families enrolled in our Head Start and Early Head Start programs. She also described CII’s Conscious Discipline Program which educates teachers in self-regulation and co-regulation with their students.

Vice President of Behavioral Health and Wellness, Jesus Parra, explained the need for early social-emotional and cognitive development, answered questions about the psychological benefits of early childhood brain stimulation, and the need for consistent, healthy caregiver relationships.

Vice President of Strengthening Families and Communities, Danette McBride, provided an overview of our larger programs such as Project Fatherhood, Individualized Transition Skills Program (ITSP) for foster youth, and family preservation programs. She also touched on our unique relationships with police. This is particularly pertinent, given that our new Watts campus is home to the Watts Gang Task Force—formed nearly 15 years ago to broker peace in the community—along with the LAPD’s Community Safety Partnership, a nationally recognized model for relationship-based policing.

The morning concluded with a panel of community members involved in CII’s programs. Jenifer, a recent graduate and foster youth, spoke about her development through CII’s foster youth program. With the help of CII, she was able to apply to college, build a resume, and learn how to manage her finances and save enough money to purchase her own car. She wanted the media to know that everyone goes through different hardships and that many of these issues would be better if people had the right support systems.

Anjelica, mother of two in our early childhood education programs, spoke to the benefits of therapy and how she was connected to therapy through CII’s two-generation approach. She wanted everyone to know that therapy can be life changing for many families if it was just destigmatized in our communities.

Isaiah and Rodrigo, both participants in Project Fatherhood, shared emotional testimonies about their growth as father figures in their children’s lives. Isaiah was proud to tell the group that his twin daughters are national cheerleading champions. Furthermore, he wants the journalists to know that the system is often not in favor of fathers and many families, especially fathers, would be better supported if custody and Child Protective Services processes were just clearer and more accessible.

Rodrigo echoed what the other parents mentioned: he didn’t realize parental custody and switching children off between parents, particularly at the police station, was more common than he thought. Through his own journey in Project Fatherhood, he agreed with Anjelica that therapy is a necessary healing tool.

Hosting this engaged and innovative group of reporters offered an excellent opportunity to showcase our services and the integral work of CII’s frontline staff. We hope these USC Center for Health Journalism Fellows take what they learned from CII and use it to inform their reporting on communities where investment is needed most.