Black History Month 2021 Closing Remarks
On behalf of the Chicago Black Therapist Directory team, we would like to thank everyone who has been sharing our information and interacting with us! It has been a fantastic month honoring Black History Month in 2021.
We began this significant month by expressing how Black History Month in 2021 hits differently through our blog post “Black History Month & Black Emancipation," given our world's current state, communities, and people. We were also able to highlight important statistics, meaningful healing tips, and resources for you by dedicating a full week to Black mental health and healing this very last week of Black History Month.
As a recap, here are the essential tips and resources we have shared during Black History Month:
Tips:
Recommit ourselves to the significant objective of racial justice in the future of America.
Destroy stigma still lingers in the Black community around healing by promoting helpful resources that can be utilized to begin the process.
Self-educate ourselves and others, as well as celebrate the contributions made by Black Americans.
Create new spaces for Black people to connect, such as:
1. Virtual Emancipation Circles
2. Virtual Healing Workshops
3. Virtual Summits, etc.
Show up and cast our ballots
In future local, state, and national elections, we need to ensure that we elect candidates that will act on reform and help emancipate black people from the vestiges of enslavement and segregation.
Take a moment for Black mindfulness and meditation.
Meditation creates self-awareness, self-acceptance, and perspective. This practice provides a sense of internal stability when the external world erupts into chaos.
Shut off Social Media (sometimes)
To regain a sense of peace, we need to turn social media off for a while. The constant reminders of Black suffering, the performative allyship, and the revelations that people we thought were down are actually non-affirming Black humanity can be like a psychological hurricane.
Write, Speak, and Process
Don't avoid your emotions. Confront your pain by connecting with a therapist on the directory, a colleague, a friend, family, etc. Also, it is important to journal and take walks when thinking and processing.
Find activism that’s Energizing
Engage in manageable approaches to activism — from protesting to serving on nonprofit boards. The best approach to finding a form that is healing is to try a few and find ones that give you more energy than they take.
Tune into Uplifting Black Voices
Research some great Black authors for great reads, watch Black films (e.g., Autobiography of Malcolm X), listen to Black podcasts, listen to soothing Rhythm & Blues, e.g., India Arie- Acoustic Soul), follow Black content creators, and more.
Seek Your Joy
Seek joy by dancing, documenting, getting out of the house whenever you can, taking time to prepare great meals, watching comedy, soliciting good news, and more.
Recognize Racial Trauma as a Mental Health Issue
Giving a name to painful experiences can help make sense of the emotional or physiological symptoms one may be having and develop an understanding of how one might address these challenges.
Find Personal Meaning to Re-Establish a Sense of Control
While the negative effects of trauma on mental health are well-documented, a psychological model called Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) also suggests the potential for positive change following traumatic life events.
Find Personal Meaning to Re-Establish a Sense of Control (continued)
Taking action “helps counter the sense of helplessness that may be prominent during times of trauma, and also aids in re-establishing a sense of control.” (e.g., Posting on social media, donating to causes, exercising one’s voting power, calling local representatives to push anti-racist agendas, and more).
Talk About Mental Healthcare Openly Where Possible
Increasing visibility of mental health issues in Black communities can be a way to combat the stigma around mental health treatment. We need to continuously shift to a mainstream conversation in raising awareness and normalizing treatment for mental health within the Black community.
Remember That The Burden is Not All On You!
Dr. Nefertiti reminds Black people to “remember that the movement is what you make of it. In other words, to keep your sanity, you do not have to be put on the spot to define racism, explain how you feel, or respond to questions about the protest. You have the right to JUST BE!! That's the point for your sanity: just your being is a revolution!”
Resources:
Chicago Black Therapist Directory is a directory that provides a more seamless way for anyone to find a Black-identifying therapist and connect Black clinicians while also creating a community for Black mental health.
BlackLine is a 24/7 national crisis support hotline (with a text option) that provides a space for peer support and counseling, reporting of mistreatment, and affirming the lived experiences of those most impacted by systematic oppression operated with an LGBTQ+ Black Femme affirming lens.
Download the app "Liberate." Liberate is a meditation app made for Black people. It specifically integrates lessons from traditional Buddhist meditation with insightful approaches to dealing with modern-day oppression.
A team of Black psychologists founded Black Mental Wellness. This organization offers a ton of mental health insight through posts about everything from destigmatizing therapy to talking about Black men's mental health to practicing gratitude to coping with anxiety.
Follow Sista Afya on all social platforms and join the mailing list for all things new. Sista Afya is a social enterprise that provides low-cost mental wellness services that center Black women's experiences. They believe that by making mental wellness simple, accessible, affordable, and centered around Black women's experiences, more people will get what they need to have a full, whole life.
The Nap Ministry is a blog that explores the science of sleep and black liberation theology. Explores the ideas around “Rest as Resistance” and the liberating power of naps.
Trauma Response and Crisis Care for Movements is an organization mobilizing community across three dimensions for this COVID-19 moment: 1-1 virtual care, interactive webinars (for the general community & healing provider-specific content), and practice groups offering community gathering space focused around meditation, stress-reduction practices, and rituals as well as specific practices such as EMDR (a common treatment for PTSD symptoms).
Tips and Resources Source: The Chicago Black Therapist, Directory, Daniel Stringer, Ph.D., Zen Care, Micalah Webster, MSW/MHSA, and Zahra Barnes
We hope you were able to document, engage, connect, share, and enjoy the various tips and resources to heal ourselves, our people, and our communities! We shall continue to educate ourselves, our families, friends, colleagues, people in leadership, and more. In that case, it will surely break the cycle of inter-generational trauma, overturn self-hate and help everyone in the Black community to move forward in the direction of becoming their best selves.
Thank you so much again for tuning in to our version of honoring Black History Month this year. May healing and peace be with you!
Written by: Cikylie C. Brooks, M.S.
Clinical Psychology Doctoral Extern