Child Mind Institute Provides Resources on Black Families and Youth Mental Health — Early Learning Resource Center Region 5
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Child Mind Institute Provides Resources on Black Families and Youth Mental Health — Early Learning Resource Center Region 5
The Child Mind Institute recently released resources centered around mental health issues relating to Black families and youth. A history of misdiagnosis and mistreatment of Black patients in the mental health care system as well as a shortage of Black mental health professionals have all contributed to these challenges. The resources include discussions on the importance of cultural competence in therapy for Black children.
Barriers to Treatment
Many parents face challenges in finding the right therapist for their child, the Child Mind Institute wrote, and this can be particularly difficult for Black parents. A history of misdiagnosis and mistreatment of Black patients in the mental health care system as well as a shortage of Black mental health professionals have all contributed to these challenges.
Therefore, the Child Mind Institute wrote, it can be difficult for Black parents to find a provider with whom they can entrust their child’s well-being. The institute’s recent study on the topic explored the views and experiences of Black families and young adults seeking mental health care and identified key barriers to care.
Resources
The institute’s resources include discussions on the importance of cultural competence in therapy for Black children – such as roadblocks that Black parents face when trying to find the right therapist – and why young Black men are less likely to seek professional care than their female counterparts.
The resources include clinical experts, educators, and church leaders talking about ways to support and encourage Black adolescent boys to seek treatment when they need it. Another resource covers how study participants felt that mental health professionals were too quick to prescribe medication and includes clinicians weighing in on how to talk to parents who might be skeptical about medication.
The Child Mind Institute’s resources include: