Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

Did you know that July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month? We at Alliance Psychology sure did! This month (and always) our therapists in Orem are mindful of the unique mental health and substance challenges facing racial minorities.

1 in 5 people experience a mental health condition.  Mental illness doesn’t choose who is affected by it, but culture and race (among other things) can affect access to treatment and quality of care.  The Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) curriculum explains that a person’s culture is a combination of their values, norms, expectations and identity.  Culture can affect our perceptions, actions, and interactions with others.  It can also impact what we think and believe about mental health, how we treat and/or cope with symptoms and the degree of success found in treatment.  

Our mission at Alliance Psychology is to offer our clients the best care by mutually engaging in the work of therapy.  Our providers practice a lifelong effort to act ethically and respect and protect the rights of all persons. 

We join our hands in the air as we are committed to improving health outcomes as we share cultures, communities and build an alliance with our diverse clientele. 

Below are four tips from the MHFA curriculum so you too can raise your hand in support of Minority Mental Health Awareness. 

1. Take time to learn. Use online resources, books, and documentaries to learn more about different cultures and how they are impacted by mental health and substance use challenges.
2. Respect the person’s culture. When you are talking to or listening to someone of a different culture, show an attitude of acceptance and respect the person’s feelings, culture, personal values, and experiences, even if they are different from your own.
3. Ask questions. It’s okay if you have questions or don’t understand something. Instead of making assumptions, respectfully ask questions that show you genuinely care and want to understand.
4. Focus on recovery and well-being. Conversations about mental illness are shifting away from only the “illness” or “deficit” way of describing mental illness. It’s more common now to hear people talk about well-being and recovery. When interacting with someone who may be struggling with a mental health challenge, focus on these topics and encourage them to pursue their own journey to recovery within their cultural practices. Call our office at 801 224-2313 and schedule with a therapist in Orem today.