Black Brain Campaign is breaking ‘the cycle of silence’ around mental health

When she co-founded the Black Brain Campaign in Farida Boyer explains the campaign was meant as a way to talk to the district about the importance of mental vitality It just really started off with us going around the communities partnering with elected personnel at their events talking about the importance of mental physical condition and why people should get therapy declared Boyer who worked then at the Children s Hospital of Philadelphia While the effort was evolving Boyer was also working to take her career to the next step At CHOP she worked with parents on how to get the the greater part for their children from the hospital s Head Start activity She also led a club that provided home visits to encouragement families She felt she d done all that she could to help the group in that role I decided to go back to school because I still craved to help the area she stated So I decided to go back to school to get my master s degree in marriage and family therapy Therapists typically get their master s degree and then must get licensed to be on insurance panels which involves a sit-down test Boyer hurriedly became a fund for others who were also preparing for the exam During the time when I was in the process of becoming licensed other clinicians were starting to inquiry to take the test as well she explained And so a inadequate people inquired me if they could analysis with me So what I did using my teaching skills was I created a project that we would meet once a week three hours a week Everybody would take a turn to teach the lesson the chapter for that week We did that for a year It was six of us All of us are licensed now Initially Boyer did not feel ready to take her exam It helped her realize how arduous the process is I didn t feel like I was ready so I rescheduled my test When I rescheduled my tests it was another And all I thought was the test itself is perhaps about but just to retake it is another and I m thinking the average person is not going to have this kind of money to keep putting out to take an exam Something clicked for Boyer after analyzing these costs Taking the LEAP National exam prices vary based on the kind of therapist someone is testing to be or what certification a state requires Two popular exams the National Counselor Examination and the National Clinical Mental Wellbeing Counseling Examination require fees that can reach Practicing therapists must get a state license to legally practice In Pennsylvania a national certification is almost invariably required depending on the kind of therapist These licenses are not only fundamental legally but the specific distinctions also increase job opportunities insurance coverage and salaries Boyer mentioned she noticed there are a lot of people of color particularly those in the Black society who struggle with moving through the licensure process A lot of them have master s degrees and just people I know in general have master degrees but have not moved forward in getting their license she announced A part of it is the supervision paying for the exam and then seeing clients and stuff like that According to Counseling Psychology less than of mental healthcare therapists in the U S are Black or African American Boyer reported she became passionate about getting more Black therapists licensed and removing the stigma of mental robustness from the Black locality From there the Licensure Learning Assistance Scheme shortened to LEAP was born I started raising funds so that we could pay for people to become licensed she revealed We are paying for everything for them The -month training curriculum includes weekly training toward the exam individual supervision the ability to gain clinical hours toward licensure and cost coverage for textbooks and other materials The effort also covers exam fees The Black Brain Campaign s LEAP project provides materials assessment sessions and financial help for those hoping to get their therapy licenses Photo courtesy of The Black Brain Campaign The preparation is specific for those taking the Pennsylvania licensure exam for Marriage Family Therapy and Professional Counseling There are other eligibility requirements as well Cohorts begin once a year in September Boyer s own survey cohort was the first group that participated Since then the effort has welcomed several groups of aspiring therapists and led them toward licensure Schante Frazier was a part of the LEAP operation beginning in She revealed she is not familiar with another plan in the area that has the same focus on or guidance specific to people of color So the Black Brain Campaign helps with financial tools she declared They pay for your exam they set up a training activity and now I am one of the people that helps with that They also help with inquiry groups They give you all of the materials that you need and they give you the hours that you need to help you with licensure Frazier commented destigmatizing the seeking out mental healthcare is another unique part of the BBC s mission It s essential to Farida to destigmatize mental vitality and to not think of it as being this horrible thing she stated And helping to bring awareness to it that this is just something just as if you had a heart attack if you had something going on with your leg or anything else that you would go see somebody Frazier is now a training coordinator for the Black Brain Campaign helping out with newer cohorts She emphasizes this operation is a unique opportunity and she holds it near and dear to her heart Free and low-cost therapy services A related component of the Black Brain Campaign is providing free therapy services I was like how do we still give back to the population Boyer revealed So then we started providing our free therapy programs so those clinicians who were getting the supervision from us and in the process of becoming licensed were the clinicians that were providing the mental strength therapy services The therapy sessions provide trainees with supervised practice hours which is a condition of licensure and allows those in the group to benefit from no-cost care These services can be used by anyone in Pennsylvania she noted with limited exceptions The only way you will not be able to utilize our services is if you are in the present in danger of harming yourself or somebody else because then you ll need a higher level of healing that we can t provide she disclosed The other one is if you re actively receiving medication because it s sessions and bulk of the time if you re receiving medication it s something that s ongoing So you should have a therapist you re working with full time Local residents line up to get information about tools therapy from the Black Brain Campaign Photo courtesy of The Black Brain Campaign The organization initially offered eight free sessions to participants Boyer revealed but soon uncovered this wasn t enough We only were providing eight sessions and then the therapist that we re working with was like By the time we get to eight sessions we feel like we re starting to connect with them she declared So we decided to increase them to Michele Abraham-Montgomery wears a great number of hats In addition to being a mother and grandmother she runs services for research about autism at various universities and she is a grant reviewer for the Children s Hospital of Philadelphia She is also a sleep navigator at CHOP where she guides individuals through their sleep disorder journeys She is also the CEO and co-founder of Spectrum Success a nonprofit organization championing and supporting individuals on the spectrum and their families She also does a lot of outreach and partnerships with related region organizations Abraham-Montgomery declared she got connected with the Black Brain Campaign through her work in the neighborhood as a family peer coach and peer specialist She explained both of these roles involve helping families make the best choices for their lives which can involve listening to stories about their difficulties challenges and crises About four years ago I experienced what is called vicarious trauma she revealed And vicarious trauma is like when people tell you toxic information you start having features even though it didn t happen to you She announced she went to the E R while experiencing this and doctors hastily recognized what was happening Abraham-Montgomery stated this was a wakeup call for her She began to incorporate more rest and relaxation and hastily decided therapy was necessary on her journey I signed up as a professional because I think it s so essential that professionals also receive these services because we re taking in so much information and it should be a cycle of self-care where families and our clients pour into us and then we should have a way to expel that and pour into someone else she disclosed And so by me connecting with the Black Brain Campaign I was given an opportunity to expel several of the information I m taking in from the people of the families that I m working with Abraham-Montgomery reported the therapy that Black Brain Campaign provided was different from anything she d experienced before She enjoyed the open and curious nature of her sessions I have been going to other therapists before and I felt like they were more or less overbearing like telling me what to do as opposed to helping me and being a co-discoverer with me she commented She was helping me by using phrases like How did you feel about that Do you feel that that would be the best subject of action for you Abraham-Montgomery felt several hesitancy about going into therapy as a professional herself The BBC she explained allowed her to feel empowered by her decision to go to therapy I didn t feel like there was shame blame or judgment in my sessions and that s what I love so much about working with the Black Brain Campaign she commented Just to remove that judgment factor because I have been going to other places where I felt like I was being judged as an individual and as a professional and being solicited Why are you here if you re a professional Abraham-Montgomery adds that she feels the operation breaks the cycle of silence in Black and Brown homes and communities and encourages these communities to feel empowered about sharing their emotions After the initial free sessions Boyer explained BBC offers another sessions for per visit From there the organization can refer people elsewhere If then we feel like you still need care then we ll start referring you out because then there s something long term that you may need Boyer reported Abraham-Montgomery commented she did the sessions with the BBC then continued therapy elsewhere She is grateful for the opportunities this provided her The Black Brain Campaign offers individual couples and family therapy This is available at three in-person locations and via telehealth as well The BBC website includes contact information to set up appointments Plans for new facility Beyond LEAP and therapy Boyer mentioned the organization provides other services including affair management help in schools and district outreach She is also looking to expand BBC s footprint My goal is to also get a training facility she declared We partner with other organizations to sometimes host trainings and different things like that but I would like for us to have a whole wellness center where you can come to us and we might have a yoga studio we might have a meditation studio So I want everything to be housed in one space The Black Brain Campaign maintains a strong society presence Boyer says Photo courtesy of The Black Brain Campaign The organization s matter management services provide individual care and sponsorship to those facing mental illness disabilities and financial hardships in the district Boyer emphasizes the Black Brain Campaign s mission really comes down to one thing providing a safe space in the population The reality is we re all going through something in any part of your life she noted I don t care if you re white Black Asian American it doesn t matter We re all going through something and even just being in the inner city there s a lot that happens So we want to make sure that we are a stock to the public and we want to have a partnership in a society where people know it s a safe space to go get help The post Black Brain Campaign is developing the cycle of silence around mental wellbeing appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY