July is BIPoC Mental Health Month! Originally named Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, this month highlights the unique struggles that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPoC) have experienced, and continue to experience, regarding mental health access.
Eating Disorders and the BIPoC Community
Eating disorders within the BIPoC community present unique challenges and considerations. It is important to recognize that eating disorders can affect individuals from all racial and ethnic backgrounds, and the experiences of BIPoC individuals with eating disorders may differ from those of other groups due to various factors such as cultural norms, societal pressures, and systemic racism.
BIPoC individuals may face additional barriers when seeking help for eating disorders, including limited access to culturally competent and inclusive treatment options, lack of awareness and understanding within their communities, and the impact of racial stereotypes and body ideals. These factors can contribute to delayed diagnoses, reduced treatment-seeking behaviors, and increased stigmatization surrounding eating disorders in the BIPoC community.
Mental Health Resources
To support the mental health community, we have put together a working resource list for engaging BIPoC Mental Health Month. While this list is certainly not extensive, it seeks to provide a variety of starting points for embracing the month.
Loveland Foundation: The Loveland Foundation is committed to showing up for communities of color in unique and powerful ways, with a particular focus on Black women and girls.
Therapy For Black Girls: Therapy for Black Girls is an online space dedicated to encouraging the mental wellness of Black women and girls.
Mental Health America: To support BIPoC Mental Health, you can check out Mental Health America’s toolkit, which includes a multitude of trusted resources and factsheets.
Specific Directories of Therapists
- Association of Black Psychologists: Founded in San Francisco in 1968 by a group of Black Psychologists from around the country. They united to actively address the serious problems facing Black Psychologists and the larger Black community.
- Latinx Therapy: Founded in 2018 with the mission to destigmatize mental health in the Latinx community.
- Melanin & Mental Health: Melanin & Mental Health connect individuals with culturally competent clinicians committed to serving the mental health needs of Black & Latinx/Hispanic communities.
- National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network: NQTTCN is a healing justice organization that works to transform mental health for queer and trans people of color.
- South Asian Mental Health Initiative and Network: SAMHIN, was formed in 2014 to address a broad range of mental health needs of the growing South Asian community in the United States.
- Asian Mental Health Collective: AMHC aspires to make mental health easily available, approachable, and accessible to Asian communities worldwide.
- Clinicians of Color: A directory that makes finding a therapist of color easier.
Books To Read
- Maybe I Don’t Belong Here: A Memoir of Race, Identity, Breakdown and Recovery by David Harewood
- My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem
- Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner
- Therapy Isn’t Just for White People by Kiara Imani
- But What Will People Say?: Navigating Mental Health, Identity, Love, and Family Between Cultures by Sahaj Kaurkohli
- Iveliz Explains It All by Andrea Beatriz Arango
- Eating Disorders Don’t Discriminate: Stories of Illness, Hope and Recovery from Diverse Voices by Dr. Nwuba, Chukwuemeka (Editor), Bailey Spinn (Editor), Janet Treasure (Foreword)
- Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia by Sabrina Strings, PhD
Podcasts To Check Out
- Between Sessions Podcast
- Listen on Apple Podcasts
- AFFIRM
- Listen on Apple Podcasts
- Stories of Stigma: South Asian Mental Health
- Listen on Apple Podcasts
- Latinx Therapy
- Listen on Apple Podcasts
- Therapy for Black Girls Podcast
- Listen on Apple Podcasts
- Check out Episode #204 with Paula Edwards-Gayfield, LCMHCS, LPC, CEDS-C, BC-TMH about body image.
Specific Events
- BIPoC Eating Disorders Conference
- Third annual BIPoC Eating Disorders Conference from July 17 to July 19, 2024.
- More Information can be found on their website.
Renfrew Specific Events
Virtual BIPOC Support Group for Eating Disorders
Date: Held weekly on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. ET
This weekly group addresses the emotional and physical impacts of the current cultural climate on recovery and is ideal for BIPoC individuals with disordered eating patterns, or those questioning if they have an eating disorder, who are looking for additional support. To learn more about this virtual support group, call 1-800-RENFREW.
Virtual Spanish-Speaking Support Group
Date: Held Bi-Weekly on Mondays at 3 p.m. ET
Those who are impacted by a loved one with an eating disorder—siblings, parents, spouses, friends, partners, significant others, or caretakers—often need additional support during the treatment process. This group is offered weekly to anyone viewed as a Support Person who speaks Spanish. To learn more about this virtual support group, call 1-800-RENFREW.
Have a resource to share with us? Contact [email protected] to let us know!
