46. The Prevalence and Stigma of Mental Health in the Black Community

Kiva Harper is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Clinical Director of Harper Counseling and Consulting Services, PLLC, in Arlington, Texas. Kiva is passionate about dispelling community stigma and offering highly personalized treatment to clients as a trauma-focused therapist. Her supporting specialties include depression and anxiety, conflict resolution, stress management, and career-related issues.

Kiva also serves as an Associate Professor in Practice in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington, where she earned her MSSW. 

Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:

 The prevalence of mental illness and stigma within the Black community

 The rise of Black youth suicide completion

 Impact of COVID-19 on Black youth and mental health resource usage

 The necessity of diverse representation in mental health care

 Mistrust towards health systems historically made to operate against Black populations

In this episode…

Black populations are disproportionately incarcerated and likely to live below poverty lines. Similarly, Black people are disproportionately affected by mental health issues.

During the pandemic, many people have been experiencing isolation, loss, grief, anxiety, and financial stress. Children of the current generation operate under a heavy load as they cope with personal COVID-19 impact and attend school with limited academic and social development access.

Here and now, there is a dire need to turn to mental health resources and dispel stigma. Notably, however, Black populations' already limited access to healthcare has been further hindered by obstacles resulting from COVID-19. Historically, systems have not been designed to cater to Black people, and in many ways, this contributes to hesitancy around seeking mental health support.

In this episode of the Patient Partner Innovation Community podcast, Desiree Bradley is joined by Kiva Harper, Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Clinical Director of Harper Counseling and Consulting Services, PLLC, in Arlington, Texas, to discuss the prevalence of mental health disparities amongst the Black community.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

Traumatic grief training will be led by Kiva Harper and introduced to social media on September 30^th.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kiva-harper-lcsw-s-she-her-8a7b7057

https://instagram.com/kivatharper?utm_medium=copy_link