Challenges faced by BIPOC communities

July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). That is why it is important to recognize the challenges, since this population has less access to mental health care and if they receive it is of poor quality, they also face discrimination and collective traumas that are carried over for generations.

Dr. Juan Gavidia, Psychotherapist, Board Member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists, comments on the mental health situation of these population groups known as BIPOC.

He also notes that Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) have the highest rates of mental health care needs.

Dr. Juan Gavidia talks about the challenges faced by the BIPOC community.

He comments on another problem they face, for example, some come from Mexico and do not speak Spanish, they only speak their indigenous language.

He recognizes that in addition to the lack of therapists in the system there is no specialization of the professionals to attend them in an empathetic way.

Dr. Juan Gavidia accepts that they are slowly beginning to see how it affects the treatments, not knowing the culture of the patients and tells us how the experts or therapists can approach the community to help the BIPOC population.

He says that it is necessary to demand that the insurance companies have therapists to attend this community, because many times the insurance companies do not pay for attending the community.

Finally, Dr. Gavidia, gives us advice so that as a community we can take care of our mental health, the first is to end the stigma and then find a therapist that suits us.