Mental Health as Social Justice: The Trauma of Racism and the Empowerment of Healing

As public health data from calendar year 2020 is assembled and analyzed, it has become increasingly confirmed that in conjunction with the physical, social, and economic tolls fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, America’s mental health is suffering. In June 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that rates of depression and anxiety were three to four times higher than they were at the same point in 2019 and the National Center for Health Statistics revealed that more than one in three American adults reported symptoms of an anxiety disorder in 2020, compared to roughly one in twelve the previous year. A majority (53%) of American adults reported that the pandemic has negatively affected their mental health according to surveys conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

For many people of color, the sources of anxiety triggers are even more complicated. John Rich, M.D., reports, “Despite the growing condemnation of police violence, [incidents of brutality] reinforce the perception that the police likely regard boys and young men of color as perpetrators… While data and statistics have long supported this conclusion, the tangible visible evidence sends its own traumatizing message.” The effects of this type of systemic discrimination run deep. A 2012 study published in the American Journal of Public Health found that anticipating being a target of discrimination can produce heightened vigilance that can lead to negative emotional states, increases in blood pressure, and activation of the sympathetic nervous system, the system responsible for the “fight-or-flight” response. Similar research has found that historical trauma experienced by Native American communities in the past can reach across generations and adversely affect the physical and mental health of contemporary Native Americans, and high exposure to racial discrimination online has been positively associated with symptoms of depression and anxiety in adolescents.

Systemic discrimination is especially destructive for children and racial bias is associated with an increased risk of developing a mental disorder. One large study of fifth graders found that 20% of Black students, 15% of Hispanic students, and 7% of white students reported experiences of racial discrimination. Lived discrimination places children at a heightened risk of suffering Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) which are traumatic events in a person’s life that occur before age 18 years. Nationally, 64% of Black children and 51% of Hispanic children have experienced at least one ACE. ACEs are disturbingly accurate predictors of negative economic, medical, and mental health outcomes in adulthood. Clinical psychologist, Dr. Richard Bentall, writes, “the evidence of a link between childhood misfortune and future psychiatric disorder is about as strong statistically as the link between smoking and lung cancer.” 

In many cases, when individuals of color experience negative mental health outcomes as a result of discrimination and ACEs, they are blamed for those symptoms, exacerbating the very traumas at the roots of their struggles. According to Rich, there is “clear evidence that within multiple systems, [young people of color] are viewed as responsible for their victimization. When this perception is held by providers within all of the systems that serve injured young people of color, the experience of re-traumatization can be potent.” The toxic misattribution of responsibility even extends into the realm of mental healthcare itself. Clinical psychologist, Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas, reflects, “When it comes to suicide prevention, our ‘quick fix’ in the U.S. is often to put people on involuntary holds in hospitals rather than focus on the emotional impact of marginalization, or, the experience of feeling hopeless because your community has told you that your suffering is your own fault.” 

Despite growing awareness of disparities of this ilk, access to high-quality mental health care remains virulently unequal among the very communities who need it the most. Mental health advocate Alex Hardy notes that as a person of color seeking treatment, “You have to go on a scavenger hunt to be able to get connected to a therapist… who’s gonna be respectful of your life, your culture, your background, microaggressions, and [to whom] you don’t have to explain the very basic things about your humanity to before you can even get to the healing.” However, even the decision to seek help is mired in archaic prejudice. Yolo Akili Robinson, Founder and Executive Director of the Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective, reflects, “When our churches teach us that we can pray it all away, or our families believe that a ‘whoopin’ or discipline is the issue instead of legitimate psychological distress, they keep us from getting the care we need and the intergenerational trauma continues.”

All hope is not lost, however. With a holistic, historically- and culturally-informed approach, mental healthcare providers can be a source of refuge and recovery for patients of color who have been wounded by the uniquely venomous fangs of prejudice and discrimination. Clinical psychologist, Dr. Mariel Buque, writes, “When therapy can engage people of color in their own language and context, it can be the right environment for psychic healing.” Culturally-informed psychological treatment modalities are powerful tools for counteracting the negative effects of trauma and promoting healthy, positive functioning that leads to higher rates of educational attainment and professional advancement.

This type of therapeutic recovery and empowerment can also serve as a lynchpin of social justice activism. Reverend Kyndra Frazier, clinical social worker and Executive Director of the Hope Center at First Corinthian Baptist Church in Harlem, contends, “That healing, recognizing that we’re whole, complete, and lacking nothing, feeds into how we strategize when it comes to activism work… we can be more effective if we become clear that it starts [within oneself], and then the outpouring happens when we do the work out in the world.” As is the case in most contexts, activism is very much dependent on the healthy functioning of its leaders, and in the realm of social justice, the very men and women who are in the strongest position to advocate for oppressed groups are members of those groups who have themselves experienced the very patterns of traumatic oppression which they are now working to prevent. This makes mental healthcare all the more important for these leaders: as Robinson observes, “Whatever gets in the way of the work is actually the work.”

Catholic Guardian Services’ teams of therapists, clinicians, doctors, and nurses at the CGS Family Counseling & Wellness Center provide a comprehensive array of psychological and psychiatric healthcare services and resources for children and their caregivers who are suffering from mental or behavioral health challenges. It is our mission to directly combat the systemic inequities and service gaps that families of color experience in their search for high-quality mental healthcare by safeguarding and empowering children and youth through holistic, wraparound, and trauma- and culturally-informed care. We seek to empower young leaders of color to reach a place of stability and well-being with respect to their mental health, equipping them with the tools they need to live in a state of rebellious self-love and unleash the power of their voices in an internally healthy and externally impactful way. For more information about the CGS Family Counseling & Wellness Center, please visit cgsfamilycenter.org.

Sporting Clays

In anticipation of Catholic Guardian’s Outdoor Sporting Clays Event on June 11th, we interviewed Kristen, who is Sporting Clays expert with the Pawling Mountain Club.

Catholic Guardian: What is Sporting Clays?

Kristen: Sporting Clays involves a scenic course and no two courses are alike. Each target's speed, angle, and distance vary with the station. Because of the varying terrain and random nature of the targets, Sporting Clays is considered one of the most realistic bird hunting simulations. Sporting Clays is always new and different.

CGS: What is the history of Sporting Clays?

Kristen: Originally called "Hunter's Clays," Sporting Clays came to the United States from England and was intended as a practice game with shots simulating typical field shots. Sporting Clays takes place on a walking course, with ten or fifteen stations each offering a different presentation. At some courses, you might shoot from a boat at targets thrown over a pond.

CGS: What is the difference between Trap, Sporting Clays, and Skeet Shooting?

Kristen: For Trap and Skeet Shooting, a participant stands in one location while three machines throw clay targets and the participant attempts to break the target using a shotgun. Sporting Clays has twelve different stations, each station has one or two machines throwing clay targets. After six to eight shots are fired at each station, the participant proceeds to the next station where a different presentation of clay targets will be thrown. At Pawling Mountain Club, for Catholic Guardian’s event, we will set a Sporting Clays course that will give each participant the opportunity to see a variety of clay target presentations.

CGS: What else can guests do at the Pawling Mountain Club?

Kristen: For guests not interested in shooting, fly fishing and spin cast instruction are available. Fly fishing is a technique for catching fish in which the bait (which typically looks like a fly) is presented on the top of the water for fish.  The technique appears to the fish as if a bug or invertebrate has landed on the top of the water or slightly below the water’s surface.

Fly fishing is in sharp contrast to traditional fishing methods in which the bait is cast out and presented to the fish below the water. Spin fishing is an angling technique in which a spinning lure is used to entice the fish to bite. Spin fishing is used in both freshwater and marine environments. Spin fishing is distinguished between fly fishing and bait cast fishing by the type of rod and reel used. 

CGS: Tell us more about the Pawling Mountain Club.

Kristen: The Pawling Mountain Club is surrounded by a 1,500-acre expanse of the Appalachian Trail National Park. The preserve offers ideal woodland and open field game cover unmarked by roads and traffic. A panoramic view from the Pawling's main lodge includes the Catskills on the horizon.

CGS: How should our guests travel to the Club?

Kristen: It is necessary to follow the written instruction because the GPS does not lead you to the actual location. From New York City: Take Saw Mill Parkway into Taconic Parkway North, Exit to the right onto Route 55 East. Continue on Route 55 through 4 traffic lights (approximately 12 miles) and take the second left after the 4th traffic light onto "Old Route 55", at the bottom of a large hill. Then turn left onto Penny Road. Follow Penny Road 1‐1/4 miles to the Club. If the weather is good, a shorter route is ‐ get off at the Beekman Road exit, marked (as Hopewell Junction/Sylvan Ave), one before Route 55. From exit‐make, a right turn onto Beekman Road and take Beekman Rd to Route 55. Make a right onto 55 and go approx. 3.8 miles. (just after the 292 Junction sign, on the left side, you will see OLD ROUTE 55). Make a left onto "Old Route 55", then turn left onto Penny Rd. Follow Penny Rd. about 1 1/4 miles to the Club. (Beekman Road is windy & a more scenic road but is shorter than going up to Route 55 exit.

From I‐684: Take 684 North to end (Exit 9). 684 turns into route 22. Take Route 22 North 12 miles and then turn left onto E Main St. Go 1.4 miles (at Clock tower) slight left onto "Old Route 55" West. Take Old Route 55" approximately 2 miles to Penny Road. Then turn right onto Penny Road. Follow Penny road about 1‐¼ miles to the Club.

CGS: Can someone arrive by helicopter?

Kristen: Yes! Guests can arrive in style. There is a chopper landing on the property. Pawling Mountain Club can also be easily reached by car or train.

CGS: Is there a dress code?

Kristen: Yes, there is. Casual attire and comfortable shoes are recommended. Guests can wear khaki pants, jeans, polo shirts, or sweaters. However, t‐shirts and shorts are not allowed.

CGS: Any tips or techniques for beginners?

Kristen: Routine is important. There will be a professional shooting instructor in each group to assist in the safe handling of a firearm as well as providing techniques to breaking clay targets. Rehearse the shot in your mind first. Think about where you will look for each target and start your gun before each pair. As long as the birds are breaking, stick with your plan. If it is not working, change something. Shoot the target sooner or later, lead it more, show it less, whatever, don’t do the same thing five pairs in a row if you are missing. Keep a steady tempo as you shoot. It is easy to rush through five pairs, which almost always leads to missing.

CGS What about safety and etiquette?

Kristen: It is important to wait until you are standing in the cage to load two shells. Your muzzle goes over the waist-high barrier and downrange when you load, not inside the cage. When you're not shooting, your gun is either pointed down at the ground with the action open, or it is in a rack. Point your finger, not your gun, at show targets if you are not in the cage.

And Enjoy the experience…Sporting Clays is the most sociable target game of all. You will be surrounded by your guests. Cheering, razzing, and advice are all allowed within reason and most experienced shooters are happy to see newcomers trying the sport and will offer advice if you ask them.

To participate in the Catholic Guardian Services Outdoor Sporting Clays Event on June 11th, visit catholicguardian.org/outdoorevent

Meet Our Staff at The Parenting Resource Center

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Meet the Mothers Attending Classes at the Parenting Resource Center

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The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged all of us in numerous unanticipated ways. In March 2020, Catholic Guardian’s Youth Employment Services (YES) Program halted its in-person employment training due to COVID-19 quarantine mandates. Alyna Brown, YES Program Coordinator, and Richard Santana, Youth Development Coordinator/Job Coach, had to develop an effective and efficient plan to continue providing vital employment services for young adults within Catholic Guardian’s community of care. Brown adroitly converted the in-person YES training to an online platform. This now allows students the freedom to complete the curriculum safely, remotely, and on their own schedules while they juggle other demands.

YES students complete the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, develop SMART goals, and learn customer service “soft” skills as well as practice resume writing, branding, professionalism, networking, and interviewing. Since the introduction of the online platform in the summer of 2020, the YES Program has increased the number of students enrolled and improved graduation rates, primarily due to the flexibility of the online format and the individualized support provided by our coaches. Facing a climate of uncertainty, the YES Program not only adapted but increased outreach and effectiveness.

Niasia Blagrove is a graduate of the first cohort of the YES online course and she did so while being a full-time student at Bronx Community College. Blagrove is a sociology major and dreams of becoming a social worker to help foster youth. The YES Program curriculum emphasizes setting short- and long-term goals to fulfill her dreams. Additionally, the Program helped equip her with the skills she needed to land a part-time job. Before attending the YES Program, Blagrove was uncomfortable with public speaking and inexperienced at job interviews. After graduating, she interviewed with Target and landed a job as a Sales Associate. Blagrove reported, “I would like to inform everyone that I still use the skills I learned in the YES Program and I have received a job at Target in Brooklyn. I start on February 26, 2021. I’m very grateful for the YES Program’s help, support, and motivation! I’m excited and would like to thank everyone. Have a blessed and amazing day!”

During March 2021, Women’s History Month, a cohort of eleven young women graduated from the YES Program. Constructing an all-female cohort was not intentional, but it did make for an interesting dynamic of shared experience. At the graduation ceremony, the keynote speaker and former foster care youth, Hassan Williams, credited much of his personal and professional triumph to supportive programs such as Catholic Guardian’s YES Program. Several members of the graduating class shared their experiences and the positive impact of the YES Program.