Services
Our most profound accomplishments have been in our ability to meet the goal of increasing availability of mental health services for children and adults from the African American community.
Within that context, our collaboration received a two-year grant from the Department of Human Services to provide access to mental health services to individuals who were uninsured or under-insured.
The target was to provide 45 uninsured or underinsured children and adults with access to culturally specific mental health services. To date, we have already exceeded expectations by providing mental health services to 191 children, adults and families who received over 1203 sessions consisting of diagnostic interviews, individual psychotherapy, family therapy, group therapy, crisis intervention and ancillary services. Our clinicians have provided cultural consultations and care coordination services with other mental health providers, schools, medical personnel (such as nurses, primary care providers, personal care attendants, pediatricians, psychiatrists) as well as other entities such as religious and social service organizations to provide multi-systemic support.
Approximately 38% of the children and adults that we served over this last grant cycle experienced chronic exposure to life stressors such as poverty, homelessness and parental unemployment. They also exhibited symptoms of Adjustment Disorders characterized by anxiety, depression and disturbances in conduct. On the other hand, about 25% of the children and adults in our care exhibited severe reactions to traumatic (and often chronic) stressors such as exposure to violence (sexual/emotional/physical abuse, bullying, domestic abuse, gun violence, and stabbings) as well out of home placements, histories of incarceration and racial profiling/discrimination in their communities and schools. Thus, a large percentage of our clients reported experiencing four or more Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), that have been proven to negatively impact their trajectory to long-term health.
Special Programs and Projects AddressingHealth & Wellness Promotion
Project Murua: Pre-Meditated Parenting Boot Camp
Project Murua: Pre-Meditated Parenting Bootcamp provides three intensive boot camp trainings annually graduating approximately 45 parents who are raising children of African descent ages 0-18 years old…
Murua Moms: Pre-Meditated Pregnancy & Motherhood Project
The purpose of the Murua Mom Project is to provide alternative methods of engaging African American women in the process of examining how their stress, depression, anxiety, and substance use are harmful to their own well-being as well as that of their baby, and to allow them to learn culturally appropriate stress reduction techniques and coping mechanisms in supportive environments, attuned to their cultural pressures and needs…
Academic Wellness and Success Program
The African American Child Wellness and Success Program is a school-linked program designed to increase the availability of mental health services to children (Pre-K to 18 years) of African descent in their homes, schools, communities and in our offices through the use of face-to-face and telehealth platforms…
The Healing Circle
The traditional purpose of the African Healing Circle is to provide a sacred space where community-based challenges are addressed in an orderly manner…
Culturally Congruent COVID19 Crisis Counseling, Outreach and Public Education Campaign
It is no secret that African American children and adults are disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. African Americans are disproportionately represented in multiple areas of disparity including schools, housing, health access, and economics…
African-Centered Wellness Model
The African Centered Wellness Model created by licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. BraVada Garrett-Akinsanya is based on the belief that African Americans have difficulty conceptualizing and dealing with the word “mental” and consequently tend to shy away from services based on that construct…