Embrace Overall Wellness

I think that it's extremely important to help people not only cope with mental illness but also to help people embrace overall wellness that helps them optimize their quality of life. As a therapist, I think it's important to hold both the role of educator and provider, teaching clients about emotional health and conditions, if applicable, as well as providing new perspective and skills to help them live better lives in practice. My professional goals are to help promote conversations about mental illness and wellness especially in groups who tend to be underserved by mental health systems, such as people of color and LGBTQ+ folks.

Latinx Mental Health: Being Undocumented and Taking Care of Mental Health

I dispel myths and fight stigma by openly talking about my own mental health journey. Navigating a society that constantly reminds me I am not welcome here is hard and can impact my well-being. Some days are harder than others. I try not to shy away from talking about needing counseling and the trauma migration can cause. In my case, I also survived sexual assault. This, compiled with being undocumented, impacted the way I navigated the world and the resources I had access to. I use my documentary, No Le Digas A Nadie - Don't Tell Anyone, to talk about immigration, assault, trauma, and mental health.

Minority Mental Health Advocate: J.P. Regis

I recently founded the Queer Minority Mental Health Project to advocate for greater representation of, and resources for, LGBTQ people of color in the mental health field. Too many living at the intersection of these identities, including myself, lack representation in the mental health narrative and struggle to find LGBTQ and culturally competent providers. The Project seeks to educate the public on the unique mental health experiences of this community, and help providers understand their unique needs.

Minority Mental Health Advocate: Dom Chatterjee

I founded QTPoC Mental Health in March 2015 after a year-long breakdown brought on by resurfacing trauma, and instead of getting support and compassion from the people around me at that time, I was abused in multiple ways. Desperation got me started; gratitude and love keep me going. And the movement to create emotional support resources by and for queer & trans people of color just keeps growing because of so many of us, myself included, need support that existing systems of care don't currently provide.