How do historically marginalized communities currently address mental health issues and access mental health care services? What disparities exist, and what needs to change to achieve true equity within the mental health space? Inspired by “Decolonizing Mental Health,” a new digital series from WORLD Channel and PBS, a wide-ranging panel of industry experts and advocates will come together to discuss the unique mental health care challenges faced by underrepresented communities and those that have been historically marginalized.
This virtual panel discussion will stream live on WORLD Channel's Facebook and YouTube channels at 7pm Eastern Daylight Time on Thursday, June 17. The conversation will be moderated by Tina Martin, Host of WORLD Channel's "Local, USA" series and Associate Professor of Journalism at Boston University.
Viewers can join the conversation by asking questions directly to our panelists through the comments section of WORLD’s live stream.
The conversation will feature:
- Dr. Sidney Hankerson, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. His research is focused on reducing stigma and increasing access to treatment in underserved communities, with a particular focus on partnering with Black churches to improve access to mental health care.
- Dr. Dan Foster, Psychologist at Fort Belknap. He is the only psychologist at the Fort Belknap reservation which is shared by two Native American tribes: the A'aninin and the Nakoda. He brings his first-hand perspective as a Native American to provide culturally competent care to his community, utilizing a "person-centered" approach.
- Paul Hoang, LCSW, Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California. Known by some as the "Vietnamese Dr. Phil," he founded a nonprofit organization, Viet-C.A.R.E., and a private community behavioral health institute, Moving Forward Psychological Institute, to combat stigma, mental health disparities and increase access to quality and culturally responsive mental health care within the Vietnamese American community.
- Shawna Murray-Browne, LCSW-C, Psychotherapist in Baltimore. A fierce advocate for racial equity in mental health care, her liberation-focused healing framework deepens the responsibility of practitioners, not only to examine what biases and historical blind spots they have, but also to engage with community-led organizations as resources for their patients to continue to receive culturally competent care.
With an introduction by:
- Joe Brewster, Filmmaker, Psychiatrist, and Co-Producer of “Decolonizing Mental Health.”
- Michèle Stephenson, Filmmaker, Artist, Author, and Co-Producer of “Decolonizing Mental Health.”
This event is free, but RSVP in encouraged.
“Decolonizing Mental Health” is part of a multi-platform initiative from GBH that includes the four-hour “Mysteries of Mental Illness” docuseries (premiering nationwide on PBS on June 22 & 23) tracing the evolution of the complex topic of mental health from its earliest days to present times.