Reaching Out to Diverse Students with Mental Health Services

Reaching Out to Diverse Students with Mental Health Services: A few weeks ago, a student of color who never sought professional help came to my walk-in support hours and concluded that the pain she held in from a childhood trauma caused anxiety and affected her relationships. She did not feel comfortable going to the counseling center—seeking therapy was not common in her community. She didn’t trust people—many systems had already failed her. I was the first person she told. She later said it was liberating to talk to someone and not repress her suffering and shame anymore.

Sadly, this student’s story is not unusual. According to a supplemental report from the U.S. Surgeon General, “striking disparities in mental health care are found for racial and ethnic minorities.”