Black Mental Health Graduate Academy
Read the Black Mental Health Graduate Academy's Statement on Black Lives Matter.
Diversity and Mental Health
The United States is becoming more multiracial, multiethnic, and multilingual. Although racial/ethnic minorities represent 30% of the population, approximately 90% of mental health professionals identify as non-Hispanic White ( Annapolis Coalition, 2007). In 2013, only 5.3% of psychologists were Black/African American ( American Psychological Association, 2015) and today fewer than 5% of Black students are enrolled in graduate-level psychology programs ( APA Center for Workforce Studies, 2010). The paucity of mental health professionals from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds is a critical contributing factor to mental health disparities (Annapolis Coalition, 2007). A more racially/ethnically diverse mental health workforce is needed to increase competent and compassionate care for all people.
Objectives
William James College's Black Mental Health Graduate Academy-an emerging academic pipeline program -is designed to recruit, mentor, and support Black students in Master's and Doctoral degree programs for mental health counseling and psychology. Under the auspices of the Center for Multicultural & Global Mental Health, the Academy will provide critical mentorship, career orientation, skill building, and professional enrichment to support academic excellence in graduate school. The Academy represents the College's commitment to decreasing racial/ethnic disparities by diversifying the mental health workforce and providing support to historically marginalized and underserved groups.
Program Components