We are at the end of Minority Mental Health Month, and what a wonderful way to end this important month and topic on a high note! Mental Talk podcast (Host: Adrienne McCue) sat down with Dr. Antija Allen and Justin T. Stewart, editors and contributing authors of We're Not OK: Black Faculty Experiences and Higher Education Strategies on the topics surrounding black and BIPOC experiences.

The last podcast in the 4-part social justice series will be focusing on the ways that reform continues to expand the control the state has over marginalized communities. We will talk about the way popular reforms are contributing to the harms of the prison–industrial complex. Finally, we will tie together the concepts from all previous podcasts to get a better understanding of how mental health improvements will come alongside the dismantling of social injustice. 

In this episode, we will discuss the use of psychotropic drugs as a means of controlling and harming the incarcerated population. This legal violence is termed "pharmaceutical violence." There are many ways mental health professionals within prison settings twist treatment plans in order to better control or further oppress those who are incarcerated. It is important to recognize the harms mental health treatment can do to people who are incarcerated. While many people continue to advocate for increased mental health services, these may harm the people they are aiming to help. 

We will be discussing the ways in which prison environments create or exacerbate mental health problems. The violent environment, the threat of abuse, and solitary confinement are factors that threaten the mental well-being of those who are incarcerated. We will discuss these conditions in more depth as well as talk about the ways empirical literature has helped and harmed the general population's understanding of the impact of prisons. This is a Podcast Series.

In this episode, we will be discussing the commonly believed notion that the deinstitutionalization of mental health facilities led to the rise of mental illnesses within the homeless population and the prison system. We will disprove this myth by offering alternative explanations for the prevalence of mental illness among people who are homeless or incarcerated and view the problem as a socio-economic and political issue rather than an individual one.

#TransgenerationalTrauma #RacialJustice #StepUpForMentalHealth #MentalTalk #Podcast

Mental Talk Podcast Series: Step Up For Mental Health® got to sit down with professional softball player Lilli Piper from Athletes Unlimited. We talked about her journey on getting recognition in women's sports, along with the challenges and struggles and why we all need to talk more about mental health in sport! 

Year-in-review on how this year shaped up supporting families more than ever before, along with self-care and mental health stress along the way. We are glad this year is winding down, and looking into the future of 2021. 

Mental Talk (Host: Adrienne McCue) sat down with Camesha L. Jones, Founder of Sista Afya Community Mental Wellness to talk about mental health in the African American community -- particularly women of color and how they are copying as natural caregivers under COVID-19. We also dive into childhood trauma (ACE) and why sigma needs to be removed in seeking help with therapy. 

About Sista Afya:

At Sista Afya Community Mental Wellness, we believe that together, Black women across the African Diaspora can sustain mental wellness through connecting to resources and supporting one another.

Step Up For Mental Health's Adrienne McCue talks about past stress before the calm. A reflection of moving out of a difficult chapter in one's life, even when you can't see a way out, there will always be a change that will be teachable moments.

Step Up For Mental Health® sharing an intro clip on upcoming programming. Stay-tuned.