Observed each July and originally designated as National Minority Mental  Health Awareness Month,  BIPOC Mental Health Month highlights the  unique mental health  challenges and needs of historically  disenfranchised or oppressed racial  and ethnic groups in the United  States. Black and Indigenous people and  other people of color (BIPOC)  experience a broad spectrum of ongoing  discrimination, oppression, and  inequity rooted in America’s colonialist  history, all of which foster  both collective and individual trauma in  those communities.  Counselors, therapists and other mental health professionals are   essential to promoting the mental health and well-being of people in   BIPOC communities and addressing the systemic discrepancies in quality   of and access to care for these individuals. By providing counselors   with the support, education, and professional resources needed to serve   BIPOC clients, we can work together to create deep multicultural   competence and provide effective care for the mental health of every   individual.