Why Racial Equity is Key to Your Workplace Mental Health Inclusion Efforts

by bci's Mental Health Expert-in-Residence, Dr. Komal Bhasin

The last year has made it increasingly evident that prioritizing mental health inclusion is critical for organizations seeking to advance their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

On the backdrop of the pandemic and with a workforce collectively dealing with the trauma of a?global illness?— not to mention the racial justice movement that continues to unfold around us — we know from research that people are experiencing heightened diminished mental health at this moment.

With World Mental Health Day having just passed?— and fittingly, this year’s theme of “Mental Health in an Unequal World” specifically highlighted equity — as bci’s Mental Health Expert-in-Residence, I wanted to use this moment to spotlight the connection between racial equity and mental health inclusion. In particular, I’m thinking of professionals of color and Indigenous professionals and their experiences with mental health and mental health inclusion in the workplace.

While the research on race/ethnoculture and mental health is at best limited and at worst?both limited and heavily flawed, we know that people of color and those from Black, Indigenous and Latinx communities, in particular, experience poorer health overall tied back to social and structural injustices and inequities.

We also know that while diagnoses for mental illnesses appear to be similar across racial/ethnocultural groups, access to essential mental health care and the quality of the care and support that is provided substantially differs due to racial inequities. In other words, Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC) experience more serious mental health impacts as a result of racial inequities.

So what can leaders do to ensure that these racial inequities aren’t carried over into their workplace mental health inclusion efforts?

Firstly, organizations must continue to focus on disrupting biases around mental health and starting meaningful and?inclusive conversations?around mental health, and in particular, BIPOC mental health.

Secondly, organizations must focus on centering racial equity and BIPOC mental health in any broader discourses about mental health inclusion. In other words, we must move beyond lip service and viewing the mental health of BIPOC professionals as an individual experience and instead focus on understanding that BIPOC mental health must be viewed in a broader societal and intersectional context.

And finally, as we’re thinking about mental health inclusion, organizations must situate this in the context of individual and communal healing. One example I like to use is?microaggressions. Microaggressions are often seen as individual?acts or isolated instances that are subjectively experienced, but it’s important to view microaggressions as an articulation of power or supremacy that operates at the larger structural and institutional levels. Similarly, when it comes to BIPOC mental health we need to be thinking about how inequities permeate societal systems and structures as well as how these inequities can affect individuals.

It’s critical that organizations focus on BIPOC mental health as part of your overall mental health inclusion training if you want to truly see the benefits in your workplace culture and support your BIPOC colleagues.

As part of bci’s range of cutting-edge mental health inclusion?programming, BIPOC mental health inclusion is one of our dedicated areas of?expertise. Be sure to follow bci's Mental Health Inclusion showcase page here for more updates about our programming. And?if you need resources to help you get started, you can download bci’s free tip sheets?here.