Young Women of Color and Mental Health
Source: Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
Resource Type: Documents and Publications
Focus Population: BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), Family Members, Youth, Transition Age Youth (TAY)
Topics: Behavioral Health Services, Best Practices, Community Defined or Evidence Based Practices, Behavioral Health Workforce, Substance Use Disorder(s)
Structural barriers are systemic challenges embedded in our culture, economy, and institutions that cause inequality. Produced by systems of power, they require large-scale investment and policy solutions to achieve meaningful change. CLASP conducted focus groups* with young women of color to learn what structural barriers they encounter in daily life. This fact sheet includes insights from African-American, Latina, and Native young women about their experiences with mental health. Uprooting mental health challenges and other structural barriers demands turning over the ground to reveal these root causes, partnering with young women of color to identify solutions, and seeding change in equitable ground.