Be Good.
//Doctor’s Note//
Illustration by @kirzart
Check out these resources. Dr. Jefferson approved.
RESEARCH
1. Learn how millions of individuals and thousands of organizations are working to advance mental health.
2. This is an African American Mental Health Providers Directory for California residents.
3. This is the National Directory of Therapists of Color.
ALIGN
1. @blackgirlinom (photo shown) Offers holistic wellness workshops largely based in journaling, mind-clearing meditation, and body restoring yoga.
2. @black_minds_matter A community-based membership to develop and support mental health and well being within the Black community.
3. @therapyforblackgirls Works to destigmatize mental health issues and makes resources such as in-office and virtual therapy, Q & A sessions with experts, and other relevant topics for Black women.
4. @qtpocmentalhealth A grassroots, trans-led organization to support LGBTQIA+ individuals, specifically trans and queer people of color. Their platform features art, writing, and a directory of intersectional mental-health resources.
READ
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson
Tears We Cannot Stop by Michael Eric Dyson
White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
America’s Original Sin by Jim Wallis
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester
The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health by Rheeda Walker
Unapologetic by A Black, Queer, and Feminist Mandate for Radical Movements by Charlene A. Carruthers
Freedom is a Constant Struggle by Angela Y. Davis
Black Skin. White Masks by Franz Fanon
Dr. Autumn Jefferson
Contributing Writer
Autumn Jefferson, Psy.D. is a native of Los Angeles, California. As a Forensic Clinician and Evaluator, her professional work focuses on providing court-mandated forensic and clinical mental health treatment to mentally ill patients with histories of violence and providing court testimony. Dr. Jefferson is dedicated to helping Black people erase the stigma surrounding the seeking of mental health treatment. When not working, she is a curator of adventure, spiritual seeker, life enthusiast, witty banterer, and would-be Shazam master.