MEE Research on Black Mental Wellness

MEE has conducted focus groups in some of the hardest-hit neighborhoods in America – from the South Side of Chicago to South Central LA, from North Philadelphia to Southeast DC, in post-Katrina Louisiana and many more. When we talk to people living in these communities, two factors constantly come up – stress and trauma (often preceded by violence). Trying to make do with less, feeling that America has no seat left for you at the table, dealing with poverty and confronting all of the various “-isms” in our society – all of them converge together to render poor Black people angrier, more hopeless, and more depressed.

For the past two years, MEE has been conducting new focus group research with low-income, young African American adults and parents in four American cities, talking with more people impacted by ongoing stress and trauma in underserved communities. In addition to holding 14 focus groups with African American families (young adults ages 19-22 and mothers of adolescent males), we talked to top experts in the field of mental health.

Based on our findings, it became clear to us that culturally relevant materials are critically needed, more than ever, in order to begin a community-wide dialogue with African American young adults and parents about the importance of mental wellness—and how to achieve it. In response, we created the prototype for a Community Mental Wellness Toolkit. The Toolkit, which comes in a basic, online version, and an enhanced Toolkit package, brings the most effective communication strategies uncovered in MEE's audience research to life in ways that are immediately applicable in a number of community settings.

Our research and experiences have shown that mental and emotional issues contribute to behaviors that impact many educational, social and public health issues. For example, Community Network members have encountered scenarios such as:

An otherwise gentle and creative young man who lashes out violently, due to unresolved trauma in his life;
A bright youth who seems to be distracted and unable to focus do to the stresses in her home life and neighborhood;
The single mother who overeats unhealthy food to cope with stress; or
Young adults who self-medicate by drinking and smoking their problems away.

Issues like these make both versions of our Toolkit extremely relevant even for those who are not direct mental wellness service providers or professionals. It will help overcome the significant level of community stigma associated with even talking about mental health issues. It includes important information about how to support young people and adults who have experienced ongoing stress and trauma in their lives, by strengthening their coping skills.

Using the Toolkit, agencies, CBOs, churches, foundations and policymakers can reach out and conduct outreach to the broader community in culturally-relevant ways. The research can also help service providers gain a better understanding of the worldview of youth and families who require mental health support. In addition, the Toolkit provides emergency room personnel with guidance on how to support people who have been victims of or witnesses to serious violence.

MEE is excited to announce that the online version Community Mental Wellness Toolkit will be made available in late January for members of MEE's Community Network to read and download at no cost. We are confident that you will find the online Toolkit both enlightening and useful. Others interested in more details about promoting mental wellness in the African American community will also be able to purchase the full (expanded) Toolkit package through MEE’s new Mental Wellness Website.

The Community Mental Wellness Toolkit also includes "authentic," audience-tested mental wellness promotion messages and intervention strategies. With the kit, a cross-section of providers will get a better understanding of the worldview of youth and families who require mental health support, and can be prepared to more effectively receive and interact with them in a culturally-relevant manner. Those who may benefit from the Toolkit include:

Public health agencies and institutions;
Community-based program directors;
Public health researchers;
Faith-based institutions; and
Criminal justice/law enforcement personnel.

More information on the Toolkit release will be coming soon! The full (expanded) package contains more than a dozen components that CBOs and other organizations can use to start the critically-important community dialogue about mental wellness. To sponsor a customized Community Mental Wellness Toolkit for your agency or city, please contact Executive Assistant Sandra Ford at 215-829-4920 or sford@meeproductions.com.