If you are in crisis, call or text 988.

BIPOC Mental Health Month: finding support that gets you

BIPOC Mental Health Month is a July observance that puts a name to a real gap: people of color get sick at about the same rates as everyone else, and they get care far less often. A BIPOC mental health support group is a small group, often peer-led, where Black, Indigenous, and people of color can talk about what they are carrying without first having to explain the racism that shaped it. In my work I have watched folks relax the moment they realize the room already knows. That is what this month is really about, and it is why I want to walk through what the research says and how to find a group that fits.

When it is and why it matters

July is Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, often called BIPOC Mental Health Month. Congress named it in 2008, two years after the writer and advocate Bebe Moore Campbell died. She had spent years pushing for one plain thing: that families of color be able to get help without shame and without a fight. The designation set three goals, which still hold up. Improve access to treatment. Raise public awareness. Keep her name attached to the work so people remember why it started.

Here is the part that should bother all of us. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, fewer than one in two Black adults who need mental health care actually receive it. A 2023 KFF survey found that among adults in fair or poor mental health, half of White adults had gotten treatment in the prior three years, compared with 39 percent of Black adults and 36 percent of Hispanic adults (Artiga et al., 2023). Same need. Different odds. The thing about a number like that is it is not about willpower or attitude. It is about cost, distance, stigma, and whether there is anyone in the room who looks like you.

What does the research say about culturally responsive support?

The evidence here is steady, and it points in one direction. A few things worth knowing.

• People in racial and ethnic minority groups are 20 to 50 percent less likely to start mental health services, and 40 to 80 percent more likely to leave treatment early, than other groups (Sue et al., 2012). Early dropout is not a small thing. Care you stop attending cannot help you.
• When clients are matched with a provider of a similar background, many stay longer. One large study found that for most groups, ethnic match meant substantially lower odds of dropping out than for clients who were unmatched (Sue et al., 2012). Feeling understood early keeps people in the room.
• Experiences of racism and discrimination track with worse mental health and lower well-being (Artiga et al., 2023). So a group that lets you name those experiences, instead of working around them, is not a nicety. It is doing real clinical work.
• Group cohesion, the felt sense of belonging in a group, predicts symptom improvement across diagnoses and settings (Burlingame et al., 2011). For a lot of folks of color, cohesion comes faster in a room where the cultural shorthand is already shared.
• Misdiagnosis is a documented pattern, with Black and Latino patients more often diagnosed with psychotic disorders than warranted (Artiga et al., 2023). A culturally grounded group will not replace good clinical care, but it can be the place where someone first feels safe enough to seek a second opinion.

I want to be honest about the limits. A support group does not fix structural racism, and it does not treat a diagnosis on its own. What it does is real but smaller: it gives the emotional weight of living in these systems a place to land, with people who do not need it spelled out.

Groups for BIPOC mental health in our directory

The Group Guide lists therapy and support groups across all 50 states, and you can browse BIPOC mental health groups in the directory right now. Search terms that tend to surface the right rooms: BIPOC, Black mental health, Latino, Asian American, Indigenous, and culturally responsive. You can also browse culturally responsive groups if you want a wider net.

A note, in the spirit of being straight with you. Identity-specific groups are still growing, and in some regions you may find fewer than three listings for your exact community. If that is you, two things help. Widen the search to virtual groups, which open up the whole country instead of your zip code. And if you run a group like this, your community needs it listed. You can claim a free founding-member listing and reach the people looking for you.

How do you choose a BIPOC mental health group?

There is no single right group, only the one that fits where you are. A few things I tell people to weigh.

• Who leads it. A peer-led group is run by someone with lived experience. A clinician-led group is run by a licensed therapist. Both can be good. Peer groups often feel less formal and cost less. Clinician-led groups can hold heavier material. Decide which you want today, knowing you can change your mind.
• How specific you want it. Some groups are for a broad BIPOC community. Others are for one community, say Black women or first-generation immigrants. Narrower can mean faster understanding. Broader can mean more meeting times to choose from.
• Format and cost. Virtual or in person. Free or a few dollars. Community organization groups in our directory are always free. Check the listing before you commit.
• The first session feeling. You are allowed to try one and not go back. A group that fits will not require you to perform or to translate yourself. If you leave more drained than you came, that is information, not failure.

If you want a deeper walkthrough, our guide to culturally responsive support groups for BIPOC communities goes step by step. And if you are brand new to groups, how to prepare for your first group session takes the edge off.

Other resources

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988, any time, free and confidential. There is also a dedicated line for support that affirms your identity.
• NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness): nami.org. Runs free support groups and has a sharing-hope program built for Black and African American communities.
• Mental Health America: mhanational.org. Hosts the BIPOC Mental Health Month toolkit and free screening tools.
• SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357. Free, confidential, 24/7 treatment referral in English and Spanish.
• The Steve Fund: stevefund.org. Focused on the emotional well-being of young people of color.

FAQ

What is BIPOC Mental Health Month?

It is a July observance, officially Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, named by Congress in 2008. It draws attention to the mental health needs of Black, Indigenous, and people of color, and to the barriers that keep many from getting care. The month exists because need and access do not match. People of color experience mental illness at similar rates to everyone else but receive treatment far less often.

Do I need a diagnosis to join a BIPOC support group?

No. Most support groups welcome anyone carrying something hard, with or without a formal diagnosis. Peer support groups in particular are built around shared experience rather than clinical labels. If you are not sure whether a group is the right level of support, the listing usually says whether it is peer-led or clinician-led, and you can contact the leader directly to ask before you join.

How is a culturally responsive group different from a regular one?

A culturally responsive group is shaped around the lived experience of its members, so racism, immigration, family expectations, and community history are part of the conversation, not a tangent. Research shows people of color often start care later and leave earlier when they do not feel understood. A group that already shares your context can build trust faster, which keeps people in the room long enough to benefit.

Are these groups free?

Many are. Community organization groups listed in our directory are always free, and national groups run by NAMI cost nothing to attend. Some clinician-led groups charge a fee, often a few dollars or on a sliding scale. Every listing on The Group Guide shows the cost up front, so you can sort by what works for your budget before you reach out.

What if I am in crisis right now?

A support group is not a crisis service. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, free and confidential, any hour of the day. You do not have to be suicidal to call. They help with overwhelming distress of any kind. Once you are steadier, a support group can be part of what you build next.

References

Artiga, S., Hill, L., & Presiado, M. (2023). Racial and ethnic disparities in mental health care: Findings from the KFF survey of racism, discrimination and health. KFF.

Burlingame, G. M., McClendon, D. T., & Alonso, J. (2011). Cohesion in group therapy. Psychotherapy, 48(1), 34–42.

Sue, S., Cheng, J. K. Y., Saad, C. S., & Chu, J. P. (2012). Asian American mental health: A call to action. American Psychologist, 67(7), 532–544.

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The Group Guide is a directory. Group leaders write their own listings, and we do not vet, supervise, or endorse the groups listed here. We are not a clinic and we do not provide clinical services or guarantee outcomes, that is the group’s work, not ours. If you are in crisis, call or text 988.