Do I have to be BIPOC (black, Indigenous, People of Color) to be listed?

A

Do I have to be BIPOC (black, Indigenous, People of Color) to be listed?

Yes. “Racial match, or concordance, has been described as one element of culturally responsive care and a potential factor in reducing mental health disparities for *BIPOC. Racial/ethnic match occurs when mental health clients and providers share the same race or ethnicity. In a counseling situation, therapist ethnicity may be one of the most important features to which clients first attend. Ward (2005)”(article attached below) 

This directory was created so that BIPOC communities in Grand Rapids and surrounding areas would have easy access to providers that share their same race or ethnicity.

Research articles:

  1. https://ct.counseling.org/2020/07/black-mental-health-matters/

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4228688/3. https://www.mhanational.org/bipoc-mental-health