Why Older Black Generations Reject Therapy and Mental Health

You guys, this clip is for every family that grew up hearing "what happens in this house stays in this house." Ashleigh is a licensed social worker who sees the impact of that mentality every single day inside hospitals, crisis units, and psychiatric facilities and she does not hold back.

Key topics covered in this clip:

• Why the 50 and older generation is the hardest population to reach when it comes to mental health referrals and how social workers navigate that resistance without pushing people further away
• The generational substitution of church for therapy, why that has real limits, and how Ashleigh approaches the conversation without dismissing faith as a resource
• What Black men and mental health actually looks like from inside the system on the West Coast versus what social media says is happening nationally
• Why representation inside the mental health field matters and how having a social worker who looks like the patient changes the entire dynamic of care
• The growing awareness of mental health in communities of color and why a yearly mental health check-in matters just as much as an annual physical
• How your mental health directly impacts your physical health and why the two cannot keep being treated as separate conversations
• What the holiday season and grief anniversaries actually look like inside a psychiatric facility and why anniversaries hit just as hard as Christmas and Thanksgiving

About Ashleigh: Ashleigh holds a Master's in Social Work earned during the pandemic while raising two kids. She has served on the 988 crisis response team at the county level, conducted 5150 psychiatric evaluations, and now works as a medical social worker helping patients and families navigate some of the hardest moments of their lives.

This clip is one piece of a much bigger conversation. The full episode covers 988 vs 911, the 3 criteria for a psychiatric hold, caregiver burnout, and the moment involving a 6-year-old that nobody in the room was prepared for. Do not miss it.

👉 Listen to the full episode here: https://youtu.be/QjeitEmQtbM

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