Why Your Mental Health Matters: Embracing Individual Counseling During National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month

Every July, National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month shines a light on the unique mental health struggles faced by racial and ethnic minority communities. It’s a time to elevate voices, address disparities, and encourage access to compassionate, culturally competent care. At Take Charge Inc., we understand how stigma, lack of access, and cultural barriers can cause mental health care to be deprioritized. We are committed to changing that by providing inclusive, culturally responsive, and judgment-free mental health care.

National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, observed every July, is a nationwide effort to bring attention to the unique mental health challenges faced by racial and ethnic minority communities in the United States. Established in 2008, the month honors the legacy of author and mental health advocate Bebe Moore Campbell, who worked tirelessly to improve access to mental health care for underserved communities and to break the stigma surrounding mental illness. While mental health struggles affect people from all backgrounds, Black, Indigenous, Latino/a, Asian American, Pacific Islander, and other minority groups often face additional obstacles. Some reasons access for minority communities is more difficult include: 

• Cultural Stigma Around Mental Health – In many communities of color, mental health struggles are often seen as a private matter or a personal weakness. Seeking therapy may be viewed as shameful, unnecessary, or something “we don’t talk about.” This stigma can prevent people from reaching out, even when they’re suffering in silence.
• Lack of Representation in Mental Health Providers – When people don’t see therapists who share or understand their cultural background, it can be hard to feel safe or fully understood in therapy. The lack of diverse counselors can make it challenging for individuals to find someone who resonates with their experiences, especially around race, identity, religion, or immigration.
• Financial and Logistical Barriers – High costs, lack of insurance coverage, or limited access to quality providers in specific communities can prevent many from ever stepping into a therapy office. Transportation, inflexible work schedules, or language differences can add to the difficulty.
• Systemic Mistrust of Health Systems – Historical and ongoing discrimination in health care has created a deep mistrust among many communities of color. People may hesitate to seek help out of fear that they won’t be taken seriously or treated with dignity and respect.

These factors can prevent individuals from seeking help, getting an accurate diagnosis, or receiving the quality care they deserve. At Take Charge Inc., we believe mental health care should be inclusive, culturally responsive, and free from judgment. Here’s how we’re working to make mental health care more accessible and effective for minority clients:

• Culturally Sensitive Counseling – Terri brings over two decades of experience supporting clients from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds. She understands the importance of listening through the lens of someone’s lived experience and honoring the complexity of identity, family expectations, and generational trauma.
• Safe Space to Break the Stigma – Take Charge Inc. is a place where clients can speak openly—without shame or fear—about their emotional struggles, cultural pressures, or personal histories. Whether someone is coping with anxiety, trauma, grief, relationship stress, or identity concerns, counseling is tailored to meet them where they are.
• Focus on Empowerment – We work with clients to develop tools for resilience, boundary-setting, emotional healing, and self-worth. The counseling process is collaborative, strengths-based, and focused on helping individuals take charge of their mental wellness.
• Flexible, Confidential, Personalized Care – We offer individual, couples, and trauma-informed counseling in a supportive, private setting. Whether you’re new to therapy or returning after a long pause, Take Charge Inc. is here to support your journey with respect and care.

At Take Charge Inc., founder and licensed clinical professional counselor Terri Clinton Dichiser provides a welcoming, inclusive space where clients of all backgrounds can begin to unpack what they’ve been carrying. With over two decades of experience, Terri specializes in individual counseling and understands the importance of culturally sensitive care tailored to each person’s lived experience. Whether you’re facing the daily stress of being a person of color in a world that doesn’t always feel safe or you’re coping with unresolved trauma, Terri offers compassionate, practical support that meets you where you are—emotionally, mentally, and culturally. 

National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month is not just about awareness—it’s a call to action. It’s a reminder that your mental health matters, your story matters, and support is available. Seeking counseling is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength. It’s how healing begins. If you’ve been putting your needs on hold or wondering if therapy is right for you, let this be the moment you take the first step. Take Charge Inc. is here to guide you along that path. Contact Take Charge Inc. at (913) 239-8255 to schedule an appointment.