July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, and we’ve caught up with Tovah Thompson, Licensed Mental Health Counselor at Hostos’ Carlos L. González Counseling Center, to discuss the importance of promoting awareness of and access to mental health care in communities of color and historically underserved groups.
Tovah has always been passionate about helping others and has long known that she wanted to work specifically with college students in her home borough of the Bronx.
“I feel everyone deserves to have a safe space where they feel what they say matters, and that’s what counseling does; it gives you a space to explore yourself,” she shared.
A two-time first-generation college graduate herself, Tovah understands the unique challenges that many students face as they try to find work-school-life balance while forging a new path. “There are many factors that impact one’s mental health and level of functioning. Our goal is to help them recognize, acknowledge, process and overcome any obstacles and struggles that life may throw their way so that they can succeed in college,” she said. “We’re essential like tutoring is essential. It’s as important as your physical health or going to the dentist. We have to take care of our whole self to be our best self.”
One of her objectives as a counselor is to help break the stigma around seeking mental health care, particularly within communities of color. “Mental health and wellness don’t see color, it affects us all,” she said. “It’s time for us to shift that narrative and say ‘This is a lot to carry and I don’t want to carry it on my own.’ There is so much strength in that…It’s important to acknowledge the times when we need support and how we feel because we deserve that. We deserve to honor what we feel and do the work to overcome that we need to while supporting and celebrating ourselves and each other along the way.”
The Counseling Center offers confidential one-on-one and group therapy free of charge to students, in person and virtually, throughout the school year, as well as consultations, in-class presentations and professional development opportunities to support staff and faculty. They also offer a variety of workshops, including Candid Conversations and Let’s Talk About It (in collaboration with the Student Government Association), in which they create safe spaces to discuss difficult topics.
Learn more about the Carlos L. González Counseling Center
here.