Description: Mental Wellness is a multi-faceted construct that is only fully appreciated through a multi-disciplinary lens. As such, the requirements to curate communities where all people thrive, include an understanding of the unique historical contexts that inform contemporary experiences. The many and varied experiences of Black people in America demonstrate the need for a systemic approach to engagement, program development, curricular assessment, and equity-based access. 

Black Mental Wellness: A Systemic Approach to Resilient Campuses for Black Students is grounded in a strength-based philosophy that unpacks the deliberate ways in which systemic racism has created containers of harm for Black people. To effectively address critical risk and protective factors, participants will explore concepts like historical trauma, unconscious bias, stereotype threat, imposter syndrome and intergenerational disadvantage. Empirical data from each of the aforementioned concepts create the narrative that informed the development of the Resilient Campuses for Black Students Toolkit.

Understanding important concepts represents only half of the battle associated with creating campuses where all students prosper. The last portion of this experience will challenge campus leaders to address practices and policies that restrict resilience. Participants will be tasked with evaluating their role in developing campus-wide anti-racist philosophies to mitigate ecological behavioral health risk factors. These concepts include asset assessment, post-traumatic growth, positive psychology, ally/accomplice models of engagement and curricular decolonization. 

Facilitated by: Dr. Donald E Grant Jr. is a trusted thought partner to teams and organizations across the globe. He holds a Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology, a Bachelors degree in Biology, and a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion certificate for practitioners. He is an international workshop facilitator, film/TV consultant, and published author Dr. Grant can be seen across national media outlets as a mental health expert, master facilitator and analyst of socio-cultural events.

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