Karen Brown, Ph.D., and Erica Rodriguez, Psy.D., provide insight into the relationship between racism and mental health offering a nuanced look at systemic barriers. Drawing from their research and international service, they propose solutions for paving a road to mental wellness.
Unveiling Systemic Barriers
Systemic barriers are obstacles that can prevent positive progress for individuals and communities, creating unequal access to resources and rights for marginalized people.
These barriers often affect mental health through structural or institutional mechanisms. For example, a company’s hiring policies might unintentionally (or intentionally) favor people of one background over another.
Research shows that longstanding exposure to inequity negatively impacts mental health. Because systemic barriers can hinder access to—and perception of—mental health care, Drs. Brown and Rodriguez emphasize the importance of recognizing them. This hindering disproportionately impacts racial minority communities—a fact they observed early in their lives and careers.
Karen Brown, Ph.D.: From Combat Medic to Advocate
Dr. Brown began her psychology journey following a 26-year career as a combat medic in the army. While physical injuries were being treated effectively, she noticed that mental health issues were often undertreated due to the stigmas surrounding them.
“Physical medicine, especially in the military, is phenomenal, but we were having problems with mental health issues,” Dr. Brown says. “It’s not because we didn’t have good mental health available; it’s because our military members were not taking advantage of it for multiple reasons, including the stigma.”
This realization about the power of stigma made her curious about how other characteristics like race can affect mental health. This curiosity led her to pursue a master’s in forensic psychology, followed by a Ph.D. in international psychology with a focus on transgenerational trauma. Her focus on transgenerational trauma allows Dr. Brown to understand the grasp systemic barriers have on the mental health of the individuals who experience it.
Erica Rodriguez, Psy.D.: Education as a Life Calling
Dr. Rodriguez has spent nearly three decades working with intersectional communities, including first-generation immigrants, DCFS, and the LGBTQIA+ community. As a first-generation queer Latina, Dr. Rodriguez knows how much identity can shape experiences in education and mental health. Throughout her 27 years in the field, she has emphasized the importance of understanding and respecting other cultures. “Through my experience, I have learned that you cannot be an expert in someone else’s culture,” Dr. Rodriguez says. “If you are not part of that culture, then you will never be an expert in their experience—but you can work towards sensitivity and compassion through understanding.”
Dr. Rodriguez models this in her own work, considering herself a lifelong learner while encouraging her students to do the same.
Defining the Types of Generational Trauma
1: Intergenerational Trauma
Intergenerational trauma refers to the trauma experienced by subsequent generations due to the survivors of a traumatic event sharing their experiences. The sharing of this trauma, though difficult, is one way to pass down family history and culture to the next generations while historicizing the experiences of marginalized people.
Dr. Brown’s work highlights the importance of acknowledging the complexity and profound impact of intergenerational trauma. One example of intergenerational trauma can be seen in the descendants of Holocaust victims. Dr. Brown explains. “Following the Holocaust, those who survived it had children and grandchildren. They talked to them about the traumas that they had experienced, and so these subsequent generations were traumatized.”
Research has also shown that there can be long-lasting genetic impacts of trauma. Neuroscientist Rachel Yehuda, Ph.D., found signs of altered genes among the descendants of Holocaust survivors. Dr. Yehuda says, “The implications are that what happens to our parents, or perhaps even to our grandparents or previous generations, may help shape who we are on a fundamental molecular level that contributes to our behaviors, beliefs, strengths, and vulnerabilities.”
So how do we help people suffering from intergenerational trauma? According to Dr. Brown, “The key to ending intergenerational trauma is to ensure there are resources available and accessible for the following generations. With the right support, they can feel a sense of safety.”
Storytelling between generations is an important part of healing, as well as keeping cultural memory alive. Together, storytelling and community resources help cultivate resilience, creating space for this generation to break the cycle of trauma.
2: Transgenerational Trauma
Beginning in either childhood or adulthood, transgenerational trauma happens when consistent trauma is experienced over a long period of time. When survivors don’t have access to the right resources or support, their trauma can eventually impact their children and grandchildren, resulting in transgenerational trauma.
A significant portion of Dr. Brown’s research surrounding transgenerational trauma is based on her time spent with the Australian Aboriginals. Dr. Brown says, “They went through a horrific 400 years of traumatic experiences. When that ceased, their children were still subject to the same treatment: They were still arrested on trumped-up charges, and they were still subject to extrajudicial punishment. Because this population is still being oppressed and marginalized, and so to this day, they still suffer.”
Understanding the Implications of Race on Mental Health in 2024
Like the Native American, Black, and Latino peoples in the United States, Dr. Brown found that Australian Aboriginals’ forced assimilation led to the loss of their culture. And, like in the U.S., the continued presence of policies and laws that perpetuate inequality and injustice, such as redlining and inner-city poverty, extend that trauma over generations.
Dr. Brown shares, “When you still have the same discriminatory framework and policies in place, it is very difficult to heal from the transgenerational trauma.”
Power Dynamics, the System, and Trust
The power dynamics involved in generational trauma are complex, weaving through familial, social, and institutional contexts that add to the stigma around mental health.
“We continue to live in a world that is shaped by systemic and institutional racism. This is used to create otherness,” Dr. Rodriguez explains. “Once we ‘other’ someone, then we can treat them as less than human. To be able to treat someone less than human gives us privilege over people.”
Traditionally marginalized people have spent generations being othered, leading many to understandably distrust the systems that perpetuate this violence. Discriminatory practices and systems reinforce cycles of trauma, making it harder for affected individuals and communities to break free from the impacts of historical suffering.
An often overlooked consequence of transgenerational trauma is minority populations may become unaware of its full effect. This occurs due to trauma being so deeply ingrained and normalized within their lives that it becomes an invisible barrier. Dr. Rodriguez explains how accustomed individuals are to the effects of transgenerational trauma, “When we’re being raised in a space that is already racist in nature, we don’t understand how racist it is, we become accustomed to the uncomfortable. We see how we are different and how disenfranchised we are, but the understanding of how much privilege has been taken from us is often not seen until it is brought to our attention.” As a result, marginalized people have fewer tools to process their trauma and heal, allowing the cycle to continue impacting people and their communities.
Reflecting on her own journey, Dr. Rodriguez shares that she initially resisted being referred to by her title. “I didn’t want to use the title of ‘doctor’ when speaking with people—it made me feel as if it was separating me from others. Then, I had one of my bosses tell me that you have to be strategically boastful. It’s the idea of being able to use my privilege to push against other people’s privilege and create space for the people and the communities that need it.”
For her, breaking past barriers and wielding hard-earned privilege allows her to inspire others to do the same.
Cultural Nuances of One’s Racial Identity
To understand the relationship between racial identity and mental health, it’s also important to acknowledge cultural nuances. The concept of race is not solely based on physical appearance or familial ancestry; it encompasses a complexity of both factors that shape one’s identity and experience.
Internal race refers to individuals’ perception and understanding of their own racial identity, which can be influenced by personal experiences. External race refers to how society perceives and interacts with individuals based on their racial identity, which can be influenced by stereotypes or historical context.
Dr. Rodriguez has fought against these nuances, specifically with men of color seeking therapy. She explains, “Historically, men of color have had to defend their communities, and that has been passed down to them from generation to generation.” Men of color are pushed to be pillars of the family and often struggle with being vulnerable or open to seeking help with mental health. “The women had to carry the anxiety and fear, protect the children, and huddle them. Women were allowed to cry. Men were not. They weren’t allowed to because of the possible perception of weakness.”
This is one example of the many cultural complexities that alter individual and society’s perception of mental health. Dr. Rodriguez explains, “There are many of these nuances that play a role when we’re looking at gender, racism, and culture. All these play a big part in looking at mental health. It’s a tangled rope.” By understanding this, we can work to challenge dominant ideas of mental health care and create more equitable access to traditionally marginalized groups.
Healing Across Generations and the Road to Mental Wellness
The road to mental wellness runs squarely through the dismantling of stigma and racial disparities. Drs. Brown and Rodriguez emphasize that the answer, in part, lies in taking a culture-focused and human-centered approach.
While many companies are leveraging diversity training to reduce disparities and stigmas, Dr. Brown is skeptical of the impact this training alone can have in driving change.
“I believe that as psychologists, it’s our responsibility to talk not only about diversity but also about culture and what we’re doing to address the gap in racial equity,” Dr. Brown says. “For 26 years, I had diversity training every 6 months. Instead, I want to talk about culture.”
Dr. Brown argues that diversity training modifies behavior rather than changing deeply ingrained character. Instead, she proposes we focus on understanding our own individual culture and influence to have the greatest impact. Dr. Brown executes this practice within her own company, Infinity LINC International, using an interactive training model.
Dr. Rodriguez takes a similar approach, emphasizing the importance of understanding and accepting different cultures in creating true change. She incorporates this practice in the classroom by providing students with hands-on experiences in the community.
“When people come into the classroom as guest speakers, students get to sit at their desks with air conditioning and in a comfortable and known environment,” Dr. Rodriguez says. “Instead, I want you to drive to a neighborhood. I want you to park your car in a place that you don’t know, I want you to walk the streets and experience the same struggles and fears that the community experiences, I want you to go into the center where the individuals go to access services. I want you to see them, I want you to talk to them and I want my students to experience how others live their lives.”
By adopting this people-centered approach, Drs. Brown and Rodriguez encourage students and society to connect with people in their own territory, fostering an understanding rooted in respect rather than privilege.
In the end, Dr. Rodriguez explains the beauty of recognizing racial identity: “When you truly see someone, you affirm them. Race is one of the many parts of who someone is, everyone holds multiple cultures, and this intersectionality is beautiful. As a mental health practitioner, seeing that beauty allows me to treat and support whatever struggle they are going through. This depth can only be understood through the lens of race and culture.”
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