BIPOC Mental Health Fellowship Aims to Expand the Pipeline of Therapists of Color
The growing need and heightened awareness of mental health has only accelerated the urgency Blanton-Peale feels to serve those in need and to train the next generation of mental health professionals.
Out of this urgency, we’ve created a new BIPOC Mental Health Fellowship to expand the pipeline of therapists of color. BIPOC is short for “Black, Indigenous and People of Color,” and each fellow is a top-notch social work student who identifies as Black, Brown, and/or Asian.
Our first cohort began in the fall of 2021 and now, as fellows graduate, they’ve been reflecting on their transformative time at Blanton-Peale. One fellow shared this:
Having read the Power of Positive Thinking in middle school, becoming a BIPOC Fellow at Blanton-Peale has been a dream come true. The quality and tenor of the supervision I received at Blanton-Peale has made me a better clinician. I adore my clients and appreciate the energy they bring to addressing the challenges they face.
Additionally, the BIPOC scholarship I received toward my social work tuition has made a tremendous difference in my life. As a full-time student and foster parent to 2 preschoolers, the scholarship has made my dream of providing holistic mental health support possible.
K.K, 2021 fellow
Collectively, Blanton-Peale’s 7 BIPOC Fellows have provided more than 850 sessions of affordable and accessible, culturally-responsive therapy. As they’ve seen their first clients, they’ve been mentored by experienced therapists of color and participate in groups and workshops focused on mental health challenges, as experienced by clients of color. Through this partnership Blanton-Peale provides the support that’s needed to ensure success as skilled and caring mental health professionals.
As fellows now graduate from New York City’s many graduate programs in social work, 6 of the 7 fellows will stay on as Blanton-Peale therapists. The 2022 BIPOC Fellows are now assembling. We look forward to their transformative presence at Blanton-Peale and in the lives of the New Yorkers they will serve.
