Addressing INequitable Access

According to the Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, Black adults in the U.S. are more likely than white adults to report persistent symptoms of emotional distress, such as sadness, hopelessness and feeling like everything is an effort. Black adults living below the poverty line are more than twice as likely to report serious psychological distress than those with more financial security.

Despite the needs, only one in three Black adults who need mental health care receive it. According to the American Psychiatric Association’s Mental Health Facts for African Americans guide, they are also:

  • Less likely to receive guideline-consistent care

  • Less frequently included in research

  • More likely to use emergency rooms or primary care (rather than mental health specialists)

Launched in 2022 in honor of National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, Self-Preservation is a quarterly interactive experience addressing mental and emotional wellness from a holistic perspective.

You are invited to meet Mental Health Professionals in a “speed dating” style activity. Learn about foods as they relate to your mental health and watch a cooking demo, learning a healthy new recipe. Experience a sensory integrative therapy installation.

Spend some time in the courtyard with guided mindfulness activities, breathwork and a restorative yoga session. Finally, build your own mental health tool kit from a plethora of resources we’ve curated for you.

Not only will you leave feeling refreshed but also equipped with personalized tools to continue supporting your mental wellness!

Guided Mindfulness

Attendees have the opportunity to choose from a number of guided mindfulness prompts to walk through independently.

Sensory Installation

Attendees will have the opportunity to experience Oxygen Therapy, Aromatherapy and Sound Therapy through this interactive installation.

Restorative Yoga

Breathe deep while moving the body, healing the mind and spirit during this restorative yoga session.

Food for mental health

Learn about the connection between food and mental health while learning a few new recipes to try at home!

Build your own mental health toolkit

This interactive experience allows attendees to choose from a wide variety of mental health supports in order to build their own mental health tool kit to take with them. Recognizing that everyone's needs are unique, attendees will truly be able to customize their tool kits based on their own needs and preferences.

Mental Health Speed Dating

In collaboration with The Wellness Collective, attendees will have the opportunity to meet with mental health professionals in a "speed dating" style format. The goal is to interact with a variety of professionals in order to determine who may be the perfect match to support their mental health moving forward.

But Self-Preservation can’t be successful without you!