DESCRIPTION

This webinar will explore factors unique to the experiences of African American women that affect mental health and have implications for diagnosis and treatment. These factors include challenges as well as significant strengths that can be leveraged in treatment and in the community to support overall mental and emotional wellbeing. 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Explore the unique mental health challenges currently facing African American women, with a particular focus on the impact of recent forces such as the COVID-19 pandemic, political unrest and racial trauma
• Discuss the ways in which religious and cultural norms, including perceptions of the "strong Black woman," may serve as both protective factors and barriers to help seeking
• Discuss ways to build rapport with African American women patients/clients in order to increase engagement in treatment 

PRESENTER

Dr. Gina Newsome Duncan is an adult psychiatrist in private practice at Eastover Psychological & Psychiatric Group in Charlotte, North Carolina. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry from Hampton University, her M.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and completed her general psychiatry internship and residency at Harvard at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)/McLean Hospital Adult Psychiatry Residency Program. Before going into private practice, Dr. Duncan held academic and administrative appointments at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) at Augusta University in Augusta, GA where she served as an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and as the Associate Dean for Admissions for MCG. Dr. Duncan’s clinical focus is on the use of medication management and psychotherapy in the treatment of adult mood and anxiety disorders as well as ADHD. Her other areas of special interest include the intersection of spirituality and psychiatry, disparities in health and achievement that disproportionately affect underserved communities, strength-based approaches to building resilience, and faith- and community-based approaches to addressing disparities in mental health. Dr. Duncan regularly presents and provides consultation to community and faith-based groups as well as academic and professional organizations. She is currently the lead mental health expert for the Steve Fund’s Families Healing Together Campaign.

HOST

Annelle Primm, M.D., MPH is the Senior Medical Director of the Steve Fund, an organization focused on the mental health of young people of color. She is also a member of the Black Psychiatrists of America Council of Elders.

AUDIENCE

Mental health professionals, community health advocates, the general public