BUFFALO, N.Y. — A new mental health program has been created to help neighbors deal with the trauma from the 5/14 Tops mass shooting in Buffalo. It's called Building Capacity of Clinicians of Color.
The program brings awareness to the need for mental health clinicians of color to provide services to the community.
Aleese Flunder is a part of this first cohort through 'Healing Hub of New York.' She is the owner of Vines Talk Healing, a mental health service that she created to fill the need for black clinicians in Buffalo.
With this new program, she says there is a new opportunity for those who need service and people like her who can give it.
"A program like this which allows Black clinicians kind of a guidance kind of get them set up to go into private practice, to get them to step up to be credential, to get them set up to be fully licensed it makes it so much easier and so much less pressure because a lot of those reasons or those things that you don't have the knowledge of how to do it causes a lot of clinicians to end up in community work because its already done. So, if you have a program that's going to walk you through it. It reduces a lot of that fear. And fear stops people every day every time from moving forward in what they are suppose to be doing," Flunder said.
This new program will allow 15 clinicians of color to provide mental services to people who look like them and share similar cultural perspective.
The ultimate goal is to build up these clinicians of color by giving them guidance to open private practices, become fully licensed or work toward full clinical licensure.
In return, they will be able to offer services to people in our community. Flunder says there is a need for more clinicians of color in the community and said the community is still dealing with a lot of collective trauma.
"I am noticing more specifically to your question, especially with the Black community that they are recognizing how their trauma is affecting their day to day. They are aware that there is a difference and they can live a happier life. That you don't have to live with this trauma. They don't have to be their trauma. They don't have to just struggle with their trauma, so I think that's becoming more and more aware for their community, which is amazing," Flunder said.
She said the best thing you can do is to listen to your body and trust your body. If something doesn't feel right and it can't be explained through sickness or a medical doctor, that could be a sign that something internally is happening.
If you or someone you know is looking for mental health help, many health insurance providers now cover the cost of mental health services. You can contact your provider directly for more information.
Other resources:
Aleese Flunder's Podcast: Is It That Deep: Exposing Elephants While Talking Healing.
Aleese Flunder's Book: The Journey to My Healing: An Interactive Guided Journal for Black Women