TULSA, Okla. — A mental health alliance, focused on Tulsa’s Black community, officially launched on Thursday.
The Tulsa Black Mental Health Alliance is looking for ways to end the stigma and help all Tulsans when it comes to mental health.
“When the Black community is in need, when all communities in Tulsa are in need, that’s when you’ll see the Black Alliance come out and support,” said Dwyane Mason Jr., vice president of the Tulsa Black Mental Health Alliance.
The Terence Crutcher Foundation helped officially launch the new community outlet for those in need of mental health assistance.
The alliance consists of board members and clinicians.
Ebony Skillens is one of those board members who said she is proud to be able to go into the community and give back in such an important way.
“Proud to provide that integrity and therapy. Proud to just have that common and cultural ground where we can talk and communicate. Where we know and meet each other at that one level, which is a cultural level and may be different, but yet it is the same and so that’s important for me,” Skillens said.
She said the alliance has gotten together to change the stigma associated with mental health in the Black community.
“To go in our community and present a presence of clinicians who are licensed and certified and ready to help our community,” Skillens said.
One of those clinicians is Mason who also serves as the vice president for the board. He said as a Black man this is important especially for the male youth.
“In my role as that provider is to show that representation as a Black mental health male provider, but also as a person who knows what a Tulsa and a north Tulsa community needs when it comes to Black support as a male and that looks different. We know that there’s not a lot of providers that look like us. That’s another reason why it’s so important for us to stand as this representation,” Mason said.
They received a grant to help them get the alliance up and running.
They have also partnered with Tulsa Public Schools and local universities.
The alliance also launched their website so you can see the services they provide including a mobile service.
To find the website, click here.
