Rising mental health concerns in Oklahoma and a loss of state funding are resulting in a lack of services in urban centers like Tulsa, where a diverse group of mental health providers are fighting to fill the gap.
Formed in 2022 to address barriers to mental health support, the Tulsa Black Mental Health Alliance’s goal is to increase representation among mental health providers, erase stigmas to seeking care and decriminalize people of color experiencing mental health crises.
The nonprofit is made up of organizations like Mason Counseling Services, Overcross Counseling & Equine Services, Amayesing Skillz Counseling Services and Counseling Skillz on Wheelz. The group is trying to expand services to more communities as the state’s recent cuts to mental health services cause drastic impacts in Tulsa.
In October, Mayor Monroe Nichols announced the city would lose $8 million in mental health funding from the state, impacting Tulsa police and fire 911 crisis response programs (COPES), the Family & Children Services Crisis Response Center, the Tulsa Sobering Center and the GRAND Addiction Recovery Center. The news came months after a report from the Healthy Minds Policy Initiative found suicide rates are increasing faster in Oklahoma than nationally.
“We’re not surprised at all,” members of the alliance told The Oklahoma Eagle in a joint statement. “When suicide rates rise across every population, it tells us something deeper than individual struggle. It reveals a world system that is overwhelmed, under-resourced, and not reaching people where they are.”
Whether it’s a church, school or a barber shop, members of the Tulsa Black Mental Health Alliance say they’re on a mission to meet clients where they are. While barriers like reductions in funding and lack of insurance remain out of their hands, the Alliance is working to reduce wait times and increase representation among communities of color.
They also offer support for prospective Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC) seeking to pass the National Counseling Examination (NCE).
“We do this by offering a free NCE prep course that is designed and run by the members of the board. We’ve had over 50 prospective LPCs take the course,” the alliance stated.
The report from Healthy Minds Policy Initiative found suicide rates among white, rural Oklahomans were higher than Black Oklahomans and residents of urban centers. It ultimately recommended expanding access to resources, screenings and accountability measures.
“People are carrying heavy emotional, financial, and spiritual burdens without enough accessible support,” the alliance said.
The nonprofit isn’t the only one that believes its work is having a positive impact on communities of color.
District 1 Tulsa City Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper represents most of north Tulsa. She said organizations like this are crucial to improving quality of life for Black residents.
“The Black community experiences unique challenges like systemic racism, racial trauma and historical oppression,” Hall-Harper told The Eagle. She said prioritizing mental health is necessary to “address the resulting disparities.”
“We must take care of ourselves and not rely on others to do it for us. It is our responsibility,” Hall-Harper said.
In a perfect world with all the resources it needs, the Tulsa Black Mental Health Alliance said it would implement a community-based model to reduce wait times and stigma, build a mentorship pipeline of Black clinicians starting from high school and establish an all-inclusive agency to serve Tulsans from all races, faiths, genders and sexual orientations.
“We would expand from responding to mental health needs to reshaping the entire ecosystem for Black Tulsans,” they said.