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User-led youth mental health training developed for marginalised communities

A new training programme in Birmingham is designed to help health professionals offer better mental health support to people in Black communities

31st July 2024 about a 3 minute read
“Co-STARS represents a joint effort to dismantle mental health disparities and secure lasting change by empowering Black communities and health professionals. We want to reduce mental health inequalities for Black ethnic groups – Co-STARS is a beacon of hope and progress towards achieving this goal.” Dr Sian Lowri Griffiths, assistant professor, Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham

A new training programme developed jointly between University of Birmingham researchers and young Black people is aiming to improve access to mental health services for marginalised communities.

The training will be delivered face-to-face in community centres or places of worship by young Black people themselves who have experienced mental illness. The researchers are working with Catalyst 4 Change CIC, Forward Thinking, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s Foundation Trust, and Black Country HealthCare NHS Trust to deliver the training.

There will also be online training to enable health care workers to support Black communities better.

The aim of the project, which is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), is to improve mental health literacy within Black communities so that they can access timely support for their mental health. In the UK, disadvantaged groups, including people from ethnic minorities, are disproportionately affected by psychosis, a severe form of mental illness causing a disruption of thoughts that leads to a loss of contact with reality, The project’s starting point is that Black people experience systemic difficulties in accessing good quality mental health care, and that therefore there is a strong need to engage with grassroots communities.

A focus on providing accurate knowledge about mental illness

The work is part of a larger social action project, Co-STARS, which delivers training on intersectionality and mental health inequalities to professionals, including members of the criminal justice system and children’s social services. Co-STARS focuses on providing accurate knowledge about mental illness, self-care practices and access to support.

As part of a series of research trials at the University of Birmingham, the researchers will measure outcomes such as reduced mental health detentions, improved well-being, and societal benefits.

Co-STARS is being run in collaboration a mental health charity called Emotion Dysregulation in Autism (E-DA). E-DA provides social action workshops and psychologically-informed peer support for young people with autism.

Dr Sian Lowri Griffiths, assistant professor at the University of Birmingham’s Institute for Mental Health, said: “Co-STARS represents a joint effort to dismantle mental health disparities and secure lasting change by empowering Black communities and health professionals. We want to reduce mental health inequalities for Black ethnic groups – Co-STARS is a beacon of hope and progress towards achieving this goal.”

She added: “By equipping professionals with culturally sensitive tools, we enhance their ability to address unique challenges faced by Black individuals.”

Dr Gerald Jordan, an assistant professor in the Institute for Mental Health, said that the funding the project had received would “allow us to better conduct research that aligns with the needs and priorities of local community organizations, and to encourage community members to use their own expertise and lived experience experiences to address practical challenges and enhance mental health for everyone.”

FCC Insight

Black people are more likely to experience mental health problems, but less likely to receive mental health treatment, than other ethnic groups in the UK. It’s good to see that this project from the University of Birmingham is focusing on helping health professionals reach Black people at risk of mental illness, and it’s particularly welcome that it is using people with lived experience of mental health problems to deliver the training. If we are to tackle the problem of rising rates of mental ill health, we need to make sure that all groups have access to the support they need.