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Published Work
Seeing One Another: Creation of Sawubona Healing Circles
Journal of Black Psychology 2024, Vol. 0(0), 1–37 © The Author(s) 2024
Authors: Evan Auguste, Tania Lodge, Niara Carrenard,
Jana Robina Onwong’a, Ashley Zollicoffer,
Dana Collins, and Laneay London
In 2020, the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi) drew attention to the
history of racism in the United States and the creation and exacerbation of
extant medical racial inequities to the detriment of Black individuals. Recognizing
that solutions based solely in Western frameworks cannot fully
address the mental health needs of Black individuals, ABPsi devoted collaborative
efforts to develop culturally grounding healing responses for the
unique experiences of race-based invisibility and trauma. Additionally, amid
the pandemic, individuals of African-descent experienced various mass racial
traumas, including a wave of widely publicized police violence. Beginning with
COVID-19, these intersecting pandemics of racism elucidated the need for
healing, particularly culturally grounding healing. In consultation with the Black
Family Summit, ABPsi developed a pilot investigation, the Sawubona Healing
Circle (SHC) initiative, which are culturally grounding healing circles to support Black first responders. Using an African-centered worldview, the
circles recognize and validate the specific constellation of anti-Black traumas
and stressors, equipping them with African-centered healing methods. This
paper outlines the theory, development, implementation, and initial evaluation
of the SHC intervention.
ABPsi 54th Annual Convention
Behavioral-Mental Health Educators' Toolkit
Behavioral-Mental Health Educator Toolkit: Preparing Youth for Careers That Pay
Authors: Irene Ornales, LCSW, and Laneay L. London, MSW
The Behavioral-Mental Health Educator Toolkit is a comprehensive workforce-development resource designed to help educators, community leaders, and workforce partners introduce young people to education and career opportunities in behavioral and mental health. Designed for use from middle school through community college, the toolkit provides practical guidance for developing, expanding, and sustaining behavioral-health career pathway programs.
The toolkit includes strategies for building education and community partnerships, developing advisory committees, planning career pathway programs, identifying curriculum and course options, using labor-market information, locating potential funding sources, advocating for programs, engaging community-based organizations, and tracking program progress. It also includes educator resources, activities, sample materials, templates, and community-engagement models that can be adapted to meet local needs.
Commissioned by the Health Workforce Initiative of the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office with support from the Kaiser Permanente Mental Health and Wellness Initiative, the project was developed to strengthen California’s emerging behavioral-health workforce, increase exposure to mental-health professions, promote diversity and inclusion, and create stronger connections between education, employment, and community needs.
Lanéay L. London, MSW, served as project manager for the Behavioral-Mental Health Workforce Toolkit, contributing her experience in behavioral health, wellness, workforce development, and community engagement to the statewide project.
Great for: educators • CTE and workforce-development professionals • school districts • community colleges • youth-serving organizations • behavioral-health organizations • community-based organizations • organizations developing behavioral-health career pipelines.
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