Black and brown boys navigate a mental health landscape shaped by systemic barriers, cultural stigma, and treatment models not designed with them in mind. Traditional approaches often overlook the intersections of race, masculine expectations, and community-specific trauma. This panel brings together clinicians, licensed clinical social workers, and educators providing culturally responsive mental health care to center the voices of Black and brown boys and build pathways toward effective healing.

Panelists will discuss how housing instability, educational inequity, and systemic racism compound mental health challenges, while highlighting the resilience these young people demonstrate when given affirming support. They will explore creating spaces where vulnerability can be expressed without compromising cultural identity, community-based interventions that resonate, and the importance of representation in mental health care delivery.

Learning objectives:

1. Identify systemic barriers, cultural factors, and intersectional experiences affecting mental health access and outcomes for Black and brown boys.
2. Examine culturally responsive intervention frameworks that dismantle deficit-based narratives and center anti-oppressive practice.
3. Explore the role of representation, community-based approaches, and cultural humility in transforming mental health services.
4. Develop actionable strategies for creating affirming healing spaces in schools, clinical settings, and community contexts.