Mental Health for Marginalized Communities Affected by Poverty
Momentum is building regarding the importance of mental health and making treatment available for all people. Individuals from marginalized communities have increased risk of mental health issues due to chronic stress, trauma, systemic oppression, and lack of access to adequate mental health care. According to the American Psychiatric Association (2017), more than half of the United States population will consist of minority groups within the next twenty years, specifically by the year 2044 (pg.1). Unfortunately, even though mental health practitioners are trained in multicultural competency and diversity, it is often inadequate when it comes to meeting the needs of those living in poverty.
In order to treat clients from a low socioeconomic background, counselors need additional training in diversity issues specific to those in poverty, “counselors first need to understand the barriers that these individuals face in their everyday lives” (Meyers, 2016, p. 2). Effective methods of treatment for this group includes awareness, specific training, knowledge, skills and advocacy. Additionally, the intersectionality of this group would need to be addressed, as poverty affects people of all identities, status, and locations. Counselors using a qualitative approach will be able to assess clients while maintaining a close client-counselor relationship and grounded theory. Moreover, using an underlying person-centered theoretical approach will engage client voice and allow for the application of counseling best practices. “Clinicians need to incorporate culture-based goals and objectives into treatment plans and establish and support open client-counselor dialog to get feedback on the proposed plan’s relevance” (TIP 59, n.d., p. 72).
American Psychiatric Association (2017). Mental Health Disparities: Diverse Populations.Psychiatry.org.
Meyers, S. (2016, May). Stepping across the poverty line. Counseling Today: A Publication of the American Counseling Association. https://ct.counseling.org/2016/05/stepping-across-poverty-line/
Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series No. 59. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 14-4849
It is vital to continually gain understanding of the world around us. Only by expanding our understanding of others are we able to increase our level of self-awareness. Therefore, the goal of this media is to study culture and diversity in the surrounding community and get to know the lives of underrepresented, here in Rochester, MN. By focusing on minority culture, new perspective and insight surrounding privilege and biases can be achieved. As a perpetual student of multicultural competency, I realize that the journey of awareness is ongoing. In an effort to educate myself and others about diversity, culture, and human interaction, I intend to learn about others from the inside through ethnographic reconnaissance. Ethnography is the study of people in their environment. Through observation and informal interviews, I was able to retain a unique perspective on minority culture. To gain this perspective, I challenged myself to step outside my comfort zone, and my normal daily life experience, in a couple of different ways. For this challenge, I participated in a free meal program and went grocery shopping at ethnic grocery stores.
First, I participated in some free meal programs offered by volunteer organizations in the community. The Sunday Community Lunch Program, and Open Table Food Ministry are two programs that offer free meals to the community and are run by volunteer organizations. The people that participated in the free meal were from various walks of life and cultural backgrounds. By speaking to the participants, I was able to ascertain that participants consisted of church members, homeless, hungry young families, white, black, Latino, and elderly. The population was very diverse. I was able to listen to the story of a young man and his family that live in a nearby mobile home park. The family is struggling to make ends meet but enjoy the mobile meal truck offering and community aspect of eating with friends and neighbors. A young man at the Sunday Community lunch told the story of looking for work but having trouble due to alcohol use. Other participants are in transition and the free meals are essential in bridging the financial gap they are experiencing while living out of their car. A common thread held by many of the participants of the free meal programs is that even though they may not necessarily know each other well, they keep an eye out for each other and communicate by word of mouth regarding resources that are available, and how to get assistance while in transition. Previous to this experience, I was not aware of how close members of the homeless community are. There is a definite network within the community for communication and information sharing. The people of this culture are friendly, caring, and approachable. Each individual was so incredibly thankful for the warm meal, where they were encouraged to eat their fill and leave with full bellies. Kindness reigned here, with no judgment.
Second, I went shopping at two different ethic grocery stores, Kimis Grocery Store and Rice-n-Spice Indian Groceries. I spoke with fellow shoppers at each store and found them to engage in conversation relatively freely. At Kimis Grocery, I found that the clientele are primarily from the Arabic Community and the grocery store also serves as a bill payment center and international money exchange. Customers can also purchase halal meats, essential for Muslim family diet. Likewise, Rice-n-Spice Indian Groceries carry culturally appropriate food, ingredients, and items for people of Indian origin. The store carries items such as henna, daal, roti, paneer, samosas, burfi, bridal jewelry, garlands, and more. One challenge in navigating Kimis Grocery, was that the products were not labeled with prices and were not well organized and displayed for purchase. It was difficult to navigate the aisles with boxes piled on the ground and various items mixed together on the shelving. The products were relatively easy to discern as the packaging was either clear as to what was inside, or were labeled in English for the most part. When purchasing a container of dates and a tin of pineapple juice, it was not clear what each item’s cost was until after I had been cashiered out. Additionally, a woman and her children came into the store while I was there, and they took one look at me and immediately left. I was not able to ascertain whether this was for religious reasons, because the store itself was small, or for another reason. This interaction led me to think about possible intolerance that minorities may experience. Based on looks alone, it was evident that my presence was not welcomed by this woman. I did visit for a moment with a customer while waiting in line to check-out, and conversation with him was very brief.
At Rice-n-Spice, prices were clearly labeled, and items were well organized by dry goods, spices, vegetables, and otherwise. Fellow shoppers at Rice-n-Spice were less guarded and discussed cooking, immigration to the United States, and even shared an Indian chef’s YouTube channel for Indian cooking ideas. The shopper shared his experience with me about how “Indian men come here and they are hungry, so we learn to cook very quickly.” He also spoke about his experiences in finding employment in Rochester, and feeling lonely for community until he was able to integrate with others here and forming a new kind of community. While there is a Hindu temple in town and Sikh worship center that meets monthly (both religions being the main faith communities in India) Indian people are not able to go to daily temple as they once were able to back in their home country. Overall, I was able to learn more than I expected about culture while at the grocery stores. By placing myself out of my comfort zone, and pushing myself to interact with other patrons while visiting the establishments, I was able to gain additional perspective on these marginalized communities.
“To know the true reality of yourself, you must be aware not only of your conscious thoughts, but also of your unconscious prejudices, bias and habits.”
–Unknown
"With a wide variety of authentic regional ingredients, products, teas, spices, fresh produce & more! We strive to connect people with Indian food flavors!"
"Open Table is a mobile food truck ministry that gives a meal to anyone who is hungry in an effort to build relationships between our volunteers and guests."
Organized By:
Zumbro Lutheran Church
624 Third Ave SW; Rochester, MN 55902
Phone: (507) 288-2649
email: [email protected] (Kirsten Lincoln)
email: [email protected] (Sarah Lichty)
Locations of Mobile Truck:
1. Parkside Mobile Home Park
1618 Marion Road Southeast; Rochester, MN 55904
2. Eastridge Estates
2009 17th Street; Rochester, MN 55904
Language: English
Cost: Free
Time: Thursdays 5:00pm-6:30pm
Website: Program's Website
Facebook: Program's Facebook
Twitter: Program's Twitter
This program, Open Table Food Ministry, is open to all people. The mobile food truck is loaded at the Zumbro Lutheran Church, where the food is prepared. The mobile truck travels to Parkside Mobile Home Park at 5pm, and then to Eastridge Estates. No registration or sign-up is required.
"The Sunday Lunch Program is a weekly, noon meal sponsored by the six Rochester Catholic Parishes and provided at no cost to any needy person in the Rochester Community."
Location:
St. Francis of Assisi Parish
1114 3rd Street Southeast; Rochester, MN 55904
Phone: 507-288-7313
Languages: English
Cost: Free
Time: Sundays from 11:30am-1pm
Website: Program's Website
Facebook: Program's Facebook
This program, Sunday Community Lunch, is open to all people. The entrance for the Sunday meal is the “Maria” doors, pictured above. Participants can walk downstairs to the church basement in McCarthy Hall. Upon entering, the servers will provide food on cafeteria plates, rolled silverware and napkins are already placed on the tables. The volunteers are friendly and welcoming. No questions will be asked about religion, socioeconomic status, need, or otherwise. It is clear that all are welcome here.
The meal provided on Sunday, October 22, 2024 consisted of mashed potatoes, beef roast and gravy, corn, bread roll and butter, and salad. After going through the food line, a table set up to the side was laden with various fruit choices such as bananas, apples, and oranges. Coffee, lemonade, water, milk and condiments were also available. The servers asked if participants would like dessert of apple crisp and ice cream after they had their meal, which they then brought out to the participants at the tables. The tables were set up cafeteria style, long tables in rows. The general atmosphere of the Community Lunch was friendly, open, and welcoming. This was perpetuated by both the volunteers and the participants. The participants greeted each other with smiles and conversation, and also engaged newcomers with the same. It is clear that some people taking part in the free meal know each other, but there are plenty of new people that were also welcomed.
NOTE: The meal is served at 11:30am, with second helpings offered at 12 noon.
