In the last 30 years, universities and colleges have been strongly encouraged to consider the impact these systems have on health promoting behaviors for students, staff, faculty, and surrounding communities. Higher Education Institutions are prime settings to promote prevention and outreach efforts for positive mental health. University and…

This essay begins with the story of Vincent Lloyd who recounts a disturbing experience he had while teaching a course to a group of students of color. What does pedagogical uptake under conditions of systemic oppression require of educators? In the first section, I explore philosopher Nancy Potter's (Nancy Potter. "Giving Uptake".…

Meaningful service user involvement in health professions education requires integrating knowledge held by "lay" people affected by health challenges into professional theories and practices. Involving service users redefines whose knowledge "counts" and implies a shift in power. Such a shift is especially significant in the…

Microaggressions are a form of subtle violence that young gay men experience throughout their lives, which are known for negatively affecting mental health. A qualitative study with focus groups and in-depth interviews was conducted with 26 young gay men from three geographic areas of Mexico to explore their experiences of microaggressions based…

Youth of Color in the United States are often leaders in movements for social justice. Evidence suggests that organizing has a positive macro-therapeutic effect on the mental health of young organizers; however, they can also experience strain and become targets of the very systems they are trying to change. In a community-based participatory…

The Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused global distress, and communities of color are disproportionately adversely affected. Within this group, many caregivers are concerned about issues such as staying healthy, keeping the family well, paying bills, and caring for children who are housebound. The purpose of this qualitative study is to…

This current study measured the impact of a one-time semester-long course-based civic engagement activity on student learning and participant impact, particularly participants' willingness to engage in community dialogue and promote awareness of social justice issues within their communities. The service-learning project involved on-campus and…

This study reports on the feasibility and acceptability of a social justice infused service-learning (S-L) program to promote Black adolescent mental health and educational equity. We convened a community advisory board to help adapt and pilot test, via open trial mixed method design, an evidence-based service-learning program for Black middle…

This article provides best practices that instructors can use to affirm and support marginalized students' mental health with a specific focus on students of color. Recently, campuses have witnessed renewed calls for diversity and inclusion in the wake of anti-Black violence. Advocates have called for needed structural changes. To build upon these…

Background: Despite the fact that research supports the positive impact coach education has on increasing the quality of athletes' developmental experiences in sport, there remains resistance regarding the use of positive youth development (PYD) content within coach education. The purpose of the current study is to explore what scholars, who are…

According to the American Counseling Association and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, social justice advocacy is an ethical imperative for counselors and a training standard for counseling students. As a group of socially conscious mental health counseling students and faculty, we developed and…

Child and youth mental health practitioners are certain to encounter children with disabilities in their practices. Children with disabilities experience violence and abuse at higher rates than children without disabilities. Consequently, it is essential to consider the needs and experiences of this population when developing trauma-informed care…

There is substantive research that examines the punitive and harsh disciplinary practices in K-12 schools and the disproportionate effects on students of Color. While race has been central to this critical discourse; gender has remained secondary. Although both Black girls and boys face unique challenges in their K-12 academic environments, there…

This qualitative study explored how 249 transgender and non-binary (TNB) adolescents (ages 14-18) described salient supports in their lives, and ways in which key social-ecological contexts could better support TNB adolescents' wellbeing. Participants were recruited through social media, and completed online surveys; all study procedures were…

Mental health research concerning adverse childhood experiences and neurocognitive trauma has prompted many school districts to pursue the development of trauma-informed schools that attend specifically to the emotional and instructional needs of affected students. Researchers and practitioners are fast proliferating trauma-informed professional…