Sep 105 min read

Decolonizing Mental Health: A Path Toward Healing and Liberation for Black Youth

Mental health is a critical aspect of human well-being, yet Western colonial ideologies have historically shaped the dominant discourse and practices in mental health care. These frameworks often pathologize marginalized communities, particularly Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), while ignoring the cultural and systemic factors that impact their mental health. As we increase our clinical competence, it is essential to decolonize mental health—that is, to challenge and dismantle the Eurocentric assumptions and practices that continue to permeate the field. Decolonizing mental health is not only about changing clinical practices but also about transforming the way we understand mental health and well-being in the first place. This involves understanding culture-centered psychological theories—a must.

What Is Decolonizing Mental Health?

Decolonizing mental health refers to recognizing and rejecting the colonial influences embedded within mental health theories, practices, and systems. Colonialism imposed Eurocentric views of mental health on Indigenous and African-descended peoples, often framing their behaviors and coping strategies as abnormal or deficient. This legacy remains entrenched in contemporary mental health systems, where Western theories, diagnostic tools, and interventions dominate, often to the detriment of culturally diverse populations.

Decolonizing mental health involves four critical transformations:

Learning about culture-centered psychological theories to conceptualize clients’ issues within the context of their own worldviews and values.
Reclaiming Indigenous and African healing practices: Acknowledging and validating the rich traditions of healing that existed long before colonization, which are rooted in holistic views of health, community, and spirituality.
Challenging the power dynamics in mental health systems: Examining how structural racism and power imbalances in the healthcare system disproportionately harm BIPOC communities.
Creating space for culturally relevant mental health care: Recognizing that mental health and well-being cannot be separated from cultural identity and community. Decolonization involves reshaping care to meet the needs of diverse cultural contexts.

The Harm of Colonial Mental Health Practices

Western psychiatry and psychology have historically pathologized non-Western behaviors, labeling them as irrational, primitive, or diseased. For example, enslaved Africans in the United States were diagnosed with “drapetomania,” a supposed mental illness that explained their desire to escape bondage. Such pseudoscientific ideas dehumanized African-descended peoples and upheld a system of oppression.

Even today, many BIPOC individuals are misdiagnosed or over-diagnosed with certain mental health disorders. For instance, Black boys are often labeled as having conduct disorders or personality disorders when they may be experiencing trauma related to racism or social inequity. This mislabeling is not just an individual issue—it is reflective of a system that has failed to recognize how racism, colonization, and oppression manifest in children’s psyche.

Colonial (or hegemonic) mental health systems also often fail to account for transgenerational trauma, a concept central to the experiences of many Indigenous, African, and diasporic peoples. Trauma experienced during slavery, genocide, or displacement does not simply disappear; it is passed down through generations, shaping the mental health of descendants. Western frameworks tend to individualize trauma, overlooking the collective, historical dimensions of suffering in marginalized communities. Yet, members of culturally marginalized communities also demonstrate transgenerational resilience in how they have overcome the cultural and racial aggression in society. African and indigenous people also have. Their unique coping methods must be incorporated into any conceptualization and intervention plan involving Black youth and other children of color.

Reclaiming Cultural Healing Practices

Decolonizing mental health means validating the healing practices that have sustained BIPOC communities for centuries. These practices often emphasize holistic well-being, recognizing the interconnectedness of mind, body, spirit, and environment. Traditional African healing practices, for example, incorporate community rituals, drumming, dance, and spirituality as essential components of mental and emotional health. Similarly, Indigenous communities often engage in ceremonies that restore balance and connect individuals to their ancestral roots and natural surroundings.

By reclaiming these practices, we can move beyond the Western paradigm of mental health, which often focuses solely on the individual and neglects the importance of collective and spiritual well-being. Healing in a decolonized framework is not limited to the clinical office; it is embedded in everyday cultural practices, community relationships, and a sense of belonging.

The Role of Community in Mental Health

In many BIPOC cultures, mental health is understood within the context of community. Unlike Western individualism, which often emphasizes personal responsibility and self-care, Indigenous and African worldviews see well-being as a collective responsibility. Healing is a communal process, requiring the support of family, elders, and the larger community.

Decolonizing mental health involves reintroducing this collective approach to healing. It means creating mental health systems that do not isolate individuals but instead draw on the community's strengths. For Black and Indigenous people, reclaiming traditional forms of communal care can provide a pathway to healing the wounds of colonization and systemic racism.

Decolonizing Clinical Practice

Mental health professionals play a crucial role in this movement by adopting culturally responsive and anti-racist approaches. This includes:

Critical self-reflection: Therapists must examine their own biases and how colonial ideologies may have shaped their training. This process requires ongoing education and the willingness to challenge long-held assumptions.
Using culturally relevant interventions: Rather than relying solely on Western therapeutic models, clinicians should incorporate cultural knowledge, traditions, and healing practices into their work. This might include inviting clients to share their spiritual beliefs, family traditions, and community practices as part of their healing process.
Recognizing the impact of systemic oppression: Clinicians must understand how racism, poverty, and structural inequity affect the mental health of their clients. Rather than treating symptoms in isolation, mental health professionals should acknowledge the broader social context in which distress occurs.

Decolonizing Mental Health for Liberation

Ultimately, decolonizing mental health is about liberation—not just from the psychological effects of colonization but from the oppressive systems that continue to marginalize BIPOC communities. It is about reclaiming the right to define what health and healing look like within one’s own cultural framework. It is also about recognizing that healing from colonization requires addressing the root causes of mental distress, including systemic racism, economic inequity, and historical trauma.

As we push for decolonization in mental health, we must continue to center the voices of those most affected by colonial legacies, including Black, Indigenous, and other marginalized communities. By doing so, we can create a world where mental health care is truly inclusive, equitable, and rooted in the rich cultural traditions that sustain our collective well-being. We can then work with family members and community stakeholders to promote excellence and well-being among Black youth.