BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students need mental health services on college campuses to be more inclusive.

BIPOC and LGBTQ+ students need mental health services on college campuses to be more inclusive. YPulse’s mental health research found that 46% of BIPOC young consumers and 61% of young consumers who identify as LGBTQ+ say their mental health has been negatively impacted by the pandemic. On top of dealing with COVID-19-related challenges and general college student woes, Black students have to deal with “increased public attention on police brutality and distress in their communities,” Latino students are more likely to grapple with immigration policies that affect them and their loved ones, while LGBTQ+ students have to face questions about gender, sexuality, identity, and acceptance. According to a counselor based out of the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts, when therapists are working with these demographics, they’re not only working with students’ anxiety, but their “full background and identity as an understanding of self.” According to experts, it’s important to make sure that queer and trans students have the resources they need from individual therapy to support groups. Meanwhile, it’s important for colleges (especially ones that are predominantly White) to understand the experience of Black students and hire more Black and BIPOC staff at campus counseling centers. (Teen Vogue)