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Crisis Services & People of Color -- We Can Do Better: Interview with Vic Armstrong | Episode 71

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Centuries of discrimination and brutality have led to historical trauma impacting generations of people of color in the United States. Add to this significant current trauma of racially fueled violence the fact that communities of color experience disparities in access to qualified care, and it’s not surprising that we are seeing increased despair among BIPOC people. We are also seeing incredible resilience — at the individual and communal levels — and creativity as people of color find ways to cope. In this interview, Vic Armstrong and I talk about many hot topics:

  • Complex trauma in Black communities

  • Systematic racism and the treatment gaps in services

  • The trends in Black suicide rates

  • The shifting role of the Black church in suicide prevention

  • Distrust, crisis services and communities of color

Vic Armstrong headshot B&W.png

About Vic Armstrong

Twitter: https://twitter.com/1of2vics

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victor.armstrong.96343

Victor Armstrong joined North Carolina DHHS as ‪Director of the NC Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Substance Abuse Services in March of 2020, with responsibility and oversight of the public community-based mental health, intellectual and other developmental disabilities, substance use, and traumatic brain injury system in North Carolina.

 

Prior to accepting this role, Victor spent six years as Vice President of Behavioral Health with Atrium Health. Based in Charlotte, NC Victor had responsibility for operations of Atrium’s largest behavioral health hospital, Behavioral Health Charlotte (BHC). The BHC campus contains the southeast’s only psychiatric emergency department, staffed 24/7 with board certified psychiatrists, as well as 66 inpatient beds, and 10 outpatient programs. Victor has over 30 years of experience in human services, primarily dedicated to building and strengthening community resources to serve individuals living with mental illness.

 

Victor currently serves on the board of directors of American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) NC. He is also former board chair of NAMI NC, and a member of American Association of Suicidology (AAS), and NASW-NC. Victor is a former member of the Board of Directors of National Council for Behavioral Health, i2i Center for Integrative Health, and RI International.

 

Victor’s awards and recognitions include 2019 Black Mental Health Symposium -Mental Health Advocate of the Year, 2019 Atrium Health Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion Award, 2018 Distinguished Alumni Award from East Carolina University School of Social Work, Pride Magazine 2018 "Best of the Best", and i2i Center for Integrative Health 2018 Innovation Award for "Whole Person Care", 2012 National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) NC, Mental Health Professional of the Year.

 

Victor graduated, Magna Cum Laude, from North Carolina Central University with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and received a Master of Social Work (MSW) from East Carolina University. He is the husband of Dr. Charletta Armstrong and the father of 3 sons, Carter, Alonzo, and Victor Jr.

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Show Notes 

Mental Health Resources to support Black people’s mental health:

  • Ourselves Black — magazine and podcast on mental health and the Black community

  • Liberate meditation app designed for the BIPOC communities: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?hl=en_US&id=com.zencompass.liberate

  • Therapist matching apps

    • AYANA: connects people from BIPOC communities with compatible licensed therapists based on their background, needs and identities https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ayanatherapy.therapistApp&hl=en_US

    • Black Therapy Love: https://www.black-love-therapy.com/

  • The Safe Place App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.he6ecb72aef1&hl=en&gl=US

    “The Safe Place" features Include

    • Black mental health statistics

    • Inspirational black quotes

    • Self care tips on coping after police brutality, mental health and the Black Church, and how to talk to black family members who may not want to understand mental health conditions

    • Breathing and meditation techniques

Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Associations

  • American Association of Suicidology: https://suicidology.org/

  • National Council for Behavioral Health: https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/

  • RI International https://riinternational.com/

  • Zero Suicide http://zerosuicide.edc.org/

  • Zero Suicide (International) https://zerosuicide.org/

Other Articles:

Black Youth Suicide Rates: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/director/messages/2020/addressing-the-crisis-of-black-youth-suicide.shtml

Complex Trauma and the Black Community https://www.nctsn.org/resources/complex-trauma-urban-african-american-children-youth-and-families

Barbers, Black Men and Mental Health https://www.huffpost.com/entry/barbers-black-mental-health-lorenzo-lewis_n_5d4890b0e4b0d291ed0542b1?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJ4ohxriXLT7ggKvHkZDkm2WRIrEZ_umPvtXzSPpHbfHnWsDqHaSEqIK0JSxpqA8UlXXycSlGTh2-G3Hk2AyXZxto-_IwyMnXA-yFKUGw7eCK9QAaAHP5if5kz1-Ua6wMuLdbeG-o_Axqc0fbf4kw3hb7uOdINJUKihEaVxt2U3i

Black Church and Mental Health: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1447305/

A Faith Leaders Guide to Suicide Prevention: https://www.sprc.org/resources-programs/role-faith-communities-suicide-prevention-guidebook-faith-leaders

Cultural competence and mental health services for Black people https://namila.org/african-american-mental-health-challenges-resources-community-voices/

Guts, Grit & The Grind: MENtal Mechanics MANual — a book series and community supporting men’s mental health

Crisis Now: https://crisisnow.com/