Impact of Racism and Trauma on Black Mental Health OD036

An on-demand video and transcript of the presentation are available here [opens in new tab].

About The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. They are an alliance of more than 650 local Affiliates and 49 State organizations who work in your community to raise awareness and provide support and education to people with mental illness and their loved ones. Through awareness, advocacy and education, NAMI is committed to building stronger communities and a better future for everyone affected by mental illness.

Course Summary

Practice Level: Beginner

This course, based on the Ask the Expert webinar series by NAMI, examines racism and anti-Black attitudes have existed in this country for hundreds of years despite the ongoing efforts of Black people and allies to raise awareness of the determinantal impact that racism has had on society. The trauma that Black people have faced in this country has not only had adverse effects on their physical health but also their mental health.

With an intended audience of social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and counselors, Dr, Christine Crawford will then review the historical context of individually mediated and systemic racism towards Black people and discuss the mental implications of racism and trauma on Black people within the United States.

Course Format

This course contains a participant guide, practice test, and on-demand video.

This course contains a participant guide, practice test, and on-demand video. When you’re ready, purchase the course by clicking the “Add To Cart” or “Enroll” button. This will let you take the test, complete the course evaluation and receive your certificate for CE credits.

Learning Objectives

1. Describe the layers of racism and how structural racism is maintained through policies, practices, and implicit bias.
2. Identify trauma-related symptoms associated with race-based trauma.
3. Formulate a clinically appropriate way to initiate discussion of racism-related stress with Black clients.

Course Syllabus

• Foundations: What Racism Is and How It Operates
• Racial Trauma and Mental Health Impacts
• Response and Support: Coping, Care, and Resources

Current References

Bell, K.-A., Nicoletti, T. R., & Ammerman, B. A. (2025). Structural racism and suicide risk among Black youth: A systematic review. Development and Psychopathology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579425100667[opens in new tab]

Bor, J., Venkataramani, A. S., Williams, D. R., & Tsai, A. C. (2018). Police killings and their spillover effects on the mental health of Black Americans: A population-based, quasi-experimental study. The Lancet, 392(10144), 302–310. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31130-9[opens in new tab]

Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D. F., Spitz, A. M., Edwards, V., Koss, M. P., & Marks, J. S. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), 245–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(98)00017-8[opens in new tab]

Hampton-Anderson, J. N., Woods-Jaeger, B., Maxwell, T. B., & Craighead, W. E. (2025). Racial discrimination and anxiety in African American youth: Risk, resilience, and intervention. Journal of Mood & Anxiety Disorders, 10, 100115.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xjmad.2025.100115[opens in new tab]

Harrell, S. P. (2000). A multidimensional conceptualization of racism-related stress: Implications for the well-being of people of color. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 70(1), 42–57. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0087722[opens in new tab]

Mudzongo, F. K., Robinson, J., & Alhassan, J. A. K. (2025). Racial trauma and its health impacts in Black people in the United States and Canada: A scoping review on conceptualizations, definitions and manifestations. BMC Public Health, 25, 4034. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-25382-5[opens in new tab]

Stephens, J. R. B., Murphy, E. R., Gallagher, M. W., & Walker, R. L. (2025). Racial trauma and mental health: The adaptive role of psychological flexibility for young Black adults. Behavior Therapy, 56(5), 879–891. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2025.02.001[opens in new tab]

Sue, D. W., Capodilupo, C. M., Torino, G. C., Bucceri, J. M., Holder, A. M. B., Nadal, K. L., & Esquilin, M. (2007). Racial microaggressions in everyday life: Implications for clinical practice. American Psychologist, 62(4), 271–286.https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.62.4.271[opens in new tab]

Yu, H., Bauermeister, J. A., Oyiborhoro, U., Villarruel, A. M., & Bonett, S. (2025). The relationship between racial discrimination in healthcare, loneliness, and mental health among Black Philadelphia residents. International Journal for Equity in Health, 24, 109. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-025-02475-6[opens in new tab]

Instructors

Christine M. Crawford, MD, MPH, Associate Director of Psychiatry Medical Student Education, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at BU School of Medicine

Christine M. Crawford, MD, MPH is the Associate Director of Psychiatry Medical Student Education and an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at BU School of Medicine. She completed her adult psychiatry residency as well as child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship training at Massachusetts General Hospital/McLean Hospital. She received her MD from University of Connecticut and her Masters in Public Health at BU School of Public Health where she concentrated in Social and Behavioral Sciences.

During residency, she was the recipient of the MGH Laughlin Award and was selected by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) as an APA/SAMHSA Minority Fellow which provided her funding to develop community based interventions to reduce mental health stigma within the Black community. She has been engaged in a number of community outreach initiatives through the Boys and Girls Club of Boston, NAACP and NAMI. She has authored multiple book chapters on mental health disparities, sociocultural issues in psychiatry as well as peer reviewed publications focusing on major depressive disorder. She has made appearances on PBS, WGBH TV programming as well as provides seminars on mental health and racism at various community based settings.

Nicole Errickson, LCSW

Nicole is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the state of Georgia. She brings over 19 years experience in the social work field, primarily working in school systems as a school social worker and with the McKinney-Vento grant. Over her career, Nicole has had several opportunities to help develop and execute professional development events. Nicole has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of South Alabama and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Alabama.

Accreditation Approval Statements

CE4Less.com is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. CE4Less.com maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

CE4Less.com, provider #1115, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 08/08/2024–08/08/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 1 cultural competence continuing education credits.

Level Education Group, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0835.

Level Education Group, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors #MHC-0355.

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