Date of Award

Summer 8-31-2025

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Counseling

First Advisor

Kerrie Wilkins-Yel

Abstract

Women of Color (WOC) are uniquely deterred from engaging with traditional mental healthcare services due to the generational harm that has been wrought to Communities of Color when accessing support in generations’ past and present (Godoy-Ruiz et al., 2015). Thus, to protect WOC from further marginalization, parents and caregivers disseminate messages to WOC about their gender and racial identity during the ethno-racial socialization (ERS) process. While this process is intended to be protective, an unintended consequence is that it can socialize WOC to be distrustful of others and reluctant to engage with mental health services to support their mental health. Informed by Black feminist theorist Kimberlé Crenshaw (1989, 1991) theory of intersectionality, focus group interviews were conducted to explore how the messages relayed to South Asian (N = 3), Black (N = 5), Latina (N = 4), Biracial (N = 4), and Southeast Asian (N = 4) women during their respective ERS processes influenced their willingness to engage with mental healthcare services. Intragroup and intergroup findings revealed the following themes: 1) WOC often question whether mental health treatment is right for someone with their identities and lived experiences; 2) WOC take their mental health education onto themselves; 3) WOC experience similar social and systemic barriers to mental healthcare; and 4) WOC have identified what they need from the mental health profession in order to feel comfortable seeking support. With these findings, implications are offered surrounding how the mental health field can support WOC’s engagement with treatment in the future.

Comments

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