Beyond Awareness
Every July, I see posts about Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.
And every July, I feel two things at once: gratitude for the visibility and frustration that it’s still not enough.
Because here’s the truth:
Awareness doesn’t always reach the people who need care.
And even when it does, the care doesn’t always reach back.
I’ve seen people brave enough to ask for help, only to walk away feeling more alone than when they started.
A therapist who avoids talking about race.
An intake form that doesn’t have the right language.
A session where someone’s family values are labeled “codependent” instead of “connected.”
It’s subtle, but it’s real.
And it leaves people thinking: Maybe therapy just isn’t for me.
When there’s a cultural gap between therapist and client whether it’s language, religion, identity, or lived experience; the result isn’t just awkwardness.
It’s mistrust.
It’s silence.
It’s dropout.
And the data backs it up:
- Only 39% of Black adults with mental illness receive treatment.
- Hispanic adults? 36%.
- Asian Americans? 60% less likely to access care at all.
- Suicide rates among Black youth have risen 144% over the past decade.
When care doesn’t fit, people leave.
Let’s be honest. Most EAPs and workplace wellness programs were built with efficiency in mind, not equity.
They weren’t designed with culture in the room.
They expect you to adapt to the system.
Not the other way around.
And so people filter themselves. Or they stop trying altogether.
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We didn’t want to “make space” in existing systems. We wanted to build something from the ground up that reflected how people actually live, speak, and heal.
We built the Triple-A Model around three things:
- Affordable: because cost shouldn’t be a barrier to care
- Accessible: because you shouldn’t have to wait 3 weeks to be matched with someone who understands you
- Adaptable: because healing happens when you feel safe, not when you’re squeezed into a checkbox
We work in 16+ languages.
We prioritize cultural match from the start.
And we don’t believe in stigma; full stop.
We’re having a real conversation on July 23.
I’m hosting a live session on LinkedIn with Guirlaine Ritha Belizaire, someone I deeply respect and admire.
We’re going to talk openly about what happens when systems don’t reflect the people they’re built for, and how we can actually change that.
📅 July 23
🕛 12 PM EST
📍 LinkedIn Live
RSVP here → Building Culturally Inclusive Mental Health Support in the Workplace.
This is about the people who’ve been left out of care.
Black teens are grieving in silence.
Immigrant parents are carrying trauma no one asked about.
Employees are navigating burnout while pretending they’re fine.
We built MeTime for them.
For anyone who’s ever said, “I tried therapy once, and it didn’t feel like it was for me.”
Mental health support should feel like home.
It should feel familiar, safe, and honest.
And above all; it should feel like yours.
If this resonates with you, I hope you’ll join us.
Let’s stop talking around the issue and start building care that actually fits
Feri Naseh,
CEO & Founder @MeTime Healing
