Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Cammack. Her and her team share their story with us below:
Dr. Nicole Cammack initially devised the idea for Black Mental Wellness while working with active-duty service members on a military base in 2016. During that time, she was working with Black women who were presenting with symptoms of depression in therapy. However, the women didn’t think it was depression since they were still “functioning” and pushing through to meet their responsibilities.
At the time, there was a lack of information accessible to the everyday person, and the number of Black women who were suffering in silence was glaring. Nicole attempted to find resources to share with clients on how depression can present or look differently for Black women and people from communities of color. At the time, she kept finding peer-reviewed research articles that did not translate as easily for clients to understand. There were 2 articles published by Ebony magazine that described the superwoman syndrome, and Dr. Cammack often provided those to Black women in therapy to help describe the range of ways that depression can present in Black women. The lack of mental health resources specific to the Black experience sparked the idea of Black Mental Wellness. Nicole wanted to create resources that spoke to what mental health means in the Black community, help redefine the ‘strong Black woman’ or superwoman syndrome, and help Black people feel empowered to seek the mental health treatment they need and deserve.
Dr. Cammack started the initial planning of Black Mental Wellness but recognized the importance of showing the diversity of mental health providers already doing the work because the Black community needed to see psychologists who look like them. Representation and partnering with others who shared her same passion were important, so Nicole reached out to Dr. Danielle Busby and Dr. Jessica Henry (who attended The George Washington University with Dr. Cammack) and Dr. Dana Cunningham, who served as Staff/faculty at the National Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland Baltimore School of Medicine (where Dr. Cammack completed her postdoctoral fellowship).
Everyone was instantly on board. The team had a few virtual meetings in 2017 to discuss the vision for Black Mental Wellness and met in person for the first time as a team in March 2018 and collaborated to create the foundation of what Black Mental Wellness is today. The energy and connection among the team was instant. Each founder brings an individual set of lived experiences, connection to mental health, and areas of expertise that adds to the dynamic impact of Black Mental Wellness. It is important that when we get together in person, we have FUN both in doing our mental health work together and bonding and just enjoying one another. We have also created space within the company for each founder to lead different initiatives and aspects of the company.
Currently, Dr. Nicole Cammack is the President & CEO. Dr. Danielle Busby is the Vice President of Professional Relations and Liaison and helps establish professional connections and collaborations with others interested in the mental health/wellness/behavioral health fields. Dr. Dana Cunningham is the Vice President of Community Outreach and Engagement and leads our National Training Program and Ambassador Program. Dr. Jessica Henry is the Vice President of Program Development and Evaluation and leads internal Black Mental Wellness programs, product development, and efforts to evaluate our programming.
Today, the Black Mental Wellness team facilitates training and workshops for corporations, community organizations, and school systems; we develop culturally informed programs and curricula. We provide consultation services to mental health organizations to become more inclusive and culturally informed, and we often speak at local and national conferences and events. Lastly, we facilitate an annual conference that addresses Black mental health by bringing together mental health and wellness professionals, advocates, and the community to decrease the mental health stigma and provide resources and tools to prioritize mental health and wellness.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The pandemic caused us to cancel many in-person training pieces and events we were planning. We had to pivot to host virtual events quickly and identified ways that we could continue to operate our business successfully virtually. While we were able to make the necessary modifications due to the sensitivity of mental health and the associated stigma, many people find greater value in in-person interactions that cannot be replaced with technology.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Black Mental Wellness, Corp?
Black Mental Wellness is a corporation founded by clinical psychologists who, through their training and expertise, recognize the need for culturally competent professionals to collaborate and address mental health issues that are prevalent and unique to the experiences of Black people. We are passionate about addressing the Black community’s mental health and wellness concerns. Our team has a diverse range of education and specialized training to meet this task.
Black Mental Wellness, Corp., is a mental health hub, meaning we are a company that addresses mental health in the Black community through various major aspects, including:
We provide free access to evidence-based information and resources about mental health and behavioral health topics from a Black perspective. Different from other mental health components that may focus on one specific population (e.g., services for women only), our company is inclusive of gender and age. Our website, www.
We offer opportunities for mental and behavioral health professionals, health and wellness advocates, and community organizations to advertise for free on our platforms (website and social media) as we highlight the resources and services they provide. This helps to highlight the diversity of mental health and behavioral health professionals throughout the Washington DC metropolitan area and the United States.
We are committed to diversifying the mental health and behavioral health field by providing a range of training opportunities through our National Training program. Trainees in our program receive individual guidance from a mental health or behavioral health provider to help prepare for and excel in graduate school. Trainees also receive professional development, early career guidance, and leadership and skill development. Throughout the training experience, trainees also receive virtual didactics on various topics to expand their knowledge of mental health and behavioral health opportunities. In addition, we provide specialized internship opportunities and our Ambassador Program (community and student ambassadors), all for free.
Our training program is one aspect of Black Mental Wellness we are proud to lead. We have founders who are first-generation college students and HBCU graduates, and we all have benefited from the value of having great mentorships throughout school and our careers. Mentoring students with similar backgrounds and providing experiences that will help prepare them for the next phase of their careers and education is priceless and part of what keeps us going.
Additionally, Black Mental Wellness has developed an Ambassador Program that allows us greater reach throughout the United States. We currently have nine Black Mental Wellness Ambassadors and six Black Mental Wellness College Ambassadors who play a pivotal role in helping to share information about mental health and wellness within their local communities and engage stakeholders across the country.
Lastly, we launched the Authentically Me t-shirt and hoodie collection in 2020 to normalize conversations around mental health in the Black community by sharing our authentic personal experiences with mental health and wellness. Each founder designed a unique shirt (Resilient. My Peace is More Important., Pain. Passion, Purpose., Get Over it. Deal with it.) which is connected to a personal piece of our story. You can visit our website, www.
What makes you happy?
Happiness is being in the moment, laughing, engaging in self-care, impacting our community, relaxing, and being together as a team.
Pricing:
- Annual Black Mental Wellness Virtual Conference (November 4, 2023; tickets start at $15)
- 2023 Vision Board Event (January 14, 2023: $10)
- Consultation and Program Development Services (Contact for pricing)
- Workshop and Trainings (Contact for pricing)
Contact Info:
- Website: www.BlackMentalWellness.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackmentalwellness/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlackMentalWellness/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/wellnessblack
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@blackmentalwellness
Image Credits
Iris Mannings
