Honouring Our Communities: The Importance of Culture, Connection & Belonging to Our Mental Health

Black History Month 2026 | Honouring Our Communities

Our communities shape so much of who we are. From our families and friendships to our cultural backgrounds and shared experiences, the people around us can influence how we understand ourselves, navigate challenges and find a sense of belonging.

This Black History Month, the theme ‘Honouring Our Communities’ offers an opportunity to celebrate the people who have shaped our understanding of mental health. We can take the time to recognise the experiences that are too often overlooked and reflect on how we can continue working towards more inclusive psychological care.

Why community and belonging matter

Feeling connected to others can provide a sense of safety, understanding and support. Our relationships and communities can help us navigate difficult experiences, build resilience and feel less alone when facing challenges. In the face of an ever-changing digital world, these real, raw, human relationships couldn’t be more important.

However, not everyone experiences belonging in the same way. Experiences of racism, discrimination, exclusion and inequality can affect how people see themselves and how comfortable they feel accessing support. For some, previous experiences of being misunderstood or dismissed may also influence their trust in professionals and services.

Understanding mental health therefore means looking beyond symptoms alone. It means recognising the wider social, cultural and personal circumstances that shape each individual’s experiences. This is intersectionality.

Honouring the people who helped shape psychology

Throughout history, Black professionals have challenged inequalities and helped bring greater attention to experiences that were overlooked within education, healthcare and psychology. Their contributions continue to remind us why representation, understanding and fairness matter.

Waveney Bushell, a pioneering Black British educational psychologist, challenged inequalities affecting Black Caribbean children within the British education system. Her work highlighted the importance of recognising cultural bias and questioning assumptions made about children’s abilities and potential.

Beryl Gilroy, an educator, writer and ethno-psychotherapist, made significant contributions across education, literature and therapeutic work. As one of London’s pioneering Black headteachers, she challenged racial barriers and later worked with Black women and children, bringing attention to the importance of culture and lived experience.

Dr Aggrey Burke, the NHS’s first Black consultant psychiatrist, dedicated much of his career to challenging racial discrimination in British medicine. He was a leading advocate for Black communities affected by mental illness and the disproportionate challenges that this brought alongside. His work highlighted the need for mental health services to consider the effects of racism, poverty and wider social inequalities.

Although their careers differed, their legacies share an important message: psychological care cannot be separated from the social world in which people live. Their work encourages us to question assumptions, listen to experiences that may differ from our own and continue learning how to offer fairer, more understanding support. This is not a skill that comes easily, but reflexivity can be grown, trained and is absolutely fundamental to psychological practice.

Understanding intersectionality: every story is different

One important part of inclusive psychological care is understanding intersectionality. This describes how different aspects of a person’s identity and circumstances can overlap and interact to shape their experiences.

Race, culture, gender, disability, sexuality and socioeconomic background, among other factors, can influence how someone experiences the world. These factors intertwine and impact the barriers an individual encounters and the support to which they are able to access. These experiences do not exist in isolation, and no single aspect of identity tells us everything about a person.

For example, two people may share a cultural background but have very different experiences of mental health, family relationships or accessing professional support. Assuming that we understand someone’s needs based on one aspect of their identity risks overlooking the individual behind it.

Taking an intersectional approach means remaining curious, recognising that every person’s experiences are different and allowing individuals to explain what matters to them. It also means being willing to reflect on the wider systems and assumptions that may affect their experiences. We must all take responsibility to challenge our inner biases and preconceptions, especially when we believe they aren’t there.

Our responsibility as a psychology practice

As professionals working in psychology, we recognise that our roles carry power and responsibility. People who seek support should have the opportunity to feel heard, respected and understood, without feeling that they need to justify their identity or explain away their experiences.

We also recognise that good intentions alone are not enough. Providing inclusive psychological care requires ongoing reflection, a willingness to question our assumptions and openness to perspectives that challenge our existing understanding.

We may not always have the answers, and there will always be more to learn. What matters is our willingness to listen, engage in honest conversations, recognise the limits of our own perspectives and consider how we can continue to improve.

We welcome conversations that encourage reflection and help us better understand experiences different from our own. By remaining open to learning and recognising the individuality of each person, we can continue working towards psychological support that is thoughtful, respectful and responsive to people’s needs.

Honouring our communities, today and beyond

Black History Month provides an opportunity to celebrate achievements, recognise the contributions of those who came before us and reflect on the work that still needs to be done.

Honouring our communities means more than remembering important figures from history. It also means recognising the everyday contributions of families, friends, teachers, mentors and community members who help others feel supported and understood. It means acknowledging that people’s experiences are shaped by more than one aspect of their identity, and that meaningful psychological care begins with a willingness to listen rather than assume.

As we reflect on this year’s theme, we remain committed to learning from the people and communities around us, questioning our assumptions and continuing conversations that help us grow.

There is always more to learn. Every conversation is an opportunity to listen, reflect and grow.