UGA grad students provide space to discuss race, mental health
When Shawntell Pace was studying for her bachelor’s degree at Auburn University, a predominantly white school, she found herself searching for a place to belong as a black woman. Now a first-year doctoral student in counseling psychology at the University of Georgia, Pace is building a community for black women who find themselves in a similar situation.
Last summer, Pace, along with third-year counseling psychology doctoral candidate Ecclesia Holmes, started a support group for black female students called The Healing Circle.
“I felt like there was a need and there wasn’t really a space for black girls to be vulnerable and have community,” Holmes said.
In addition to offering black students a communal space, The Healing Circle aims to offer guidance about accessing mental health services and reducing stigma about doing so.