Challenges For Minority Teens In School Systems (Episode 11)

Breaking down barriers: A crucial guide for educators on supporting minority teens in today's school systems. Join licensed therapist Erica Bess, LMSW, as she shares over a decade of front-line experience working with diverse student populations and reveals the urgent changes needed in our educational approach.

Key highlights revealed:

• Hidden systemic barriers minority students face daily in schools
• Evidence-based strategies for creating truly inclusive learning environments
• Cultural competency gaps in current educational frameworks
• Real-world success stories and proven intervention methods
• Building effective support systems that actually reach minority teens
• Practical steps for implementing meaningful institutional change

Erica draws from her extensive experience as both a school social worker and private practice therapist to cut through performative solutions and address the real issues. She provides actionable insights backed by 11+ years of working directly with minority teens in school systems.

Perfect for: School administrators, educators, counselors, and education policy-makers committed to creating genuine change in their institutions. Whether you're revamping your school's diversity initiatives or seeking to better understand the challenges facing minority students, this episode provides concrete strategies for meaningful reform.

Warning: Contains frank discussion of systemic racism, discrimination, and mental health challenges in educational settings. This critical episode moves beyond surface-level diversity talks to provide real solutions for supporting minority teen success in our school systems.

To learn more about her or to inquire about her services, please visit
EricaBess.com

Transcript

Welcome to Mindshift Power podcast, a show for teenagers and the adults who work with them, where we have raw and honest conversations. I'm your host, Fatima Bey, the mind shifter. And welcome. In today's episode, we are we have a special guest. We are gonna be talking about challenges for minority teens in the school systems, and it's a much bigger issue than most people probably even think about.

And so today's guest here is Erica Bess. She is a licensed hello, Erica. She's a licensed therapist. She has, eleven plus years of experience, as a social worker and a therapist. And the majority of her work has actually been working with teens in the school setting, which is why she's here.

And she's the owner of Empower Therapy. So how are you doing today, Erica? I'm doing well. How are you? I am awesome.

I'm really excited to talk to you about this because I think it's something that most people don't think about. And, hopefully, today, we can plant some seeds that'll grow into something profitable later. Definitely. So with let's dive right in as I always like to do. With all of your years of experience, what would you say is the biggest issues that needs to be addressed for our teens?

Biggest issue that needs to be addressed for our teens is for them to have a safe place or a safe space to go and to talk with people who are not gonna judge them. Let me back up there. You said safe space. People use that term a lot. Mhmm.

What does that actually mean? When I say it I don't know what everybody else means. But when I say it, it's like when you're talking to me, it's you're in a place where you can say whatever you need to say without any judgment. You can curse. You can holler.

You can stomp your feet, and you're not gonna be judged in that moment while while talking to me. So when I say safe space just while we're in a conversation, it doesn't have to be a specific place. Right. But, you know, you're in a safe area to talk to me about whatever. So that means you're not going to politically correct them?

No. No. No. I wanna point out that a safe space really does not include political correction. Mhmm.

Not when it comes to to, you know, figuring things out. Right. So safe space. What is another big issue? Another big issue for teens, especially, I think, minority teens is that they're in school systems where it's predominantly run by, white systems.

And I don't think a lot of the minority teams have the comfort level to be able to go reach out to these, people who are put in the schools for their counseling needs. They don't feel comfortable. Mhmm. So I think that's a big issue too. So getting more people involved who are of the same culture or of the same, background so that the teens have somebody to identify with.

I would say relatable. Relatable for sure. So I and I do agree. Just I don't have all of the many years of experience as you do. But in the years of experience that I do have, I have seen what you were talking about.

Just in general, you know, having not having people that, you know, who are in positions of authority that we can relate to. So true. That's not just true in the cool school system, but I think it's easier to see and point out in the school system. Yeah. Definitely.

So so the one of the biggest one of the biggest issues is not being able to not have anybody to relate to. So what do you think are the repercussions of that when when they don't have anybody to When they don't have anybody to relate to? They start trying to, I guess, find it in their friends and peers, and then they start giving into peer pressure, finding out from people on the streets or maybe older relatives who are not quite adults. Like, I know I used to ask my cousin, my older cousin, all types of stuff about boys that I didn't feel that my mother was gonna answer, but I didn't necessarily get a good good guidance necessarily because sometimes we're asking the wrong people, some people who don't even know. Mhmm.

Yep. Very true. I I do wanna point out, and I like to be raw and blunt and honest. So you you you have minorities in school systems that are predominantly, positions of authority that they can talk to or predominantly white. Right.

That's true in a lot of places. It's not true everywhere, but it's definitely true, and I would probably say more places than not. But are there sometimes some of those old white folks who are actually relatable? Sometimes we've got a teen audience. We have teen audience.

And sometimes there there are. And I Yeah. You know, I think it's important to point that out as well. I'm talking to teens in particular right now. Just because he looks like a old white man or she looks like a out of touch old white lady Mhmm.

Doesn't mean Doesn't mean that they might not be able to relate. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Because I'm gonna have been through some same stuff that that you're going through, and you just you you don't know if you haven't sat down and talked with them. And give them that chance.

Exactly. So, yeah, we have to do get past that, judgment when we look at somebody and assume that they're a certain way, but have a conversation with them and see. You know? I think the kids will be able to see, you know, within the first five minutes if they can have a conversation with them or not. You know?

Kids can I mean, teens especially could feel the vibes? You know? What would you say? Let's say, let's talk it to a different part of the audience because we this show is for teens, and, primarily, we talk to teens. But there's times we talk to the adults involved with teens as well, which is Right.

Something I'd say in the, you know, the podcast description. What do you say to these older white folks that can't relate to, you know, our black and brown students, but they want to? What do you say to them? They want to, but they just can't? They don't know they don't know what to do or how to because they didn't grow up the same way.

They haven't had to deal with being black in America. They haven't had to deal with being Hispanic in America. They they don't know what that's like, but they want to be helpful. And I know I know a lot of people who are like that, and that's why I asked because I know there's a lot out there like that more than we realize. Well, we had a group that we started in our school, to kind of bridge that gap, And I feel like it helped a lot because we had games and icebreakers so that the teenage boys could be a little bit more closer to some of the, male faculty who happen to be white and a little bit out of touch.

So we felt like it would be a nice opportunity for them to bond and get to know each other. And I feel like that's the way to start it, you know, get some conversations going and for them to have a open mind and hear what these kids are actually going through. And that way, they can, even though they never been through it or don't understand it, they can start to create a dialogue with them, and that'll create a bond and then eventually, hopefully, trust so that they could be somebody that they could feel comfortable going to talk to. So in other words, what I hear is find a way to get them to see that you're relatable. Mhmm.

And even if you didn't grow up in the same city in the same way, you can be relatable. Right. Like, I feel like a lot of people wanna know if you're relatable because I've had women, right, that will say to me, oh, you look really young. I don't know if I can relate to you or if you could relate to me. And I said, well, give it a try and see.

And then I get a lot of women who ask me right off the bat, are you a mother? And when I first started as a clinician, I would say, yeah. I have a daughter. And then I as I got older, I would say, why? Like, why would you want to know?

Because and I asked them, and they say, well, I just wanna know if you can relate to the struggles that I'm going through as being a mother. And I was like, oh, okay. I do understand now. You know? But just because I let's say I I didn't have a kid at the time, and I was still doing therapy.

I would still be able to relate, but it would be harder for them to accept the fact that I could relate or even give me a chance to relate with certain people because they wanna know that you have that common bond at first. So you have to, like, connect on some level. You know? And sometimes I think, to add to that, kinda still answering the same question I just asked. It's it really is about relatability.

I used to work at Job Corps, and I've talked about that before. Mhmm. It's something that I did see with some of the the teachers there. And when I worked at the Job Corps that the particular one I worked at, almost all of the staff in the education wing were white. Wow.

And almost, you know, 80% of the student population was black and brown. Right. And that did pose as a problem sometimes. But I also saw teachers that did not grow up in some of the neighborhoods that some of these kids grew up, but they were still able to relate to them. Now they had to work at it a little bit to get the students to see that.

And I think and, again, talking to teachers and administrators and and counselors, guidance counselors, any position that you're in in the school system and you're dealing with teens, I think it's important to to point that out. You can find a way to relate, but be honest about it. Just say no. I don't know what it's like to be black and and be judged everywhere I go. I don't know what that's like, but I know it's like to be poor.

I know what it's like to be different than people. I know what it's like to be made fun of. I know it's like to be whatever, you know, whatever their situation is or for people to assume that you have money, that you're this and that because that's an issue too. Mhmm. Sometimes I I've noticed with the talking to teens, sometimes they associate just being white with having money, and that's not always the case.

Oh my god. That's so not the case. Yeah. And Yeah. This and that's that segues into what I was what I was about to say, actually.

Mhmm. Sometimes I have seen people, they just, like, look like an average white suburban person, but they grew up poor. I mean Yeah. Poed. They couldn't even afford the other o r.

Poed. Poed. And so when it comes to poverty, color really sits in the background. And you don't know that unless you start working with enough people to see it. I will say that that's something I learned at Job Corps.

Whether they're they're white and they live out in the sticks or they're they're they're black or brown and they live in the inner city, the mentalities are very, very close Yes. When it comes to poverty thinking. And that's just an example because poverty is not the only way. But Right. That's the first one that comes to mind.

And it's like, there are more ways to relate. So find those ways. Don't try to pretend. Right. Definitely don't try to pretend because they could tell in two seconds.

Like, oh my god. He's so fake. She's so fake. I'm out of my mouth. Have you don't and here's the thing for for the adults listening.

You don't have to fake it. You don't have to fake relating. There is something you can relate. You might have to discover what that is. Right.

Which means you might need to get to know your students better and find out what you identify with and relate on that level. Because I could promise you, I don't care where you grew up and what you grew up with, you can find a way to relate to somebody. Yeah. Definitely. Find a way to relate.

It might take a little time. Too. Yeah. It might take a little homework, but that's okay. That's how we learn each other.

And for the students listening who are black or for the the students, the teens who are listening, who are black and brown, if someone's trying, meet them halfway. Yeah. Maybe you might want a black counselor, but you ain't got one. Okay? So So you have to deal with what you have.

You gotta deal with what you have. And if there's someone around you who's willing to meet you halfway and try Yeah. I would say you should try too because, that's the only way we can come together and solve problems. Ideally, I would love for there to be a black counselor in every school in America, but that's not but that's not that's not real right now. When that becomes real, I will celebrate.

Right. I'll do backflips and everything. And one and one that speaks Spanish too because that's a huge need as well. Yeah. Yes.

Yes. Very much so. Yep. Yeah. Very much so.

Alright. So I knew I was just gonna live this conversation. Now why do you think that teens need to get therapized? Oh, they need to get therapized because they are young adults at the threshold of becoming adults. And as they get their their position right around that time, they will most likely, can't say all, but most likely be able to transition into adulthood without a lot of the childhood trauma that plagues us all in certain ways as adults who have not been therapized.

So Yes. You get you you get childhood trauma, and that obviously goes with you into teenhood. And then if you don't get therapy, then it goes with you into adulthood. And then your relationships with adults and whatever you decide to do in life, everything will be difficult because you never healed that inner childhood trauma that you experienced. But I think that that range from 13 to 18 to focus on that target audience to get their therapy at that time, I think it'll have a smoother transition for them going into adulthood for sure.

What if they don't have any childhood trauma, or at least they think they don't? Interesting. You know, I don't think anybody makes it out of life without trauma. But childhood trauma, I don't think I've met anybody who's never had any sort of childhood trauma. I would like to meet them.

Maybe they don't. Maybe they don't. Like you said, they don't know. Listen. Listen.

They do exist. All we have to do is close our eyes, and they will appear because. I was about to say, like, is this a trick question? We all been traumatized. Right?

We all been traumatized. We all have issues. I always like to say we all have issues, just different ones. Yeah. And the truth is whatever issues you're avoiding and not dealing with, they are already dealing with you because they go through you.

They go with you to at your job. They go with you into your next relationship, and you're wondering why you keep picking the same dummies over and over again because you ain't dealt with the reason you're picking them dummies in the first place. Or it go with with your job, and you keep getting fired all the time because you haven't dealt with the issue that's causing you to do the thing that gets you fired all the time. Exactly. It's like we all have our different issues.

They manifest different ways with all of us. Right. Deal with it now so you can get it over with and move on and be healthier. Like, the you do it, the better. Yeah.

Yeah. Because things that I had wished I had dealt with when I was younger that I didn't deal with until I was an adult because I just I didn't have that understanding back then. You know? Yeah. It's amazing when you can realize, like, your own personal growth, and you're like, oh, I woulda handled this different, and I didn't accept it at this time, but now I'm ready to receive it.

You know? Yes. Yes. So that's so important. Mhmm.

Let's talk about the stigma around therapy. Does that still exist? Very much so. Yeah. I've, dealt with many different cultures when it comes to therapy, and I've had people just say to me, oh, my family is from let's pick a random country.

El Salvador. Right? Mhmm. They my my father is from El Salvador. He doesn't believe in therapy.

I've had Italian say, oh, my my father doesn't believe in therapy. Muslims, black Caribbean men. My father does not believe in therapy. And it's funny because they say with each culture, but it's like it's a it's a culture across the board. Doesn't matter what nationality or ethnicity you're from.

A lot of people feel like therapy means that you're automatically crazy or that you can't handle your life and you need to talk to somebody else or you're telling your business to a stranger. You know? So the stigma is still very alive and well. I think that society is beginning to accept it more and that mental health is becoming, like, more people are becoming more aware of it and accepting it more, but I do think the stigma is still very strong and alive. I agree.

What are some what are some ways that we could help to get rid of the stigma? Normalizing therapy and having honest conversations about therapy. What we doing right now? We helping right now. Yep.

You're right. You're right. Right? Yeah. I wasn't looking for that phrase, but it's but it's it is it's true.

Yeah. And it's something that we're gonna talk about on the show quite a bit. Yeah. And, you know, something I've already talked about in in many of the episodes is is therapy. And the fact that it's it's healthy and it's good is just a matter of running the right kind.

Right. Right? And somebody that meshes with you, and you can be like, okay. Be honest and open and really show up as yourself in therapy because, otherwise, you're not gonna get the full benefits of therapy if you're you're in there faking and acting like somebody you're not. You know?

Oh my god. Yeah. And I know for me, if, when it comes to therapists, I I I do need that relatability. For me, I if you just talk about ideals and there's you don't understand anything I'm going through or dealing with and you talk about it only as concepts, I've already left the room before you did. Like, I'm done.

Oh, yeah. I'm not talking to you because you can't you can't help me. You can't help me. Ideas. I want some purposeful practical, real you know, you helped me get some insight, and then you can get some practicality, some reality.

And you could be a old white man and do that. It it doesn't that's not what matters to me. What matters is to me is that you can I can be honest and real with you? And, and that's so important. And so if you're listening, every therapist isn't going to be for you, and that's okay.

If you found a therapist who lives out in cuckoo land and doesn't relate to you at all, move on and find another one. It's it's really okay. And there's so many online, versions now that you can you know, there's so many ways of getting therapy online is is the way I would say it, that you don't have to necessarily stick with what's in your little small town. You know? That's true.

What's at your school? If you have health insurance, you can probably, get therapy. Right. What would you say to a young black girl, you know, for example, who only has out of touch white people around her to go to. Out of touch white people to go to.

For a black girl? Jeez. Oh, no. Now you let me also say, you could have some out of touch black folks in positions too. So it's not just about, the race, but it's about, what would you say to someone who's who's only got out of touch people around them?

I would tell them that they gotta talk to them and try to bring them up to date and bring them up to speed. Like, try to engage them in a conversation and then try to let them know, like, what the issues are for her demographic, age wise, race, and kinda, like, explain to them that the struggles of her, like, individual and as a group, of people, not necessarily, you know, just her as an individual, but, like, other black people who might be attending the school as well. Maybe she could get some some of them together and have, like, a a meeting where she could explain that they need more support from the school, you know, and get some people on board who might be out of touch, but, like, kinda bring them up to speed a little bit. You know? Tell them about the new lingo, about issues, style, all kinds of things that they could connect on.

What what if okay. Let's say they try that. And what if they still feel like, oh my god. This woman don't have a clue. This man don't have a clue.

I cannot talk to them. They don't get it. Where did they go? They would have to call me. Ding, ding, ding.

Not at all. They they really would. So, Erica is a a licensed therapist as I I mentioned in the beginning of this episode, but she also does online therapy. And that's why I mentioned that a few moments ago. If you're looking for somebody to relate to, I can tell you myself, she's very down to earth.

You can keep it real. You can say whatever you want. She will listen. She will laugh with you. She just and she will listen.

She'll be there for you. But even if you can't go to Erica, there are other online options, if you can't find anybody in your town or your city or somewhere near you. Right. And I'm saying that because I don't want you to sit there and not get the help you need because there's nobody relatable around you. And I know that stops a lot of people.

It genuinely does. And as far as the stigma goes, I did wanna speak to that too. That stigma, I know, is still there. Mhmm. But keep in mind, a lot of people who talk that talk about not needing therapy, you could see their issues.

Do you want that to be you too? I just wanted to plant that seed Yeah. In in some of your heads. That's right. That to be you too.

They might be great people. They might be nice. They might be caring, but you could see how messed up they are Yeah. When it comes to certain things. Do you wanna be that too?

Sometimes you just need somebody. And so there's a therapist isn't necessarily about, so a a therapist isn't necessarily always gonna be just let's dig up let's dig up everything you passed and talk about everything that was the most hurtful ever, and that's all we're where we're gonna stay. Because sometimes people think that that's what therapy is. Right. Now it's growth.

There there is some of that, but it's but it's not but it's not about staying there. So being dealing with it and coming out of it. Correct? Right. Correct.

And using coping skills to maintain it. Yes. I teach when I, you know, as a coach, I I'm not a therapist. But as I always like to say, but I do therapize. You do therapize.

So so there's there's there's times where I'm giving people coping mechanisms for the issues that are getting in their way, but then I will send them to a therapist to to take a deeper dive. Right. And the truth is you need a little bit of both. Right. At coaching for that motivation and then the therapy for processing the trauma and getting over that trauma and learning how to deal with it and not messing up the relationships that you have to cultivate as an adult.

Yes. Big time. Yep. Goes hand in hand. What would you say to the adults Mhmm.

Who are listening right now? And I'm gonna be very particular. The adults who are listening right now that, I I said something to them earlier from myself, but I would like something to come from you. What would you say to the adults who are listening who do work in the school systems? They got, like, three black people in the school.

So it's an all white system, and they, you know, they wanna be able to reach out to them, and they wanna be able to help them. They don't know how. I would say that wait. The adults in the school, you mean? Yes.

The adults were in in in our school systems, and I'm speaking in very general terms Okay. Across the nation because we always have these, quote, unquote, systems that are typically made for one type of student, and they're not always now that's not true for every single person in the nation. There are people that have that have a clue, and they've made some changes. But overwhelmingly, we still have a lot of traditional settings in a lot of our school systems in America, which exclude a good portion of the population. Right.

So what would you say to them? What what could they do to make their systems better? To be more inclusive, have, like, a parents night where the parents come too and they get involved and meet the faculty and maybe try to bridge the gap between them not knowing the community that they're serving and just kinda get familiarized with it. I'm gonna add on to that. I agree.

I think one of the biggest, biggest, biggest pieces to that is how you come across. If you come across as condescending, you've already killed everything you're trying to do. Yeah. If you come across as lady. You people or those folks Oh, gosh.

And I and I am not just talking about race. I mean, in any kind of way. You people mentality Yeah. It will kill any opportunity for anybody to take you serious. Yeah.

Yeah. Very true. And I I just wanted to add that piece there because that's just, like Uh-huh. So critical. Alright.

Well, our it's it's I really wanna keep talking, but we're gonna, talk more episodes. And by the way, you're going to hear a lot more from Erica. She's gonna be on a few upcoming episodes. You know, as a therapist who's worked with teens, we're gonna talk about a lot of different things. Some of those episodes will actually include teens as well.

Yes. Now, Erica, you own Empower Therapy. Yes. So you do online therapy sessions with people? Yes.

Online therapy sessions. Hope to one day maybe do some in person as well. But for now, I'm online, doing sessions, either individual sessions or, a couple of groups too. I'm thinking about some trauma groups for older women and also trauma groups for, teen resiliency. Awesome.

So how can people find you? The empoweredtherapy.com is the name of the website. Alright. Well, thank you for coming on today, Erica Best. It has been awesome talking to you.

Thank you for having me, miss Fitzma. No problem. I really hope that, somebody, some of the listeners really got some really big nuggets to think about today and that Definitely. Turn those those seeds that were sown today into some fruit tomorrow. Definitely.

And you're always doing that, and I think that you're a huge inspiration to the community and, girls who will see you and be inspired by you because I'm inspired by you myself. Aw, thank you. You're welcome. Welcome. Yes, ma'am.

And now for a mind shifting moment. I want to plant a thought seed in your head today. We can go on and on talking about the problems all day long. We could be here for a whole week talking about the problems in our school systems, the problems when you're a person of color within our school systems. But let's take a step back and focus on the solution.

Where there's a will, there's a way. And if the solutions that you seek are not around you, find them. If you are one of the teenagers we're talking about in this episode, find your solution and don't stop seeking it until you find it. Find that person you can talk to because there's plenty of us around that actually care and you can talk to. You just have to find us.

And if you're one of the school administrators or teacher or staff that we're talking about, you too can find a solution. You can find a way to reach those who need to be reached if you really want to. Just try. I want to I wanna I want you all to take a moment and think differently. Shift your thinking towards solutions instead of just focusing on the problems.

That's the bigger picture I want you to get out of today. Thank you for listening to Mindshift Power Podcast. Please like and subscribe to my YouTube channel at the mind shifter. If you have any comments, topic suggestions, or would like to be a guest on the show, please visit FatimaBay.com/podcast. Remember, there's power in shifting your thinking.

Tune in for next week.