Cultivating Radical Mental Wellness: An Interview with Dr. Brittney M. Cofield-Poole
We are observing Mental Health Awareness month this May and bringing attention to TBPs work to advance the mental wellness of Black girls, nonbinary youth, and women through the arts. This interview is with one of our key partners this program year, Dr. Brittney M. Cofield-Poole, who provided wellness support for 2023-24 AAYA apprentices as they engaged in a study of Black feminist art, trained in photography, and courageously navigated their own healing to create the Reclamation exhibit.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what community psychology is?
As a Black woman deeply committed to wellness, equity, and community empowerment, my personal passion and professional expertise have shaped my journey. With a Ph.D. in Applied Social and Community Psychology from North Carolina State University and as a certified Restorative yoga teacher, I am passionate about understanding the intersection between individual well-being and community dynamics.
Community Psychology, a field close to my heart, focuses on understanding and addressing social issues, advocating for systemic change, and promoting community well-being. Unlike clinical psychology, which often works on a therapeutic individual level, Community Psychology takes a broader perspective (usually through research or community development), examining the interactions between individuals and their environments and how they influence mental health and well-being.
In the context of mental health awareness among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, Community Psychology plays a crucial role. It recognizes that individual factors do not solely determine mental health but are deeply influenced by social, economic, and cultural factors. BIPOC communities often face unique challenges, such as systemic racism, discrimination, intergenerational trauma, and socioeconomic disparities, which can impact their mental health.
This understanding drives my work as I strive to provide culturally competent and relevant support that respects the identities and experiences of BIPOC individuals. My approach emphasizes the importance of community-driven solutions, acknowledging that individuals are embedded within social networks (e.g., family and neighborhoods) and systems (e.g., school districts and government) that profoundly influence their well-being.
Leading with a passion for restorative experiences and the creation of safe wellness spaces for BIPOC individuals, I am dedicated to empowering both individuals and communities through mindfulness, program development, and accessible movement. This approach centers on healing from the collective trauma of racism and oppression while also challenging the systems that perpetuate it.
In my journey, I find joy in merging my creative interests with my role as a connector. I embrace curiosity as a pathway for redefining expectations and helping others nurture their boundaries. Nothing is more beautiful than the opportunities to guide others in restorative practices while they center themselves. At the moment, I sit with the lofty yet exciting dream of supporting individuals who look like me to dive into a healing journey that lives beyond a moment. I lean toward the notion that no one knows what we are doing but dares to try and trust the fall.
Can you talk a bit about your approach to working with the TBP apprentices this year?
Working with the TBP apprentices this year has been such an honor, and I am forever grateful to have been invited to participate in their healing justice journey. From the very first care session, I could see the unique light each person brought to this world. Therefore, I aimed to ensure that every text, meditation, journal prompt, and discussion fortified how they chose to shine.
In our time together, we centered their lived experiences balanced with building up practical strategies for nurturing self-agency and self-care. Each meeting was a sacred vessel to uphold the trust they were building within. I am so grateful for what they taught me about what it means to be a young Black woman and femme in these complex times. As their student, I have acquired more grace for myself, and I hope they walk away from this experience knowing that, as individuals, they are the most important person in their lives.
How would you define radical mental wellness?
Radical mental wellness is feeling without shame despite the generational narratives that tell us to place our emotions behind doors, barely held together by weary frames. It looks like offering our tears to the soil to water a foundation of emotional intelligence that can carry us toward healing. In this practice, there is abundant room for fragility and grace in asking to be gently held when we are overwhelmed by forces that seek to define us solely through a narrow lens. We make friends with tender and heavy thoughts by learning to dance in the shadows of our many identities. Here, we achieve communal wellness through boundaried vulnerability. Lastly, culturally responsive strategies must be in the bedrock of this approach so that we may embody this practice in a way that honors our fullness.
How do you personally cultivate mental wellness?
I see cultivating my mental wellness as an ongoing dynamic journey. In full transparency, learning how to navigate what I refer to as my “weather” has been challenging throughout my life. My default coping mechanisms were born from multigenerational stoicism. As a child, my environment was often unpredictable, which required me to be in a constant state of vigilance, and as I got older, I had to learn how to ease my nervous system. Over the years, that has encompassed journaling, time in nature, talk therapy, medication, and finding community. I cannot stress enough the importance of building a village of like-minded connections because it is in these collective spaces that we encode that healing for future generations.
How can folks connect to you and your work?
You can find me on IG @yaawellnesscollective, which will link you to my email (yaawellnesscollective@gmail.com) and website (www.yaawellnesscollective.com).
