Leading Black mental health experts are calling for more support for young Black people who are suffering due to the increase in knife crime. This comes as more than 400 knives including machetes were seized this week by the
Metropolitan Police in London. According to experts there is a need for “culturally competent” mental health support,
which will benefit young people from Black communities.

Alessandro Kellier from west London, is a Transformational Practitioner and works for Safer London. He said: “We live in a country, where those in power have a subconscious bias towards young Black men. “We need to counteract this with education about who we really are and therapy that embraces our heritage.”

Mr Kellier, who has worked within mental health for over 10 years says some of his clients are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He urged The Voice readers to look out for some basic mental health warning signs such as change in mood, poor hygiene, displaying anger or no longer wanting to go to certain places are all cries for help.”

Mr Kellier, who is from a Mixed-Race background, said more needs to be done to dismantle the negative narrative around Black people and Black history. He said: “I have been using Black history as a therapeutic practice and it really is having a positive impact on the young Black and Mixed race people I work with. “Even just teaching them about Marcus Garvey or Queen Nzinga, is boosting their self-esteem which ultimately changes how they see themselves.”

For victims of knife crime, their healing is not just physical but also mental and emotional.

For one victim, who has asked us not to use his real name, the recovery journey has been long and difficult. But, he says the support from Mr Kellier and his team has been “life-changing”. *John, 25, from south London, says his mental health spiralled out of control after he was stabbed in the leg in 2014. He also claims as a victim of crime, he has had to move away from his family – which has left him feeling isolated, angry and frustrated. He said: “I have a rollercoaster of emotions and have suffered from insomnia for four years, which messed up my daily routine.” “I have anxiety which sometimes gets out of control,” he admitted during an open and honest interview with The Voice. “I think if I lived closer to my family, my recovery would have been faster and better,” he said. But John says he is remaining optimistic and hopes to rebuild his life.

One size does not fit all

Mr Kellier’s calls for more African-Centred approaches to mental health have also been echoed by Jay Perkins, founder of Partisan, is an Adolescent and Family Psychodynamic Psychotherapist. He told The Voice, mainstream health services need to reflect the communities they serve and said the vicious cycle of knife crime is destroying too many lives. “Unfortunately, we are living in a time, when so many young people have ‘to kill or be killed’ way of thinking and it is devastating!”

Mr Perkins believes, young victims of crime are living in survival mode and which is having an adverse effect on their wellbeing. He said: “They have nightmares and flashbacks of the traumatic event, which causes them to be in a state of increased alertness, known as hyper vigilance.”

He also told The Voice, the murder of George Floyd has prompted a reckoning with Race beyond America and has forced communities in the UK to look at our own history with systemic racism and police brutality. This has opened old wounds in Black and Brown communities. He added: “George Floyd’s high-profile murder has served as a reminder of our own challenges in the UK because of our skin colour and that will impact our mental health. “Trauma often sits within our communities untreated,” he added.

Mr Perkins, who is originally from Bristol, but now lives in London, says the one size fits all approach needs to be scrapped in order to reach young people suffering in silence. Mr Perkins founded Partisan last year, which serves diverse communities and has a forward- thinking approach when it comes to the therapy they deliver – which he says is filling an important gap.

Open dialogue

For many parents, the surge in knife crime and the constant need to discuss it with young children can take its toll.
Olivia Baroan, a mother of six says she is continuously talking to her children about the dangers of knife crime – which can be exhausting. “I always tell my children and their friends to be careful and mind who they are hanging out with. I always pray for my children because the streets are not safe anymore.”

Ms Baroan who is from Southeast London, told The Voice she talks to her children about their emotions but admitted they do not always open up. She went on to express her appreciation for her son’s football coach, who she described as “young and more approachable” and said he had helped her son process his feelings and address some concerns.

For Greatly Nurtured Development, Founder and Football coach, Euon Brown, he is more than happy to assist his players where he can. He said: “At GND we are more than a football academy, we are a sports development hub
which caters for children and young people through football, mentoring, counselling, fitness and conversation.

“We understand there are many components which will impact a player’s performance and this includes things like sleep, diet and how they are feeling. “So discussions around mental health are key at our academy.”

Mr Brown, set up GND in South East London in 2014. He was born and partially raised in the area and he knows first-hand what living in an area with high rates of gun and knife crime can do to young people’s mental health. He said:

“It is soul-destroying and can make you feel like there is no hope. “I was one of the lucky ones, because I had a dream, which was football and that kept me positive. “That’s why it was so important to have GND in the area, to show an alternative and provide children with positive role models.

“At GND there are so many opportunities to allow them to dream and believe they are capable of great things.”

Mr Brown is also an ex-professional footballer, who played for Grenada’s national team and says social media is also creating more problems. “During the height of the pandemic, crime on the street went down but crime on the keyboard went up. More needs to be done to tackle online racist abuse because our young people are witnessing it or are being a victim of it and it is leaving a detrimental impression on them.”

Mr Brown said the work around mental health would need a “village approach” with everyone playing their part including schools, youth clubs and other football clubs. But for some, initiatives like Mental Health Awareness week are bittersweet.

Marisa Mae Hibbert, The Founder of Beautiful Trauma CIC, lost her friend to suicide in October 2017. She said: “It’s great people are open to discuss these things now, but I often think about those who never got that chance.”

She says mental health is still a taboo subject in Black communities – which is causing more problems. “We are told at a young age not to discuss anything at home with outsiders and this attitude is stopping people from seeking help they desperately need.”

Support for Black male prisoners

Ms Hibbert also told The Voice, while working in a prison she saw the differential treatment white prisoners with mental health issues received in comparison to Black male prisoners. She said: “White prisoners were catered to and treated with empathy and care, where as the Black men were labelled as threatening and aggressive and this alarmed me.”

She went to say these perceptions are dangerous and are still prevalent in other areas of society. She added that the victims of knife crime are caught in a never-ending cycle because they do not have adequate follow-up care.

She said: “One client I worked with had been stabbed, but was never given counselling and as a result he suffered from PSTD and had flashbacks at night. “As he wasn’t sleeping, he missed appointments with the job centre and had his benefits stopped – which affected his housing. “He almost lost his home because of it,” she added.

Ms Hibbert called for more understanding of individual needs to prevent creating more problems for victims of crime. She warned signs of suicide may not be as easy to spot and can sometimes be the opposite of what you expect.

She said: “Sometimes people may become withdrawn but we must be aware of those displaying opposite signs, like wanting to mend broken relationships or be over affectionate.”

Ms Hibbert said she is determined to continue the work with Beautiful Trauma CIC raising awareness about mental health and suicide, to honour her friend she lost and to ensure no one else suffers in silence.

If you need support or know of anyone that might need help, please reach out to any of these organisations:

Safer London visit: https://saferlondon.org.uk/
Partisan: www.partisanuk.org
Greatly Nurtured Development (GND) visit: www.gndsportshub.com
Beautiful Trauma CIC, go to Instagram @beautifultrauma_X