As a psychology major, I am deeply interested in the mind and its effects on behavior. My Psychology course has helped me to understand how our experiences and environments can bring life-changing results, positive or negative, which influence our mental health. I have learned how abuse can directly cause changes in the brain, even if it is not physical, because of the traumatic nature of an event. To me, it is important to keep in mind that minorities are affected mentally just as much physically and that mental health can have direct effects on their physical health, hence the importance of addressing it. By getting my degree, I will help improve the mental health of minorities by supporting them in the healing process. This is important to me because I do not want them to feel worthless, or act out of anger, bitterness, insecurity, or pain, but from knowing who they are, what they have overcome, and being proud of that. Continual mistreatment, unequal opportunities, racial profiling, hate crimes, sexual harassment, and other abusive behaviors (not just discriminatory behaviors, but also from people they may have trusted) have put minorities’ mental health at stake. Additionally, not having therapists and mental health workers from an ethnic minority person’s background can make it more difficult for minorities to seek help; not seeking help only worsens their mental health. This is why as a black woman, I would approach the issue by having focus groups, writing blogs, and going into crime-populated areas, schools, and other institutions to assist in bringing healing and to support such persons in overcoming such issues they face. There’s healing in sharing one's thoughts and emotions; sharing can help with stress, anxious and depressive thoughts, and even the onset of a disorder. If a person is already dealing with such thoughts and behaviors, I would help them learn how to combat them by using healthy coping mechanisms, so they can enjoy each day more fully. In addition to educating them, I would also like to be the voice that reminds ethnic minorities of the beauty in their culture, language, attire, values, and appearance. Since their differences have often been castigated and labeled as ‘inappropriate’ or ‘ugly’, causing them to dislike themselves and their culture, a feeling of low self-esteem usually affects all aspects of their life. Teaching them to embrace their differences would help them feel secure about themselves and push them to pursue whatever career they wish, even if the field is poorly represented. Changing how they think about themselves could just increase representation in a field because they have better self-esteem. Therapy is the main method I would use to aid minorities to express themselves in various ways. Sometimes therapy and counseling are condemned by these groups. This just makes mental health worse, if suppressed emotions and thoughts do not have an outlet. I would use therapy to help minority persons make sense of their emotions and thoughts, aid them in the healing process, and attest to the value of therapy and counseling. My degree would give me skills in helping them to identify anything that has been repressed or suppressed. Even though I plan to use methods like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, I would also like to use artistic techniques like music, painting, writing, dancing, and other forms of art so that clients can express themselves in other ways instead of just talking. There is something powerful about the arts that helps our minds and bodies to heal in a special and unique way, especially when it’s personal and something that is appreciated in the individual’s culture.