Black Student Mental Health Matters: Afrocentric Frameworks to Restore Black Wholeness

Naiima Farah is an African Canadian/Black, registered clinical social worker, educator, and mental health advocate. She is currently a Faculty Counsellor, at George Brown College’s Counselling and Student Well-Being department. She has an extensive history providing counselling and support to Black/racialized communities, which includes, Persons across the lifespan, those of varying abilities, families, children, youth, newcomers/refugees, and international students.

Indicative of Afrocentric and liberatory healing frameworks, Naiima incorporates practices such as, narrative/storytelling, talking circles, drumming circles, and land-based grounding techniques.

Naiima is deeply committed to cross sectoral collaboration and works from a trauma-informed, health equity, and an asset-based approach to promote community driven solutions to support individuals and communities, in navigating systemic barriers to help them reach their full potential. She has provided trainings to various organizations, such as, healthcare facilities, school boards, post-secondary institutions, and non-profit organizations, in the City of Toronto and across Ontario.