From a circle. Into a movement.
Founded 2019 · Grand Rapids, Michigan → Now Statewide — SCROLL TO READ
2019 — The Beginning
A space where we belonged
Our Mental Health Collective in 2019 as a grassroots circle, Mental Health Clinicians of Color Grand Rapids, founded by Rebecca Spann, Janee Beville, Wesley Morgan, Tashuna Hunt, and Loanna Abreu. What started as a space for clinicians of color to connect and be seen quickly grew into a movement to expand access to culturally grounded, identity-affirming care through our directory and community partnerships.
"A space for clinicians of color to connect, learn, and support one another in a field where they were often unseen."
The organization was first called Mental Health Clinicians of Color Grand Rapids — a name that said exactly where they stood and who they stood for. What started as a local circle quickly revealed something deeper: communities across Michigan were hungry for care that honored their cultures, their histories, and their identities. The work was already bigger than any one room.
The founding was not just organizational — it was personal. For clinicians who had spent careers navigating systems built without them in mind, this was an act of reclamation. The circle became a community. The community became a collective.
"The work quickly grew into a broader effort."
Grand Rapids · 2019–2020
2020–2021 — The Expansion
Crisis as catalyst
Pandemic-era milestones
Online
Learning and support moved fully virtual
Scholarships
Clinician scholarships launched during COVID
Directory
First clinician directory launched
During COVID-19, we expanded through online learning, scholarships, and private practice support, propelling our vision beyond West Michigan. In 2024, we became Our Mental Health Collective, reflecting our commitment to equity, collaboration, and culturally responsive care.
"Online learning, scholarships, and private practice support — expanding impact when communities needed it most."
Early wins came quickly. Community funding was secured. A clinician directory was built — one of the first to center cultural identity and lived experience in how providers were listed and found. Professional development resources began reaching practitioners who had long felt unsupported by mainstream mental health institutions.
These weren't just organizational achievements. They were acts of care. Each scholarship, each resource, each directory listing was a message to clinicians and clients alike: you are seen here, and you belong here.
- Community funding secured through grassroots network
- Clinician directory launched — centered on cultural identity
- Professional development resources distributed statewide
- Private practice support offered to emerging practitioners
"As the work spread beyond West Michigan, the mission outgrew its name."
Michigan · 2021
2022 — The Becoming
A name that fit the vision
Mental Health Clinicians
of Color Grand Rapids
Our Mental
Health Collective
By 2021, something had become undeniably clear: the work of OMHC was no longer contained to Grand Rapids. It was reaching across Michigan, attracting clinicians and partners from communities that shared the same hunger for culturally grounded, identity-affirming care.
In 2022, the organization took the step that matched its reality. Mental Health Clinicians of Color Grand Rapids became Our Mental Health Collective — a name that opened its arms as wide as the mission demanded. The new name carried the same values: equity, collaboration, and care built for and with diverse communities.
But it also said something new — something collective. Not just for clinicians. Not just for one city. For all of us.
2024 — Today
A community-led movement
180+
Clinicians in our statewide network
Expanded directory with offline tools and new partnerships now serving communities far beyond Grand Rapids.
"OMHC is not just a network — it's a community-led movement reshaping mental health systems."
"Grounded in shared leadership, cultural wisdom, and the belief that care must be built with, and for, the people it serves."Meet the team