For too long, our society has looked to its leaders – politicians, experts, doctors – to right the ship of mental health. Unfortunately, those with the power of the pen often wind up having to reconcile that power with endless bureaucratic red tape or conflicting interests that stall any meaningful progress.
The truth is, instead of waiting on our federal leaders to pass legislation to save us, the mental health of our communities can be changed from the bottom up – starting with you. Mental health needs leaders like you to begin an all-encompassing grassroots movement to take care of those around us, including families, friends, and even strangers who we don’t yet know.
History has proven that leaders and the subsequent change that they bring come in many forms, despite how our culture spends the most time praising those at the top of the ladder. When it comes to the mental health field, I often find that the most impactful leaders are those with personal experience. My friend and colleague Patrick Kennedy demonstrates this daily through his work at The Kennedy Forum by sharing his own experience with addiction as he advocates for legislative change to help those struggling with substance use disorders.
But you don’t have to be a national player like Patrick to make a difference. Consider some of the great work being done by our partners at Social Health Labs. They fund microgrants in the community – microgrants that allow for local leaders to invest in solutions that can positively impact that community’s mental health and well-being. Take for example Darlene Luca who was inspired by her daughter to create a space for youth called No Estas Solo or You are not Alone. With kids not able to be face-to-face or socially connected, she and her daughter thought it would be great to hold a community event to bring people together with the specific focus on community building. It worked – with her microgrant she got 30 kids to come together. Imagine the impact that had on their collective mental health! Leadership exists at all levels.
You don’t need a Ph.D. or fancy executive title to make a difference in your community. This is where the concept of Community Initiated Care (CIC) comes into play. Similar to “task-sharing,” CIC is a broadly inclusive model of intervention that is not dependent on licensed clinicians and has been successfully used around the world to provide care through non-specialized, trained health care workers and even lay members of the community (think teachers, church/spiritual leaders, baristas, barbers, etc.). This approach reduces the workload for specialized clinical workers, as well as expands the capacity to address the full spectrum of mental health needs.
Over one-third of the U.S. population live in areas experiencing an overall shortage of mental health professionals, mostly in more rural parts of the country. The field has historically been overwhelmingly White, and as a consequence, is sometimes unable to meet the unique needs, cultural or otherwise, of non-White communities. Many in the LGBTQ+ community have also reported difficulty finding therapists that suit them, as have citizens with disabilities. This makes seeing a therapist or counselor incredibly difficult and leads many to delay seeking treatment or ignore their mental health struggles altogether.
The amazing thing about CIC is that there’s nothing specific you need in order to get started. We each have unique talents and skill sets that can be used to lead our communities and better support mental health. Teachers could implement mental health breaks for their students, faith leaders might create spaces for their congregants to share their struggles, employers can prioritize mental wellness in the office. I’m not saying it will always be easy, but we each have a great opportunity to drive change.
Of course there’s always more we can do, which is why Well Being Trust has taken the Community Initiated Care approach and branded it as StrengthIn.us. You can see our launch video below. It’s really about how best to show up for each other -and to have the skills to know how to help when the person in front of you needs it.
Leadership is needed now more than ever. Here are three basic ways you can be a citizen leader for mental health:
● Have a Vision for Change. Set a vision for how you want to transform your community to give a sense of purpose and hope to hold onto when times get hard.
● Start the Conversation. 82% of Americans feel comfortable talking to their significant other about mental health and the majority would turn to a family member or loved one before a mental health provider if they were struggling.
● Take action. Will you move to change policies at your place of employment? Will you help your community’s homeless population access care? Will you teach kids about healthy emotions? Will you create a space for neighbors to build relationships?
This is not a call to take on burdens that you cannot (or should not) bear. Every good leader knows their own limits whether they are due to finances, time, emotional availability, or anything else. Find a small way you can enact change in your community while protecting your own mental health. Remember the greatest change doesn’t come from the one sole leader, but from communities joining hands to make a difference.
After all, leaders aren’t just those we hold in high esteem, get paid the big bucks, win elections, or yell the loudest. Leaders are people like us, who care deeply for the well-being of others and have the drive to make a change. There is strength in us - strength in all of us - and strength in that connection that occurs when we show up for each other.
Thank you Ben, this is an important message on Communities creating solutions for Communities. Community Initiated Care is a fantastic concept. It is especially important as Health Care is neither Health or Care but big business concerned more about protecting professions and profit margins versus task sharing, equity, and community success.
Dr. Miller a timely, important, and achievable message you've offered up that goes well beyond words this is a vision for our future.
Right now there is so much pain and hurt percolating through our lives and communities. Just some examples. "The Final Pandemic Betrayal" The Grief of 1 Million COVID Deaths is Not Going Away from the Atlantic. "Many Teens Report Emotional and Physical Abuse by Parents During Lockdown" New York Times. "The Emotion Missing From the Workplace" The Atlantic. "How a youth mental-health crisis is crushing working parents" Business Insider. "Suicide rates for NJ's Black teens point to treatment disparities" NJ Spotlight News. And that is just this past week or so. Your message is timely. The need is vast.
Not wanting to be the guy all the glass is half empty with a clear poisonous liquid, there are some bright spots happening. Your vision here will help potentiate those positive efforts being done such as. "Where to find mental health support" An amazing list Mental Health America. "Primary care medical home found to be more effective than usual care in treating patients with serious mental issues". UCLA Health "I Lost My Pregnancy: Here's How I'm Finding Community Now" Mindbodygreen. "With students in turmoil, US teachers train in mental health" The Times Union.
Net net that as much as is being done to help "Of course there's always more we can do..." And indeed there is. You've presented how to's, why to's, and do's.
Let me talk about my take away or me me me. LOL More like putting your vision into how I will engage. First and foremost is the fact I'm just really nada in the larger national community. Yet nada can be something as you've shared. To steal from Tip O'Neill "All politics is local" All mental health is local. It is the personal connection to another "...we each have a great opportunity to drive change." We do because at the heart of our humanity is connection.
The Donna and Mark Memorial Trust will be looking harder at micro-grants for local community based programs and projects around mental health. And even if I'm not a Ph.D or MD or MPH. Perhaps I can make a difference. I can listen but, most importantly I hear others.
I guess as a crisis counselor I make a difference one on one. I need to self-affirm and self-validate and stop trying to stand next to and compete with MacKenzie Scott. She is 6" taller than me and can totally dunk over me.
We all have something we can bring to this table. We don't have to be a bolus dose to make a difference. Small discrete doses of support can drive a positive response.
I like others reading this need to find our vision, start a conversation, and take action. The more of us that do, the better mental health outcomes will be. And we get to be that driver.
Thank you for the motivation and vision.