ELEVATING    There is a significant need to elevate mental health to its rightful place as an essential element of our existence. Nothing sustainable happens for anyone who is not mentally stable. Mental malfunction will undermine one’s very existence. We can no longer allow mental health to be the forbidden, shameful issue we whisper about behind closed doors “protected” by peculiar definitions of confidentiality that promote secrecy instead of privacy.

  EDUCATING    There is a significant need to educate the masses about mental health and mental illness. We are not gifted mental health and we must work for it the same way we work for physical health. We can no longer allow conversations about mental health to only arise in the wake of human tragedy like mass shootings or suicide by a celebrity. Everyone needs a deeper understanding of mental illness and mental health, and it should start long before one is in need of mental crisis intervention.

  EMPOWERING    There is a significant need to equip everyone with the skills necessary to live mentally healthy daily. Skills associated with emotional intelligence, self care, mindfulness and meta cognition (thinking about thinking) must become woven into parenting and primary education, college readiness and employment evaluation, and our overall sense of wellbeing. We have become hyper-focused on generational wealth, but I want to encourage you to remember that health is wealth and there is no health without mental health!

I’m looking forward to the expansion of eighteen and the launching of new endeavors that align with these three elements. Stay tuned as the four walls associated with mental health service are toppled and platforms for mental health are erected center stage.