By Sarah Spencer Northey  

Relationship Therapy Program Manager  

Once upon a time, we were told fairy tales that if we were weak, we needed to wait around for a rescuer. If we were strong, we needed to vanquish our enemies with violence. As a mental health and relationship therapist, I think about how these stories have impacted our psychology. In many ways, we are individually and culturally healing from the harmful impact of such disempowering stories. In my work, I am much more inspired by stories that shift our cultural narrative towards tales of strength through connection rather than force. A progressive story of bravery through honesty and advocacy is behind the founding of May as “Mental Health Awareness Month.”  

Mental Health Awareness month was founded in 1949 by the National Association for Mental Health, now known as Mental Health America. This initiative was led by Clifford W. Beers. Beers’ advocacy was rooted in personal experiences. He and close family members endured struggles with their mental health. Rather than hide such experiences, he shared them publicly in his 1908 memoir, A Mind That Found Itself.  

In Beers’ memoir, he shared his firsthand account of what it was like to experience a mental health crisis, seek treatment, and ultimately recover. The book was widely read by the American public. It exposed the cruelty and inefficiency of how mental illness was treated at that time. The book was also groundbreaking in affirming the humanity, dignity, and amazing recovery potential for those who struggle with mental health issues. The advocacy he inspired laid the foundation for a much stronger system to treat mental health issues in the United States.  

Increased Mental Health Awareness in the United States is the reason why the Behavioral Health department at Mary’s Center continues to grow and thrive. Our Behavioral Health department features many core services and supports that have emerged from Mental Health Awareness advocacy. These services greatly improve mental health outcomes and wellbeing for the clients that use them, and the community at large.  

Some examples of the outcomes we have at Mary’s Center, to which we owe our gratitude for Mental Health advocacy, are: 

• Licensed Staff and Accredited facilities.  Our mental health team adheres to high standards of ethics and professional standards for mental health providers and services. We have a robust training and supervision program that ensures our participants get the highest quality care. 

• Community-based Mental Health clinics in Maryland and DC.  

• An Early Childhood Program that specializes in early intervention for children and their families. 

• A School-Based Mental Health program in 23 DC public and charter schools that allows students K-12 to directly access a therapist on their school campus.  

The general goals of this month have consistently been to acknowledge mental health issues and to reduce stigma, to increase public understanding of mental illness, to highlight resources for individuals and their loved ones, to encourage prevention, screening, and treatment, and to advocate for policy changes.

Now that you have some background, what will you do to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month?  

I like to think this month can be observed with community action, OR just for you. Just taking time to check in with your mental health and maintain healthy practices is mental health awareness. Family systems theory reflects that even just one person’s continued psychological development and mental health maintenance can uplift an entire relationship system.  

For you, I invite you to do a self-help intervention on the theme of creating awareness through storytelling… 

Try journaling, what I mean is: Try the discipline of reflecting on your story every day. Notice yourself as you live across the days. Notice your character arcs. You do not have to do this through writing. You can tell your story through daily expressive art or movement practice. Just make sure you are keeping some kind of record. 

You may notice you are already doing this to some extent. See if you can expand it into a daily practice. Fitness enthusiasts who record their progress: This is your story! Home chefs who like to Instagram their meals: This is your story! In very broad terms, any tracking of progress is a form of journaling. Tracked data grows. See where your story takes you!