The Mental Health System is Still Broken (But There’s Hope)
The final lesson I learned is, at first glance, not a great one. I learned that the mental health system still isn’t very much of a system.
It’s a collection of disparate parts that rarely communicate with one another. And there’s simply not enough support to go around.
The therapist-client model with maxed-out capacity pre-pandemic is even more maxed out during times of international crisis.
But, in January of 2020, I had been writing The Mental Health Update for only a few weeks. I didn’t know what it would turn into. I didn’t know if people would appreciate this model. I just had a hunch that email newsletters could be an intimate way to share mental health information.
Turns out, I wasn’t alone in this feeling.
We need new ways to connect. We need to feel understood, and so many people have told me that this newsletter helps them to understand themselves and their mental health better.
That brings me so much joy. I love doing this, and I don’t see myself stopping soon.
In fact, I have ideas for how email newsletters and other online forms of communication can amplify the mental health awareness and education efforts that are so sorely needed in this world.
I don’t think the one-to-one mental health model is going to reach everyone who needs help.
I think we need to be more strategic in how we scale up mental health efforts so that have everyone can have access to mental health resources and support.
I’m excited to see what 2021 will bring, and you can bet that I’m going to be doing my part to make mental health more meaningful and accessible.