What have you been doing to promote mental health awareness in your community this month?
We are excited that here in Austin, Beyond Today, a nonprofit organization that provides peer support and promotes mental health recovery, is hosting its first annual Mental Health Awareness Day on May 31, 2012. The event to celebrate this day, “Mental Health Awareness Day: The Voices of Recovery,” will be held at the Austin State Hospital campus from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. The community event will present two panels and a keynote speaker. Topics discussed will include the understanding of peer support and recovery, educating and reducing stigma associated with mental health challenges, and raising awareness of community resources.
Peer support is the mutual coordination between a mental health consumer and a peer support specialist who has also led the path toward mental health recovery.
In the journey toward raising public awareness about recovery and wellness, it is necessary to begin a dialogue about mental health and the issues that impact it. Have you begun a conversation on mental wellness in your community? What are you doing to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Day? If you or your organization hosted a related event this month, please share it with us!