TYT MOVEMENT
Treat Your Trauma, is a national grassroots self-awareness movement to encourage people to seek mental health & break the negative stigma. We create opportunities between mental health organizations, skilled in providing education advocacy and research with local entities either lacking the financial and/or staffing capacity to initiate the connection or unaware of the partnership benefits.
The need for mental health awareness crosses socioeconomic and cultural differences, acknowledging, however, the risk increases significantly within communities of color that are less likely to seek mental support such as therapy. Throughout the connection process, TYT is aware that there is no one-size-fits-all model to change the perception of leaning into mental health and enlisted a national advisory team to support and initiate conversations around approach, language, and timing.
THE NEED
Exponent Philanthropy wrote a blog titled, What Makes an Effective Nonprofit? 5 Common Characteristics in November of 2021. By that time, words like PPE, pandemic, vaccines, and death rate were normal topics of conversation. Local community organizations scrambled to make needed adjustments in order to continue fulfilling their mission, visions, and values. As the TYT team examined the needs of effective nonprofits and similar entities, one characteristic was a common thread among them - the ability to perform key functions. The determining factor was coming to understanding the long-term effects the pandemic had on mental health and the fact that even though the stats show an increase in depression and suicide rates, there was no overarching communication plan to address the needs.
LET’S HEAL THE WOUNDS
Our approach includes partnerships with local organizations with a strong national presence throughout various communities; virtual workshops and in-house training for corporate employees via their ERGs, DEIs, and L & Ds departments; and, encouraging continuous legislation and research to stay ahead of the mental health industry.
“Mental health affects every aspect of our lives: how we feel about ourselves and the world; solve problems, cope with stress, and overcome challenges; build relationships and connect with others; and perform in school, at work, and throughout life. Mental health encompasses our emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing, and is an essential component of overall health. As described in the 1999 Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health, it is the “springboard of thinking and communication skills, learning, emotional growth, resilience, and self-esteem.”
— Vivek H. Murthy, M.D., M.B.A. Vice Admiral, U.S. Public Health Service Surgeon General of the United States