It’s Mental Health Awareness Month!

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and this year, Mental Health America is encouraging individuals to look around and look within! From your neighborhood to genetics, many factors come into play when it comes to mental health conditions. We encourage everyone to consider how the world around you affects your mental health.

With mental health entering more and more of our daily conversations, it’s critical that everyone has a solid foundation of knowledge about mental health.

While 1 in 5 people will experience a mental illness during their lifetime, everyone faces challenges in life that can impact their mental health. When facing a mental health concern or living with a mental health condition, it’s common to feel like no one understands what you’re going through. You aren’t alone – help is available, and recovery is possible.

Mental Health America’s 2023 Mental Health Month toolkit provides free, practical resources, including information about how an individual’s environment impacts their mental health, suggestions for making changes to improve and maintain mental well-being, and how to seek help for mental health challenges.

Here are some ways to engage this month:

1. DONATE: Throughout the month of May, we are raising funds for our Statewide Mental Wellness Program, which provides FREE mental health services to those who need it most. Make a major, direct impact by supporting our program Learn more and give today! >>>
2. VOLUNTEER with nonprofits doing the work when it comes to mental health awareness and care. Engage with Spark’s Mental Wellness Program >>> 
3. EDUCATE yourself on the complexities of mental health and the resources available in your community. Visit MHA’s website to learn more >>>
4. ENGAGE in open and honest communication with friends, family, and the people you love about mental health. The more we talk about mental health, the more we breakdown the stigma around mental illness.
5. SEEK HELP when you need it. Access free services with Spark’s Mental Wellness Program >>>

DONATE TO MENTAL WELLNESS TODAY!

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health emergency or crisis, call 911 or the hotline number: Colorado Crisis Hotline: 1-844-493-TALK (8255)

Spark’s Mental Wellness Program

The Mental Wellness Program is a statewide program of Spark the Change Colorado that provides free, short term counseling services to individuals, couples, and families who encounter barriers to accessing treatment. Barriers may include being uninsured, unable to find an appropriate/available clinician through other avenues of care (lengthy waitlist times, etc.), unable to afford treatment, or unable to afford insurance co-pays or deductibles.

What you can expect:

• Connection with a mental health professional in your service area.
• 6 to 10 free individual or group therapy sessions. (*Note: the program does NOT offer crisis services, inpatient services, or medication management.)
• Thoroughly vetted volunteer therapists who have been screened and background checked.

If you are interested in receiving services through or learning more about the Mental Wellness Program, visit our website or call (720) 420-3218 today!

Get Involved!:

Volunteers interested in participating can contact Spark’s Mental Wellness Program Director, Kelly Groen, at kgroen@sparkthechangecolorado.org or call (720) 420-3218.

https://www.sparkthechangecolorado.org/mental-health