World Mental Health Day is a day devoted to raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and organizing efforts across the globe in support of mental health.
We reached out to one non profit here in Sacramento making great strides toward support for families and erasing the stigma of mental heath.
My EARS 2 Hear provides support to families searching for resources.
“We have a collection of resources and we work with these families and we work with our community that we’ve created through our support groups to find the best possible programs, services, whatever they’re looking for and match them with those types of resources,” explained Laraine Hutcherson Executive Director of My EARS 2 Hear.
Hutcherson shares some of her personal journey and that of two of her children with severe mental health disorders. She also shares her experience with mental health in the education system.
It’s all a journey she says most people take by themselves and don’t ever realize how many other people are doing the same thing.
“Sometimes the challenge with resources is there are a million available and yet you can’t find any all at the same time because you have to qualify under certain things or you need certain insurance.”
My EARS 2 Hear helps take away the loneliness of the journey with several support programs.
“They laugh. They cry. They talk to each other. Basically they come and the thing that first comers will tell you every time is ‘Wow. I don’t feel alone. I’ve always felt alone and today I don’t feel alone.’”
Diagnosed or not, My Ears to Hear is a place to start in finding help, support, answers and even just information about mental health and services.
Our full interview with Laraine Hutcherson Executive Director of My EARS 2 Hear can be found below:
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