Promoting Mental Health Awareness in the Community

In observance of Mental Health Awareness month in May 2025, a group of therapists gathered at Omni Brewery & Taproom in Maple Grove, MN for coffee, collaboration, and community visibility to promote mental health awareness. This event resulted in over 30 therapists from the twin cities sharing expertise, building referral lists, and building connection within the community amongst the patrons; dedicated professionals networking to provide and deliver the best mental health support they can to those in need. Mental health may be private, but it does not need to be a secret. Normalizing mental health care by making it visible and reducing stigmas can increase support for many of those who have developed a mindset that mental health has to be hidden, ignored, or shameful.

I myself grew up with the ole Midwest rural mentality of mental health therapy being nonexistent, for "those other people", or some fantastical thing that wealthy people waste money on. The impression was that you just needed to suck it up, work harder, and will any emotions away.

Well, guess what? That mindset does not result in progress and healing, rather increased internal struggles, and I saw many people reach the point of hospitalization, and even suicide. Think about that for a minute. Feeling like you need to hide and struggle silently, feeling like it is your fault, and believing that you just didn't work hard enough to overcome it. And then, you get to the point of no return and feel helpless, resulting in losing control. What if...what if all of those people had accessible mental health care and didn't feel ashamed to access it...sooner. Could they have lived more fruitful lives, avoided hospitalization, or even, maybe, still be here? We cannot change history, but we can learn from it. It is my mission to destigmatize mental health and the services to support it.