I'll be the first to admit: I've struggled with mental health.
I've come a long, long way. And healed a LOT of my shit. One thing that's remained consistent for me over the decades is my creative practices.
May is (was) Mental Health Awareness Month, and I got to write about it for my clients.
This is a blog post I wrote for my client, Caring for Denver Foundation. Their story is great. The work they are doing through their community-based grantees is even greater. So many of the programs, particularly those working for young people, center creativity as a pathway to better mental health. I can certainly attest to its merits. https://caring4denver.org/stories/news-events/may-is-mental-health-month/
This story offers hope for the many people on this planet who have treatment-resistant depression. Dr. Elizabeth Fenstermacher was awesome to speak with and passionate about helping people who have, in all likelihood failed to find relief with 10+ treatments. What's helping? MAGNETS, of all things! Now that's creative. ;) https://news.cuanschutz.edu/news-stories/can-magnets-help-heal-depression?
Akusua Akoto's story has my whole heart. She came to Denver for an internship, but soon learned just how tough it is to find affordable housing. Not finding a place to live exacerbated a health crisis, and she found herself living on the streets. If you read anything today, let it be her story. It demonstrates the power of creativity and the role it plays in helping people persevere and heal. Special thanks to Elevated Denver for sharing this story on their blog. https://elevateddenver.co/meetakusua/
