Promotora power: How a Westlake community dances through mental health stigmas 

A small, participant-led weekly arts and crafts group in Barrow has helped around 15 men living with mental health conditions, dementia, and autism build social connections and overcome anxiety-related challenges.

Raw Art Works is a nonprofit youth development organization that provides art therapy services to 290 youth each week. Studies show art therapy can reduce psychiatric readmission rates for patients, and those who participated in the program say it has been life-changing, teaching them coping skills that supported them into adulthood.

The Arizona Arts Rx program at the University of Arizona connects students experiencing anxiety, depression, and loneliness with arts and cultural experiences, from glassblowing to theater performances, as a complement to traditional mental health care. In its first year, the program generated 131 referrals and achieved an 80% show-up rate. Participants report feeling reduced anxiety, less loneliness and better overall well-being.

Music therapy is helping teens identify, verbalize and cope with their emotions, and is emerging as a solution to bridge the gap in the national shortage of adolescent mental health professionals. Michigan State University alone has credentialed more than 9,000 music therapists since the degree program emerged in 1944. Studies show that when used in conjunction with medical treatement and traditional talk therapy, music therapy can improve health outcomes and reduce levels of depression and anxiety.

The Art Experience provides free art therapy classes for caregivers, offering a space for them to gather for respite and creative self-expression. At the classes, caregivers learn mindfulness, self-care practices and meet one-on-one with certified art therapists to discuss their individual situations and learn ways to cope with stress.

The Japanese-speaking family support group under NAMI South Bay formed in 2012 to provide people — mostly first-generation Japanese mothers — with a safe space where they can share their experiences and learn how to talk about mental illness and how it effects their children. Since 2012, over 100 people have reached out to the group, with about eight to 12 participants joining the discussions each month.

To help veterans struggling to overcome post-traumatic stress disorder, the Phoenix VA Health Care System has started using sports and outdoor recreation as a means of therapy. Although it does not replace medications or act as a cure-all, this practice has been shown to reduce symptoms and can lead to a reduction in medications.

Building resilience and self-care into daily life promotes long-term wellbeing. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Catalyst Initiative works to support the emotional and mental wellbeing of underserved groups by promoting culturally relevant approaches to self-care. Catalyst funds organizations that serve Indigenous communities, communities of color, as well as other programs that encourage people to practice mindfulness and self-care as a way to heal from trauma and stress associated with economic, personal, or social issues.

Building connections and learning to cope can help to break the inter-generational cycle of addiction. The nonprofit Eluna operates a camp in Dayton, Ohio, for children whose families have been ravaged by addiction. In addition to receiving the support of adult mentors, the children also engage in activities designed to teach them skills to manage their emotions. With funding from government subventions and private donations, Eluna plans to open several more camps nationwide.

In the Twin Cities area, community mental health and wellness professionals have made it a priority to develop a pipeline of clinicians of color and create programming specific to residents of cultural and ethnic minority groups who may have experienced unique traumas. How can Minnesota's model inform Oregon's approach to mental health care in a state whose population is growing more diverse?