Destigmatize Mental Health
Conversations
May is nationally recognized as Mental Health Awareness month which aims to destigmatize mental health issues and educate the public on the social, physical, and financial impacts mental illness has on our communities.
According to the CDC, 1 in 5 Americans will experience a mental illness in a given year. About 1 in 5 Children, either currently or at some point in their life have had a seriously debilitating mental illness. Barriers to care include, limited or no insurance coverage, affordability, network availability, long waiting lists, language/cultural barriers, social stigma, limited mental health awareness, and domestic violence issues. IPV survivors may not disclose mental health symptoms due to embarrassment, protecting their partner, blaming themselves, fear of CPS reports, lack of financial resources, or no health insurance.
House of Ruth recognizes and acknowledges the numerous barriers survivors must overcome when addressing their trauma. Currently we offer no-cost individual and support group counseling to survivors of IPV and their children. Survivors can access services through our outreach department or residential program for those living in shelter. Last year, survivors and their children received 2,978 counseling service hours through the Outreach and Shelter Counseling programs. Additionally, House of Ruth's crisis line responded to 1,833 calls needing support, crisis intervention, and referrals. By destigmatizing mental health conversations we can make a greater social impact and help individuals feeling isolated seek help.
