Hesperian Health Guides
Introduction
Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion. — bell hooks
Who is a mental health promoter? You are
We all interact with people every day—in big and small ways—as friends, neighbors, workers, or volunteers. We listen, address shared problems, search for resources, and provide support. As we do this, we are already promoting community mental health.
We are often part of networks looking out for the community’s safety, housing, food access, employment, interpersonal relationships, health care, and other aspects of health and well-being. This book was created to help strengthen community mental health through the work you are already doing.
If you are a social worker or peer counselor with training in handling individual mental health concerns, this book will encourage you to apply your experience to promote mental health at a community level.
If you are a community housing organizer, you have training or experience in dealing with a housing crisis, but maybe not so much with an emotional crisis. Without becoming a therapist, the ideas in this book can help prepare you for challenging emotional moments, equip you to get through them skillfully, and find ways to get support for yourself as you navigate stressful organizing work. Your efforts to improve your community also improve mental health through social change.
Recognizing and responding to emotional needs in a family, a group of friends, a neighborhood, or an organization is most often taken on by women. Women are asked to, expected to, and usually volunteer to step in and offer support. By encouraging and helping prepare everyone to respond to emotional needs and provide mental health support, we hope to lessen the emotional burden on women and improve their mental health too.