“Individual commitment to a group effort — that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” – Vince Lombardi
Eight or so months ago now, when we formed this MH initiative, it was formed with ALLIANCE in mind, and, specifically built into the name. This was done bc we knew there was no way we were going to tackle this MH epidemic – rising suicide rates, rising opioid and substance abuse rates, rising number of ppl needing care and not aware of where to turn – by individual entities (no matter how smart individuals presiding over them are), working in vacuums creating conflicting messages, white noise, and confusion.
I was fortunate today to bring together and listen to collaboration ideas from two very talented doctors of psychology: one we just introduced you to: Dr. Jen Hartstein @drjenonline and one: Dr Paul Furtaw, WAALC’s Director of College Campus Programs. Paul has been working with us for some time…and Jen just joined our Practitioner Alliance. Yes, they are both doctors in a similar space. But YES they both can bring very unique skill sets/relationships/practices/ideas to the growth of an alliance.
Unfortunately, this societal epidemic isn’t going away by the power of one big-named person speaking up, or one large non-profit saving the world. This issue is too large. We must come together, be strategic in our messages, let experts be the “CEO’s” of their various focus areas, and work, through a shared vision, to create programming and activation that moves the trends in the direction we all want to see them go.
Next to actually helping ppl, hands on, to live better lives, this is the most rewarding part of stewarding this movement – bringing together and observing some of the best minds in the world – align on vision, mission, and goals, and then execute what they do best. Honored to be part of it, and continue to welcome: influencers, advocates, technology partners, other non-profits, and brands, all to join in on this growing alliance and movement and to be a part of the change we all want to see.
