Hive Mind: The Surprising Mental Health Benefits of Beekeeping
Emerging research shows the healing power of the hive for people grappling with stress and trauma.
Solutions Lab
Latest in Solutions Lab
‘We Take Care of Each Other’: Inside the Prison That Could Change Incarceration in America
This prison outside Philadelphia is modeled on prisons in Norway and Sweden that are considered the most humane and effective in the world. "It’s a transformational approach to how we think about prisons," said a Pennsylvania state legislator.
Miami Community Responders Work to Ease Mental Health Crises
A three-year-old mobile team responds to the needs and crises of community members in Miami's Liberty City as an alternative to police. We paid a visit.
Treatment Not Trauma: The Push to Transform Chicago’s Mental Health System Takes Some Big Steps
A coalition of community advocates and mental health professionals have been demanding change in Chicago's mental health landscape for years. For the moment, at least, they're taking a victory lap.
How Paris Hilton and Other Survivors of the Troubled Teen Industry Unleashed a Movement
Meet Five True-Life Avengers Who Are Holding the Troubled Teen Industry Accountable
‘I Felt a Lot of Freedom’: Midwest Summer Camp for LGBTQ+ Youth Offers Sanctuary and Life Lessons
Summer camps offer outdoor fun for kids, but for LGBTQ+ teens, they’re not always welcoming. Enter Camp 4 All – a place for friendship and adventure for LGBTQ+ kids in Michigan and Ohio.
Sending Unarmed Responders Instead of Police: What We’ve Learned
In the four years since George Floyd’s murder, many sweeping attempts to reform policing have faltered. But one proposal that has taken hold across the country, and continues to spread, is launching alternative first response units that send unarmed civilians, instead of armed officers, to some emergencies.
Meet the New Generation of Unarmed Responders in this New Podcast Series
This three-part podcast looks at efforts across the country to deploy first response units that use unarmed civilians, instead of armed officers, to mental health emergencies.
Detroit Islamic Center Offers Free Mental Healthcare for Anyone in Need
Muslim Americans have high rates of mental illness, including suicide. In the Detroit area, which has the largest concentration of Muslims in the U.S., imams have taken note. The Detroit Islamic Center has expanded My Mental Wellness, the clinic it started in 2018, to try and meet the needs.
In Detroit, an Infant Mental Health Program Helps New Parents and Babies
Wayne State University’s Infant Mental Health Program screens parents during routine well-child visits to assess their needs, mental health and well-being. Then it offers support.
Only Two Percent of Psychiatrists are Black, Leading Some to Pursue Creative Solutions to Fill the Void
There aren’t enough Black psychiatrists to meet growing demand. Some are finding innovative ways to provide more culturally competent care.
Booted From the Army, He Spiraled. Now He Works to Solve the Veteran Homelessness Crisis
California has more homeless veterans living on the street than any other state – an estimated 7,400. Dennis Johnson was once one of them. Today, he works to help his fellow vets get into housing – and get the help they need.
A San Francisco Program Helps Older People Manage Their Hoarding Behavior – and Stay Housed
Every year, 20 or more elderly San Francisco renters are threatened with eviction because of their hoarding disorder. A unique peer-support program helps them make changes – and keep their apartments.
After the Crisis: Unique Program Helps Older Adults Grappling with Both Addiction and Mental Illness
More than 19 million Americans live with both a serious mental illness and substance use disorder. Few programs serve them. Even fewer serve those over 55. Two unique homes in San Francisco do.
Building Hope in Philadelphia Neighborhoods Under Siege
Teachers and staff at YouthBuild Philly Charter School provide love, support and a safe haven for students in an area with high gun violence.
California Program Trains Undocumented Residents to Become Therapists and Serve Those in the Shadows
Undocumented people who want to care for the mental health needs of their community face many obstacles to becoming a licensed therapist. But in California, it’s at least possible: In 2014, the state passed a law permitting undocumented residents to become licensed. Nevada and Illinois followed suit in 2019.
‘She Made Me Feel Seen and Heard.’ Black Doulas Offer Support That Can Help Mom & Improve Birth Outcomes
Many Black women say their pregnancy-related concerns are dismissed by doctors, undermining their mental health and contributing to higher death rates. Doulas aim to change all that.
This story was cross-published by USA Today and by CapitalB.
Climate change took them to ‘dark places.’ Now these Californians are doing something about it
Last year, Maksim Batuyev and climate activist Cindy Pace started informal gatherings to encourage people to come together and talk about their climate feelings. These “climate cafes” represent one of the small ways young Californians are addressing the climate crisis as a mental health crisis.
A Different Kind of Grief: Fighting the Stigma of Overdose Deaths
In Philadelphia, grieving parents, grandparents, partners and children can find support through Philly HEALs as they battle stigma to mourn loved ones lost to overdose.
For Indigenous Peoples With Deep Ties to the Land, Climate Change Is Personal
Environmental changes impacting beehives compound the disconnection the Ogiek community has experienced and “made them feel like they are not OK, weak in the bodies, weak in the mind.”
The World’s Therapists Are Talking to Ukraine
A year and a half after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, mental health health issues are afflicting an estimated one in four Ukrainians and more than 60% of combatants. TeleHelp Ukraine, a virtual health service co-founded by Stanford University medical student Solomiia Savchuk, has so far provided 1,400 virtual consultations, most of them for PTSD and other mental health issues.
A Camp for Japan’s Social Recluses
In Japan, people who isolate themselves, rarely interacting with others, are know as hikikomori. As their numbers have grown, organizations have emerged to help them reintegrate into society.
Navigating the Waves
For ten years, Natalie Small, a psychotherapist and surf coach, has been taking her patients to the sea. She is part of a movement to blend traditional therapy with a sport proven to build resilience, confidence and well-being. More than a hippie wellness novelty or New Age fad, surf therapy is being embraced as a way to increase access to mental health care while delivering evidence-based, lasting results.
The Dental-Mental Connection: A Clinic in Oakland’s Chinatown Brings Mental Health Care to Dental Patients
Dentistry and the medical profession have long been siloed. But eight years ago, Asian Health Services in Oakland pioneered a new practice: screening dental patients for depression. Other clinics across the country have now adopted the practice.
Activist at 14, Burned Out by 26. Today, Emani Davis Teaches That to Change the World, You Must Also Take Care of Yourself
Emani Davis spent her teens and early 20s advocating for children of imprisoned parents. At 14, she was speaking around the country. By 26, she was physically exhausted and emotionally depleted by reliving the most traumatic events of her life over and over again.
‘We Take Care of Each Other’: Inside the Prison That Could Change Incarceration in America
This prison outside Philadelphia is modeled on prisons in Norway and Sweden that are considered the most humane and effective in the world. "It’s a transformational approach to how we think about prisons," said a Pennsylvania state legislator.
Miami Community Responders Work to Ease Mental Health Crises
A three-year-old mobile team responds to the needs and crises of community members in Miami's Liberty City as an alternative to police. We paid a visit.
Treatment Not Trauma: The Push to Transform Chicago’s Mental Health System Takes Some Big Steps
A coalition of community advocates and mental health professionals have been demanding change in Chicago's mental health landscape for years. For the moment, at least, they're taking a victory lap.
How Paris Hilton and Other Survivors of the Troubled Teen Industry Unleashed a Movement
Meet Five True-Life Avengers Who Are Holding the Troubled Teen Industry Accountable
‘I Felt a Lot of Freedom’: Midwest Summer Camp for LGBTQ+ Youth Offers Sanctuary and Life Lessons
Summer camps offer outdoor fun for kids, but for LGBTQ+ teens, they’re not always welcoming. Enter Camp 4 All – a place for friendship and adventure for LGBTQ+ kids in Michigan and Ohio.
Sending Unarmed Responders Instead of Police: What We’ve Learned
In the four years since George Floyd’s murder, many sweeping attempts to reform policing have faltered. But one proposal that has taken hold across the country, and continues to spread, is launching alternative first response units that send unarmed civilians, instead of armed officers, to some emergencies.
Meet the New Generation of Unarmed Responders in this New Podcast Series
This three-part podcast looks at efforts across the country to deploy first response units that use unarmed civilians, instead of armed officers, to mental health emergencies.
Detroit Islamic Center Offers Free Mental Healthcare for Anyone in Need
Muslim Americans have high rates of mental illness, including suicide. In the Detroit area, which has the largest concentration of Muslims in the U.S., imams have taken note. The Detroit Islamic Center has expanded My Mental Wellness, the clinic it started in 2018, to try and meet the needs.
In Detroit, an Infant Mental Health Program Helps New Parents and Babies
Wayne State University’s Infant Mental Health Program screens parents during routine well-child visits to assess their needs, mental health and well-being. Then it offers support.
Only Two Percent of Psychiatrists are Black, Leading Some to Pursue Creative Solutions to Fill the Void
There aren’t enough Black psychiatrists to meet growing demand. Some are finding innovative ways to provide more culturally competent care.
Booted From the Army, He Spiraled. Now He Works to Solve the Veteran Homelessness Crisis
California has more homeless veterans living on the street than any other state – an estimated 7,400. Dennis Johnson was once one of them. Today, he works to help his fellow vets get into housing – and get the help they need.
A San Francisco Program Helps Older People Manage Their Hoarding Behavior – and Stay Housed
Every year, 20 or more elderly San Francisco renters are threatened with eviction because of their hoarding disorder. A unique peer-support program helps them make changes – and keep their apartments.
After the Crisis: Unique Program Helps Older Adults Grappling with Both Addiction and Mental Illness
More than 19 million Americans live with both a serious mental illness and substance use disorder. Few programs serve them. Even fewer serve those over 55. Two unique homes in San Francisco do.
Building Hope in Philadelphia Neighborhoods Under Siege
Teachers and staff at YouthBuild Philly Charter School provide love, support and a safe haven for students in an area with high gun violence.
California Program Trains Undocumented Residents to Become Therapists and Serve Those in the Shadows
Undocumented people who want to care for the mental health needs of their community face many obstacles to becoming a licensed therapist. But in California, it’s at least possible: In 2014, the state passed a law permitting undocumented residents to become licensed. Nevada and Illinois followed suit in 2019.
‘She Made Me Feel Seen and Heard.’ Black Doulas Offer Support That Can Help Mom & Improve Birth Outcomes
Many Black women say their pregnancy-related concerns are dismissed by doctors, undermining their mental health and contributing to higher death rates. Doulas aim to change all that. This story was cross-published by USA Today and by CapitalB.
Climate change took them to ‘dark places.’ Now these Californians are doing something about it
Last year, Maksim Batuyev and climate activist Cindy Pace started informal gatherings to encourage people to come together and talk about their climate feelings. These “climate cafes” represent one of the small ways young Californians are addressing the climate crisis as a mental health crisis.
A Different Kind of Grief: Fighting the Stigma of Overdose Deaths
In Philadelphia, grieving parents, grandparents, partners and children can find support through Philly HEALs as they battle stigma to mourn loved ones lost to overdose.
For Indigenous Peoples With Deep Ties to the Land, Climate Change Is Personal
Environmental changes impacting beehives compound the disconnection the Ogiek community has experienced and “made them feel like they are not OK, weak in the bodies, weak in the mind.”
The World’s Therapists Are Talking to Ukraine
A year and a half after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, mental health health issues are afflicting an estimated one in four Ukrainians and more than 60% of combatants. TeleHelp Ukraine, a virtual health service co-founded by Stanford University medical student Solomiia Savchuk, has so far provided 1,400 virtual consultations, most of them for PTSD and other mental health issues.
A Camp for Japan’s Social Recluses
In Japan, people who isolate themselves, rarely interacting with others, are know as hikikomori. As their numbers have grown, organizations have emerged to help them reintegrate into society.
Navigating the Waves
For ten years, Natalie Small, a psychotherapist and surf coach, has been taking her patients to the sea. She is part of a movement to blend traditional therapy with a sport proven to build resilience, confidence and well-being. More than a hippie wellness novelty or New Age fad, surf therapy is being embraced as a way to increase access to mental health care while delivering evidence-based, lasting results.
The Dental-Mental Connection: A Clinic in Oakland’s Chinatown Brings Mental Health Care to Dental Patients
Dentistry and the medical profession have long been siloed. But eight years ago, Asian Health Services in Oakland pioneered a new practice: screening dental patients for depression. Other clinics across the country have now adopted the practice.
Activist at 14, Burned Out by 26. Today, Emani Davis Teaches That to Change the World, You Must Also Take Care of Yourself
Emani Davis spent her teens and early 20s advocating for children of imprisoned parents. At 14, she was speaking around the country. By 26, she was physically exhausted and emotionally depleted by reliving the most traumatic events of her life over and over again.
