We are living in the midst of a mental health crisis. Prolonged effects of COVID-19, disconnect in an increasingly virtual world, and social injustices impact each and every one of us.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 5% of the adult world lives with depression. In the United States, 19.1% of adults live with diagnosable anxiety, and 22.8% have experienced some form of mental illness.
There are many barriers to adequate mental health care – societal, cultural, and personal. As a therapy practice, we witness many of these hurdles firsthand.
In 2017, we first launched The Resilient Brain Project (RBP), to help create a world with more accessible healing options.
A Comprehensive Library
The Resilient Brain Project is a website with resources for twelve mental health struggles and related topics. Some of the topics covered are trauma, depression, identity and discrimination, anxiety, grief and loss, stress, body image, and sexuality. Five categories make up each page – Actions For Now, For Allies, You’re Not Alone, Master the Subject, and Advocate.
Within each category are website articles, guided meditations, interactive pages, statistics, help lines, and other useful tools. We understand that mental health struggles impact the individual, their loved ones, and extended network. Also that family members, partners, co-workers, and acquaintances impact those who are struggling.
As such, we created these five categories with the intent to support, educate, and promote overall healing.
Interactive and Accessible Mental Health Support
The goal of The Resilient Brain Project has always been to help make mental wellbeing tangible and accessible to all. To support this effort, our team at Viva looks over the worksheets, websites, and videos that are shared within RBP to ensure that they are free and not promotional in nature. Instead, they are resources that can be used, in any given moment, by those accessing them.
This past summer, we updated our website for RBP and are excited to share it in a new, more easily accessible, and interactive format. Within its design and details, The Resilient Brain Project is made to be a bridge and a helping hand.
For many reasons, people can be unable or unwilling to begin therapy. So our hope is that RBP can help know that they are not alone and learn about accessible healing tools.
This month, September 2023, we are also launched The Resilient Brain Project Learning Labs – monthly virtual workshops offered with an equitable pricing model.
Learning Labs
In every workshop, a Viva therapist focuses on one mental health topic from RBP. Learning Labs are organized into three sections – education, experiential learning, and support.
They begin with a look into the science behind a mental health topic. Insightful information about how they or loved ones may be impacted, can help reduce stigma and feelings of aloneness.
During the experiential portion, attendees are guided through an activity (breath pattern, worksheet, etc.) that leverages the science of our nervous system. We want people to be empowered to practice supportive skills on their own time. However, starting a new self-care activity can be understandably overwhelming. This experiential activity is meant to lower that newness and increase the possibilities for healing.
Lastly, during open discussion, participants ask questions to receive support or help connect loved ones to support. It is important to note that our Learning Labs are not therapy groups. They are education and empowerment-based workshops. Should someone require immediate help, please utilize this list of emergency resources.
An update: RBP Learning Labs are currently on pause. Please check here for our low-cost, virtual community offerings.
Our Mission
Our goal is for the Resilient Brain Project to reach 100,000 people by September 2028. As you’ve learned, RBP can have many different uses. For some, it is a first step towards prioritizing wellbeing. For others, it serves as an educational tool to support a loved one. It can also grow clinicians’ toolkits of skills to share with clients.
No matter the reason, we work to create a world with more empowered people. People who have the education and skills to support their mental health. People whose wellbeing is contagious — creating ripples of positive, healing change. This is the kind of world we want to know.
Will you join us in this goal?
You can access The Resilient Brain Project here. To connect with a trauma-informed clinician who can guide you towards improved mental health, contact us at info@vivapartnership.com.
About The Authors:
Founder of The Viva Center. Social worker, entrepreneur, and author Dr. Julie has over twenty-five years, of experience in the field. Her passion, expertise, and vision drive all of our operations at Viva.
Client Specialist at The Viva Center. She supports our clients and clinicians through administrative and intake processes. She also organizes our Holistic Professionals Group and virtual community offerings.
