Submitted by: Morgan Hannaleck, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Regional Director of California

Minding Your Mind recently partnered with behavioral science researchers at Temple University to formally evaluate the impact of the Changing Minds: Stories Over Stigma program in high schools. This program brings professionally trained young adult speakers with lived experience into schools todiscuss mental health, stigma, and help-seeking. 

Two of the biggest barriers for today’s youth mental crisis are stigma and willingness to seek help. Results from students who participated in the program demonstrated that: 

• Students showed increased positive attitudes toward seeking professional mental health support (ATSPPH scores increased from 25.6 to 27.0, p = .007). 

• Students were significantly more likely to feel sympathy for a peer with a mental health diagnosis (p = .003). 

• Students were significantly more likely to want to help a peer experiencing mental health challenges (p = .027). 

• Students were less likely to report wanting to avoid a peer with mental health symptoms (trending toward significance).

On a personal note, this program is deeply meaningful to me. I began working with Minding Your Mind in 2019 as a young adult speaker sharing my own mental health story in classrooms. I grew up in a small town where no one talked about mental health, and seeing Minding Your Mind do this work showed me that sharing our stories can truly change lives. Nearly seven years later, I now serve as the California Regional Director and continue to witness firsthand how students, especially those who have been silently struggling, open up after these presentations. I have seen students reach out for help because of what they heard that day. That is why I stand so firmly behind this work. 

This effort reflects collaboration between Minding Your Mind, Temple University researchers, participating schools, and community partners working together to reduce stigma and increase help-seeking among youth, which directly supports the Live Well San Diego vision of improving mental wellness and connectedness for young people in our region. To learn more, read the report summary.