Driving Dialogue for Mental Health panel raises awareness, breaks down stigmas at THE PLAYERS Championship
As a college student at the University of Pennsylvania, Alison Malmon had exciting prospects on her wide-open future’s radar, both personally and professionally. But, when her older brother and only sibling, Brian, took his own life, all that changed for the college junior.
“When our founder lost her brother to suicide, what she found was that her brother didn’t get the resources he needed,” said Laura Cikara, VP, School Mental Health, Active Minds. “When he died, she also came to realize she didn’t have the resources she needed. So, she started Active Minds to try and destigmatize the conversation about mental health.”
“What my organization does primarily is spend a lot of time educating the community and working within the community to provide information to anyone about early symptoms of mental illness.”
Sheryl Johnson, Founder of Hearts 4 Minds
Rather than things potentially escalating, Cikara explained that Active Minds would help people know where to go for everyday conversation about mental health. In addition, should someone experience a mental health crisis, they could get the resources and support they needed.
