Employment is a cornerstone of wellbeing, but for many, entering the workforce is prohibitively difficult. Mental health and wellness remain a fundamental barrier to employment, particularly in communities of color. Poverty worsens mental health, and the resulting mental illness reinforces poverty in a well-documented vicious cycle.
The need to address mental health has become even more critical as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has worsened the mental health of many. We offer a variety of programs to help our students and alumni overcome cognitive, emotional, and behavioral barriers that impede their personal and professional development. Our Health & Wellness Support System (HWSS) works to destigmatize mental health, identify students’ mental health needs, and teach them healthy ways of coping. Mental wellness is essential to professional development and personal empowerment. With HWSS, we can help our students achieve all that and more.
STRIVE’s Health and Wellness Support System is a multifaceted program designed to help our students and alumni overcome cognitive, emotional, and behavioral barriers that impede personal and professional growth. As part of the HWSS program, STRIVE provides mental health screenings, trauma-focused psycho-education, targeted support groups and workshops, case management, and referrals for counseling and deeper service provision.
Wellness screenings – to identify individuals with symptoms associated PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, Stress and Addiction
Executive Functioning Skills Assessment
Psycho-education – to raise awareness on trauma, personal triggers, cognitive distortions, positive coping mechanisms and how mental health can impact employment
1-on-1 support from our Wellness Team to tailor case plans to suitable to individual student needs and goals
Additional services include:
• Nightly support groups that combine a Cognitive Behavioral Approach with Art Therapy, Peer Support, and Coping Techniques aimed to alleviate stress, anxiety and depression and raise self-awareness and self-confidence.
• Court-approved anger management course with Certified Anger Management Specialist
• Weekly workshops based on the 12-step program that serves as a mental wellness intensive for STRIVE students and alumni
• Connections to social workers and licensed therapists for deeper engagement
100% of participants in 2020 are confident in their personal and professional abilities after attending the workshops.
“The 12-Step Workshop was life changing for me. I am a different person and I now know who I am. I always felt bad about myself and today I am happy with who I am and I know who I want to be. (STRIVE Staff) Tina and Genna helped me in ways I did not know existed. ”