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Question: Dear advisor from CTB,

First off, this is an amazing service and I briefly went over the suggested resources to read up on community engagement.

My question is about multiple-communities and engaging/starting communities online. I am a recent graduate from a business school in Canada, with start-ups and projects under my belt, as well as coding experiences. I was raised without a mother or father figure, had support getting over depression and was kicked out (but talked myself back in) from University twice. I want to help make depression and other mental illnesses easier to cope with. I want to bring together communities of people struggling through various illnesses, or bring together communities of caregivers to patients, the elderly and family/friends that are suffering through depression.

Ultimately, I would like to create an online platform that allows people to communicate with each other about their problems and also seek low-cost therapy (through online chat and video). In differentiation from other services I would like to add a layer that works to defeat the stigma of depression. The biggest problem people with depression suffer through is the blame they put on themselves for not being "normal". Even if online therapy exists, it is often hard for someone to accept that they are struggling and to get help. This is why I would like to add a layer of self-assessment quizes and short weekly email reminders or guides, developed with the help of psychologists, to help people first accept their state of well being and drive them to accept help and to talk to others more freely.

It is very very easy for someone that has depression to lock themselves in. Their only way out at times is the internet. I remember myself going through articles of "how to cure depression". The wait times to see a therapist at my University were 3 - 4 months long between appointments (and this is in Canada, I can only imagine the wait time in the states). A psychologists costs $300 an hour. Very fast I ran out of options very quickly and hope to come up with a comprehensive online program that lets someone get back up on their feet slowly.

Do you have any suggestions on how I can get involved in the mental health community in the states, which contacts I should reach out to first and how I can validate this idea before spending time developing the websites and recruiting help?

I would love any mentorship and guidance on how I can get started to chat with peer support groups and psychologists - to bring them on board and to also find out their needs.

Thank you so much for your help. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Angelina
Answer:

Hello Angelina,

Thanks for contacting the Community Toolbox. In addition to Community Toolbox information on engaging community, you might find the sections on Analyzing Community Problems and Designing and Adapting Community Interventions (Chapters 17 through 19 and Toolkits #3 and #7) and Implementing Promising Community Interventions (Chapters 20 through 26 and Toolkits #7 and #11) of use.

There are two other resources for mental health peer support that may provide valuable information.  The first is the National Alliance on Mental Illness (www.nami.org).  This grassroots organization works to raise awareness and provides advocacy and support group programs.  The second resource is the National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse. It's a peer-run national technical assistance center. You can find more information at www.mhselfhelp.org. 

We hope this is helpful.

The Community Toolbox Advisor

Question Date: Mon, 11/17/2014