Mental Health America award recipients

MHA’s 2019 Clifford W. Beers Award was presented to mental health advocate Gregory Dicharry. The Clifford W. Beers Award is presented annually to an individual with the lived experience of mental illness who best reflects the example set by MHA founder Clifford W. Beers in their efforts to improve conditions for and attitudes toward people living with mental health conditions. Greg’s experience as a peer, mental health professional, volunteer and film maker have had a huge impact on helping improve the lives of people living with mental health challenges. He is the national youth empowerment director at Magellan Health, and in his spare time produces and directs mental health-related documentary films to reduce stigma and help others find recovery. In 2008, Greg developed the MY LIFE (Magellan Youth Leaders Inspiring Future Empowerment) program, which is one of the nation’s leading programs for youth who experience mental health, substance use and/or foster care-related challenges.

Kelley is a psychotherapist and owner of 2 wellness businesses – Serendipitous Psychotherapy, LLC and reNew studio, LLC. She’s an Amazon Best Selling Author and Chicago Literary Legacy Honoree of ‘MY self’ An Autobiography of Survival. She’s shared her experience, strength, and hope on national media platforms including TODAY, Dr. Oz, Access Live, and Dr. Drew. Kitley is a TEDx speaker “I show my scars so others know I can heal,” and expert contributor in hundreds of national publications. Her mission is to break the silence and stigma of mental health and addiction and give others hope that they too can heal.

MHA’s 2019 Innovation in Programming Award, which recognizes the continuing innovation and creativity of the MHA affiliate network in program development and implementation, was presented to MHA of Greater Houston for its Center for School Behavioral Health. The Center works with school districts to create trauma-informed environments and implement prevention and early intervention services. The Center is built on six pillars – the School Behavioral Health Collaborative, the Best Practice Incubator, the Stigma Reduction Initiative, an Annual Conference, Professional Development, and Advocacy and Policy Analysis. Common points of entry into the Center’s work include attending a professional development offering or the conference. In 2018, the Center trained almost 4,000 people through professional development, and the conference drew 650 attendees from 46 school districts.

MHA’s 2019 Media Award recognized documentary filmmaker Roger Weisberg for his film, Broken Places, that dives into the complex question of why some children are severely impacted by early adversity while others are able to thrive.

MHA’s 2019 Media Award recognized The Egg Gang, for its Instagram account @world_record_egg, which became a global phenomenon and an internet sensation within days of its creation. With millions following the account, the creators chose a big reveal to shine a light on the importance of mental health.

MHA’s 2019 Media Award recognized WBFO-FM and lead journalist Eileen Buckley for their two-year Mental Health Initiative project, which provided in-depth coverage of mental health issues and helped build the mental health literacy of its community.

MHA’s 2019 mPower Award was presented to Zachary Mallory, a mental health and suicide prevention advocate from Kansas City, Missouri. Zachary is a suicide attempt survivor and a survivor of Conversion Therapy. He has been very active with local, state, and national legislation to urge stakeholders to raise awareness and take initiative to combat stigma surrounding suicide and mental health. Zachary is a former Human Rights Campaign (HRC) National Youth Ambassador and was awarded the 2016 Spirit of Matthew Award from the Matthew Shepard Foundation for his tireless efforts to erase hate and accelerate acceptance.

Hannah Dreier, a journalist with The Washington Post shares with readers the different shapes childhood trauma takes and the importance of mental health care for young immigrants, by showing the role therapy played for one traumatized Honduran teenager in immigration detention. The story was the first to explore the kind of therapy migrant children are given in detention. It also broke news about how those therapy notes are used. The reporting had instant impact, with legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, an internal federal audit, and policy changes in migrant child shelter therapy rooms around the country. Hannah’s work revealed that the U.S government was requiring detained migrant children to attend therapy, and then sharing the things they tell therapists with ICE, to be used against them in court. The piece told the story of on the case of Kevin Euceda, a teenager who confided in a therapist at a migrant child shelter, and now faces deportation as a result. The piece made the trauma of one young migrant real to readers across the country and was one of the most read in the Washington Post for days, with more than a million readers.

Julius is a Licensed Master Social Worker who completed a Trauma-Informed Community Practice Workshop with Duquesne University through their Department of Psychology and Rita McGinley Clinic. He obtained his Master of Social Work degree with a Certificate in Human Services Management from the University of Pittsburgh. Julius also earned a bachelor’s degree in Communication from Pitt. Lastly, Mr. Boatwright completed a 1-year professional development program for nonprofit executives with Leadership Pittsburgh and the California-based Rockwood Leadership Institute. Julius serves as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer with Steel Smiling. They bridge the gap between Black people and mental health support through education, advocacy, and awareness. Their Mental Health Workforce Development Program (Beams to Bridges) equips Black adults with the knowledge, skills, and competencies needed to serve as Community Mental Health Workers. While completing the programmatic experience, cohort members receive the following: weekly workforce stipends, emergency financial assistance, mental health training, behavioral health treatment, and social service support.

KXAN-TV (Austin) knew that Texas health experts estimated one in six students is significantly affected by mental illness. Many drop out of school, wind through the juvenile justice system, even end their own lives. Away from home, schools are often where these mental health concerns arise. As state leaders aim to tackle this critical campus safety issue, KXAN decided to explore potential solutions across Texas and beyond by creating the Save our Students initiative. The station created a multi-page digital project, featuring more than 40 stories that were also shared with other Nexstar stations in Texas online. KXAN utilized Facebook Live and digital chats on kxan.com to explain the project and take questions from viewers. More than 50 KXAN staff members worked on the project in some way, including the seven reporters and five photographers behind the stories. The team traveled across the country – including California, Ohio and all over Texas – to report these solutions-oriented stories. This project launched as a partnership with the Solutions Journalism Network, which provided guidance and feedback over the course of the eight months it took to complete.

Lift the Mask: Portraits of Life with Mental Illness is a documentary by The Quell Foundation. The film reveals and addresses systemic problems with social and cultural stigma, and the challenges associated with gaining access to effective treatment. The film captures six individuals from a variety of backgrounds, living with different mental health diagnoses, who, in recounting their own experiences, speak directly to these issues. The film addresses how the criminal justice system is ill-prepared and under-resourced to manage the mental health of their population of people and sheds light on the difficulty of finding and maintaining medications that work once achieving access to proper and timely treatment. Several of the film’s subjects speak directly to the deleterious effects associated with a severe shortage of mental health care providers. Each story shares how the acceptance and understanding of a loved one, often a parent or partner, is one of the most crucial and challenging aspects of proper care for someone struggling with mental illness.

Maurice Benard is a mental health advocate, television and film actor, and New York Times best-selling author. He started his acting career on the soap opera All My Children, from 1987 to 1990. He then went on to start a career on General Hospital, where he has been for over 25 years. Maurice was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder when he was 22 and institutionalized twice. Now 57, he has spent decades advocating for mental health awareness. He has been very public about his diagnosis and struggles, and has used his public platform to educate his fans about mental illness and bipolar. He has worked with multiple mental health organizations – including MHA – over the last two decades, and collaborated with the writers of General Hospital to incorporate his diagnosis into his character Sonny Corinthos’ story line, thereby elevating the conversation and showing viewers the realities of the illness. Benard has won 2 Daytime Emmys for his work on General Hospital. In early 2020 he published his memoir, Nothing General About It: How Love and Lithium Saved Me On and Off General Hospital and currently runs an Instagram Live series called State of Mind every Sunday to discuss mental health and his personal journey.