Quick tips: Advocate for mental health at work, school, or in your community

Your voice is a powerful tool for mental health advocacy, and you don’t need a title or a megaphone to have an impact. Change can start with a one-on-one conversation, a shared flyer, or a simple question: “What support would help you feel seen?”

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Work affects how we feel nearly every day. That’s why mental health advocacy belongs on the agenda all of the time, not just during times of crisis.

Here are a few ways to make a difference on the job:

• Ask HR to include mental health resources in internal emails or newsletters, or display them in common areas
• Encourage leadership to offer mental health days or flexible schedules during high-stress times
• Use employee resource groups (ERGs) or staff meetings to start conversations about what support looks like, especially across different cultures and communities

Half of all people who will develop a mental health condition show signs by the age of 14, and students of color often carry burdens that go unseen. When behavioral difficulties arise in school settings, students of color are disproportionately suspended compared to white students. Advocacy in schools means pushing for systems that reflect the students they serve.

Try one of these approaches:

• Recommend wellness options like journaling corners, healing circles, or quiet spaces for rest
• Advocate for mental health staff who reflect and understand the students they serve
• Encourage training for educators on positive discipline and restorative justice practices
• Share screening tools (like the ones at mhascreening.org) and culturally relevant mental health resources with students, families, and faculty

Advocacy in your community doesn’t have to be loud to be powerful. Showing up for mental health in your community can take many forms.

Here’s how you can get started:

• Drop off flyers or hang posters at places where people gather, like barbershops, salons, places of worship, grocery stores, or laundromats
• Work with local community groups, clinics, or businesses to host mental health screenings, healing circles, or storytelling events
• Attend public meetings in your community and speak up about the need for access to mental health care

Sometimes it takes a while to build the comfort and confidence to speak out publicly. If you aren’t ready, that’s okay. There are still ways to take action:

• Join Mental Health America’s Advocacy Network to get notifications about action alerts. These alerts are an easy way to contact your legislators and support mental health access by communicating online.
• Contact your local Mental Health America affiliate to see how you can support them

Start where you are, use what you know, and connect with others who share your vision. Every small act is part of something bigger.

If you or a friend are struggling with your mental health, take an anonymous, free, and private mental health test. It only takes a few minutes, and after you are finished, you will be given information about the next steps you can take based on the results.

Take a screen