The PUSHES Project
A Bridges Family Life Center mental health equity initiative
The PUSHES (Preparing Underrepresented Students for Holistic, Equitable Success) Project is a
program that supports BIPOC, disabled, and other therapists in training from underrepresented groups to provide comprehensive mental health services to uninsured and under-insured individuals and families. Our program provides high-quality, culturally sensitive supervision, training, and mentoring along with financial support and career counseling to ensure more underrepresented therapists enter and stay in the mental health field.
Why Non-Profits and Social Enterprises Need The PUSHES Project:
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Roughly one-third (32%) of adults in the United States reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder in February 2022.
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Among these adults, 27% reported having unmet mental health care needs
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In 2019, uninsured adults with moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety and/or depression were significantly more likely to not receive mental health care (62%) compared to their insured counterparts (36%)
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48% of non-profit professionals are struggling with burnout
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Many employers have indicated that they have much more narrower provider networks for mental health services than other health care, especially in the non-profit sector.
About the Program:
By partnering with community-based organizations serving socio-economically disadvantaged individuals and families, we are able to directly reach these groups, provide our behavioral health services and address their unmet mental health needs. We contract our services to these mission-aligned organizations. This reduces the time spent by staff in mental health services navigation,
referral and coordination and also provides services for the mental health needs of staff themselves.
Bridges Family Life Center is Black and woman-owned with over 50 years of combined experience in providing culturally sensitive mental health treatment to under-resourced communities. Our CEO, Janelle Johnson, LMFT is an award-winning thought-leader in mental health, neurodiversity research, and equity scholarship who currently serves as the first Black president of the North Carolina Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (NCAMFT). To date, our organization serves over 400 families annually across North Carolina, as well as organizations internationally with training and consulting. Our partnerships include organizations such as SAFEchild, Hopeline NC, NBC Universal, Duke University and more.
Interested in becoming a sponsor, or contracting our services for your non-profit? Contact Us!
