My name is Dawn, I am a daughter, a mother, a wife, a sister, a friend, a community member, and a behavioral health professional. I have seen how mental health touches every part of life. I personally know friends, family members, individuals, and people throughout our communities who struggle with mental health diagnosis and have found it challenging to access the care and support they need. Too often people are ready to seek help but cannot afford therapy, psychiatric appointments, aftercare, or ongoing treatment. These people are someone's wife/husband, daughter/son, sister/brother, neighbor/friend, and mother/father and shouldn't have to fight alone.

Hope for Healing is my way of breaking down those barriers. This is a community driven effort to make therapy and psychiatric care accessible, so no one has to delay healing because of cost. Find donating, you aren't just giving money, you're helping break the silence, and the stigma, and open the door to hope.

Too many individuals are forced to delay or go without essential psychiatric care or aftercare due to the out of pocket expense or adequate insurance coverage. The average cost for out of pocket expense for an individual in weekly therapy about 8 sessions per month is $900-$1,800 a month. Mental health care should never be a privilege, it's a necessity.

In the United States, mental health conditions are widespread. Nearly one in five adults experience a mental health condition each year, and about 40% of high school students report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness that interfere with daily life. Yet access to care remains limited. Only about 14% of adults receive counseling or therapy in a given year, an estimate show that roughly 40 to 60% of people who need mental health treatment do not receive it at all. In the past year, About 1.5 million US adults reported a suicide attempt. Among high school students, roughly one in 10 attempted suicide in the past year, and one in five seriously considered it. Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death in young people aged 2010 to 24, underscoring the critical need for accessible mental health care.

Cost is one of the biggest barriers. Studies show that many individuals delay or avoid treatment due to affordability issues or insufficient insurance coverage when they recognize a need for care. These barriers leave individuals, especially teens, young adults, and underserved communities, without consistent access to support during critical moments in their lives.

Hope for Healing aims to help bridge the gap by raising funds to support psychiatric care, therapy sessions, and related mental health services for individuals who would otherwise go without treatment. Donations will go directly towards covering session costs for those facing financial hardships, helping ensure continuity of care and stability during recovery.

This initiative also seeks to challenge stigma surrounding mental health. Seeking help is a sign of strength, not a weakness, an open conversation saves lives. By supporting access to care we are also supporting dignity, recovery, and hope.

Every contribution helps take a step towards healing, whether it's a first therapy session, continued psychiatric support, aftercare, or simply knowing that they're not alone in the struggle.