Vital Healing Mental Healthcare

Our program began in January of 2017, and was founded with the ultimate goal of contributing to public health efforts in mitigating minority suicidalities and mental illness stigma, while promoting preventive body-mind measures such as yoga, meditation, deep breathing, etc. Since January, we have been able to determine the effectiveness of The Vital Healing Project as measured with our monthly post-session surveys. More importantly, survey feedback has enabled us to better serve our attendees, for instance, by focusing more on particular topics and less on others. Since the Dudley Café is centrally located in Roxbury, a predominantly Black and Hispanic community, we have been able to reach our target population, which includes minority residents and individuals who battle (or have family members who struggle with) mental illness, or have lost loved ones to suicide. Our greatest accomplishment is being able to consistently establish a safe (and judgment-free) space in order for our attendees to share personal and sensitive experiences. This is particularly important to us as it is the foundation of our mission and vision statements. As of today, our distribution list consists of over 300 community members, all of whom benefit from our monthly sessions, while taking advantage of being connected with world-class clinicians. 

However, we have continued to explore partnership opportunities with like-minded organizations, and professionals that have similar goals of deconstructing mental illness stigma within minority populations. Therefore, we encourage you to reach out to us with recommendations, referrals, suggestions, ideas, and donations, which could be financial or non-financial. Please keep in mind that non-financial donations could include prize items for attendees (1-2 individuals per month) such as free yoga/ meditation sessions, local business T-shirts, sweaters, and hats, gift cards, or community halls as we continue to expand in size. Please learn more about us on our website. We hope that you can support us in any way you can, and we have included our mission and vision statements below: 

Our Mission:
The Vital Healing Project strives to provide a safe space for an interactive and collegial learning of mental health conditions and symptoms. Our ultimate goal with this program is to de-stigmatize mental health issues, while connecting under- and uninsured community residents with seasoned healthcare professionals. We seek to address cultural and racial biases in mental illness diagnosis, as well as shine light on Racial Battle Fatigue. With help of our commited partners, we will provide free preventive measures such as yoga exercises, meditation, and selfcare instructions, while giving out information on free mental health resources within the Boston community.

Our Vision:
The Vital Healing Project operates in Roxbury, a predominantly black and hispanic community. Therefore, through our efforts to de-stigmatize mental illness, we hope to encourage U.S minorities, particularly African Americans, to seek immediate medical assistance during times of altered mental state. In the long run, we hope to contribute to public health efforts in mitigating suicidalities within the Boston community.