At Beck Institute, we know that quality mental health treatment can change someone’s life, and the lives of those around them. That is why we work so hard to offer best-in-class trainings to providers working with CBT and CT-R. And it’s also why we are participating in Mental Health Month in a big way.  

Mental Health Month, sometimes called Mental Health Awareness Month, is celebrated every May in the US. While many of you reading this are located in other countries, I wanted to share what Beck Institute is planning for Mental Health Month with our audience across the globe. Perhaps this will spark an idea for you to improve mental health in your community, too.   

Mental Health Month was established to raise awareness of mental health issues in the US, and to help destigmatize the act of seeking treatment for these conditions. The movement, so far, has been tremendous. 

Acceptance of mental health conditions, at least in America, has been growing. In a recent survey reported by the American Psychological Association, 87% of Americans reported feeling that nobody should feel ashamed of having a mental health condition (2019).  

Yet acceptance and awareness of mental health conditions does not automatically mean that people are getting better. We still have a lot of work to do. According to data reported by the National Institute of Mental Health, an estimated 52.9 million American adults were living with a mental illness in 2020 (2022). That’s roughly 1 in 5 people over the age of 18 experiencing a mental health condition.  

So this Mental Health Month, in addition to offering on-demand trainings every day and live trainings throughout the month, we are sharing important resources from two books written by Beck Institute leadership: 

On both pages, you will find: 

  • Free worksheets, diagrams, and other helpful supporting materials that are referenced in each of the textbooks 
  • Translations of these helpful materials in several languages 
  • Videos of full therapy sessions roleplayed by Dr. Judith Beck and Dr. Allen Miller, which are featured throughout Cognitive Behavior Therapy: Basics and Beyond, Third Edition

Finally, we are collecting pledges from individuals around the world who plan to do something to improve mental health in their communities. Will you join us in an annual day of action on July 18 to celebrate Aaron T. Beck Day? You can help us keep the momentum going through the summer, because every month is mental health month at Beck Institute.  

Citations:  

2019, May 1. Survey: Americans becoming more open about mental health. American Psychological Association. 
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2019/05/mental-health-survey#:~:text=A%20total%20of%2087%25%20of,better%2C%20according%20to%20the%20poll.

2022, January. Mental Illness. National Institute of Mental Health.  
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness#:~:text=Mental%20illnesses%20are%20common%20in,(52.9%20million%20in%202020).