Community Involvement Can Enhance Mental Health

Getting involved in one’s community can be a vital part of enhancing our mental health and wellbeing, according to Lauren Zuchman, licensed clinical social worker and executive director for BeWellPBC. “I have found that community involvement is really key to a sense of belonging and really feeding our soul as we think about maintaining our mental health,” she said. “It’s good for an individual’s mental health, but it’s also good for overall community wellness.”

In this Mental Health Minute, Zuchman discusses BeWellPBC, a movement to advance behavioral health and wellness for all. Based in Palm Beach County, Florida, BeWellPBC works to improve mental health and wellbeing from the individual to the community levels by focusing on stewardship coordination and alignment, the workforce pipeline, and community solutions.

Zuchman also shares how maintaining our mental health is good both for individual mental health and for overall community wellness. She suggests a variety of ways to get involved, such as joining classes at a recreational center, attending a local town hall meeting, or reaching out to local faith-based organizations. “We are social beings,” she said. “That human-to-human connection is vital. And it’s also satisfying and enjoyable.”

Ms Zuchman is the executive director for BeWellPBC in Palm Beach County, Florida, and a licensed clinical social worker. She has more than 20 years of experience developing programs and working with youth, adults, and families in specialization areas of mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence, and crisis management.