Philadelphia group dedicated to boosting mental health understanding and curbing suicide rates

My Brother's Keeper Cares, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by Ihsan Hines in 2020, is making strides in promoting mental health awareness, suicide prevention, and normalising conversations around mental health struggles.

The organisation, in partnership with organisations like Black Men Heal, provides free therapy for Black men and other men of colour. The therapy is not just confined to traditional sessions; participants are encouraged to express themselves through various creative avenues such as painting, photography, poetry, and journaling.

Ihsan Hines, a mental health advocate, shares his own story of mental health struggles and suicide attempt to encourage open conversations about these topics. He believes that by sharing his story, he can help others who face similar challenges.

Marin Kautz, a clinical psychologist at Penn's Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety, is working to identify gaps in suicide prevention work and research better ways to fill community needs related to suicide prevention.

One of the initiatives by My Brother's Keeper Cares is the annual event, Discovering Mental Wealth, which features panel discussions, artistic performances, and honours young people. The community bike ride, hosted by My Brother's Keeper Cares and Black Men Heal, is a popular event that takes place outside The Discovery Center. Indego Bike Share provides free bikes for the event.

The activities provided in the program translate directly into therapy. Salahudeen Salam, a participant in the program, said it has helped him talk to people about his feelings more often. He also finds writing in a journal, using a workbook titled, "How are You?" designed by mental health advocate Francesca Reicherter, particularly helpful. Salam shared that the program has helped him deal with disappointment, make others feel better, and talk to himself when he needs to.

Economic barriers and systemic racism can make it difficult for Black men to access mental health resources. However, My Brother's Keeper Cares works to advocate for the community and develop "healthy relationships" with clinicians and researchers working on suicide prevention.

In addition to the main program, My Brother's Keeper Cares hosts a summer youth mentorship program that uses chess and golf to teach emotional regulation and mental health awareness to young people ages 13 to 19.

The INSPIRE team at Penn is using feedback from a quality improvement survey to submit a proposal for a statewide grant to address prevention for firearm-related suicide and support people who have lost loved ones to firearm-related suicide. Ihsan Hines and My Brother's Keeper Cares could potentially participate on a community advisory board to assist with the implementation of the grant.

In a time when suicide rates among Black men and boys have risen in the past several decades, initiatives like My Brother's Keeper Cares are crucial in breaking the stigma surrounding mental health and providing much-needed resources to the community.

Philadelphia group dedicated to boosting mental health understanding and curbing suicide rates