From the challenges posed by technology use to political biases creeping into the therapist’s office, America is experiencing something of a mental health crisis. To help address this critical issue, the Philanthropy Roundtable recently compiled a Mental Health Playbook that provides philanthropists with an introduction to the most effective organizations working to solve this crisis while remaining faithful to the principles of liberty, opportunity, and personal responsibility. As the Roundtable explained in a recent article, private philanthropy is “essential to confronting our nation’s mental health crisis” because “it’s flexible and nimble, allowing the most effective, unique approaches to emerge.”
To learn more about the Playbook and to get a look at two of the organizations it highlights, Peter assembled a panel for this episode of Giving Ventures.
Esther Larson is the Senior Director of Programs at the Philanthropy Roundtable. She spearheaded the creation of the Mental Health Playbook, a resource designed to guide donors through the complex landscape of mental health funding.
Dr. Andrew Hartz is the founder and President of the Open Therapy Institute. A clinical psychologist by training, he focuses on removing bias within the counseling space to improve mental health care.
Carolyn Gorman serves as a policy analyst at the Manhattan Institute, one of the country’s leading think tanks. Her work concentrates on the policy challenges and potential solutions in the mental health sector.
A Holistic Approach to Mental Health Funding
Esther emphasized the importance of a comprehensive approach to mental health philanthropy when she and her colleagues assembled the Mental Health Playbook for Philanthropy Roundtable. The Playbook highlights a variety of groups working to advance mental health from different angles, including prevention, treatment, and policy.
The Playbook serves as a guide for donors, outlining opportunities to fund initiatives that range from helping youth build resilience to supporting policy reforms. By guiding mental health funding into prevention, treatment, and policy efforts, Philanthropy Roundtable aims to simplify the decision-making process for donors, encouraging them to support innovative approaches that challenge the status quo.
Esther emphasizes the importance of a multifaceted philanthropic strategy that addresses mental health on multiple levels: “The time is now for a disruption in this space. For new, innovative approaches to how we can more effectively respond to mental health.”
Combating Bias in Mental Health Care
At the forefront of reforming mental health services is the Open Therapy Institute, founded by Dr. Andrew Hartz with the mission of removing political bias from the counseling space. Open Therapy Institute is striving to correct the course of mental health treatment with a focus on training and creating a professional community for unbiased therapy.
Andrew highlights the challenges posed by political and cultural biases that have infiltrated therapy, negatively impacting patient care. “It’s really heartbreaking for me to see the profession I know can help people and that I love often compounding problems instead of helping them,” Andrew laments. By offering professional development and resources, the Open Therapy Institute aims to cultivate a new generation of therapists who can provide unbiased and effective care.
OTI also explores market-focused solutions, recognizing the high demand for therapists who offer non-politically biased treatment. By addressing these gaps in the market, the Open Therapy Institute is working to create a more effective mental health system that better serves patient needs.
Policy Reforms for Serious Mental Illness
The Manhattan Institute’s Carolyn Gorman is tackling mental health issues from a policy reform angle aimed at improving mental health systems and increasing accountability in public spending. Carolyn critiques the current state of mental health policy for its lack of clear definitions and goals. “Ambiguity is the death of accountability; vague policy just makes it impossible to hold government accountable.” What’s needed, she says, are more concrete measures to ensure effective use of resources.
With wide recognition that America’s mental health services are underperforming, Carolyn sees bipartisan support for policy reform. One priority is repealing Medicaid’s Institution for Mental Diseases exclusion, a policy that has contributed to the nationwide shortage of inpatient psychiatric beds.
