History

Healing Minds was established in the summer of 2005 by Raechelle Turner and Ashley Haugen after it was discovered that the resources and support available for people suffering from mental illness were inadequate or not accessible.

Raechelle and Ashley observed first hand that mental health resources and support lacked in a variety of ways in Washington State. The resources often are difficult to access or have limited information regarding organizations and support groups, data to research specific illness and information about various options for treatment.

As with any medical condition, financial assistance is often difficult to obtain or not even available. Lack or limited coverage in health insurance creates another barrier for the individual seeking assistance. Therapy, counseling and prescriptions are incredibly costly, and many times it is difficult to find the appropriate resources that are covered by an individual’s insurance policy. Washington State offers only limited assistance for individuals financially strapped, but certainly not enough to truly provide an individual with suitable care.

For those individuals treated in mental hospital facilities, we found that after their release limited follow-up with the patient is undertaken, not only creating a difficult transition for the patient, but also allowing them to retreat to their previous state of mental well-being.

And there’s more. These problems truly only exist when the person is actually WELL enough to seek support by themselves. Some individuals are in such a fragile and unstable state, they cannot even get out of bed or pick up the phone to make calls to their insurance companies, research their illness, or strive to find the resources to alleviate their pain. While several people affected have a great support group by their friends, colleagues and family, numerous others are completely alone or ashamed of their illness and refuse to reach out to support networks.

Mental illness is still a taboo topic for most of the general public. Many people still have misconceptions about what it means to have a mental illness, the symptoms and options for people suffering from various illnesses. These misconceptions cause people to often overlook or underestimate the condition.

These are several reasons why Healing Minds has created a support network for those individuals suffering from mental illness and those supporting people with illnesses. To address the above problems, Healing Minds provides a variety of resources and support to people affected by mental illness. Providing hope to those in need.