Danielle Kuba

We hear a lot about “breaking the stigma” of mental health and suicide. However, saying “we want to break the stigma” isn’t enough. Talking about other peoples’ mental health challenges and life challenges isn’t enough. Suicide prevention training isn’t enough. The only way we will begin to truly break the stigma is by becoming vulnerable enough to be honest and open about our own struggles, and our own mental health challenges. We will begin to truly save lives when we model vulnerability, share our stories, and allow others to see that they are not alone. My work with Here Tomorrow as a member of the Advisory Board has motivated me to become more open and honest in sharing my own mental health struggles (as well as my positive experiences with therapy) with those around me. As I head back into teaching at a high school level, I am driven to open the dialogue around mental health and suicide prevention amongst my colleagues, so that our students can feel comfortable sharing their needs and exposing their vulnerabilities to us as their educators. We need to teach our kids that vulnerability is strength, not weakness. A powerful connection can be formed when the “helpers” admit to needing help themselves at times, and through those connections, lives can be saved.