Nonprofit offers medically directed therapeutic workshops spanning the arts to give teens and adults online access to groundbreaking mental health services.

ROMULUS, MICHIGAN, UNITED STATES, May 3, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Over the past few years, and especially on the heels of the pandemic, concerns over mental health and a lack of access to therapy have been growing. With the rising rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide, mental health providers find it challenging to keep up with the overwhelming demand. An innovative nonprofit is hoping to make a positive change to the narrative about mental health and how people access therapy through the power of the creative arts.

The Queen Shirley Foundation (QSF) is a 501(C)(3) organization in Detroit founded by Dr. Jaschon Proctor, the CEO of Honor First LLC, a mental health telehealth practice. As an experienced researcher and practitioner in the field of mental health and someone who saw her mother’s experiences with mental illness, Dr. Proctor saw an opportunity to expand access to mental health services in a unique way that would help people express themselves creatively.

Guided by the mission to provide free or low-cost comprehensive therapy through the arts to alleviate mental health issues and their stigma, Dr. Proctor and her team reached out to creatives across the globe to use their talents to enhance the lives of others. To date, hundreds of talented artists and musicians have stepped up to the call and are collaborating with QSF as paid instructors to offer virtual therapeutic art and music workshops that are accessible to a worldwide audience of teens, adults, and families. The popular Arts in Health workshop focuses on teaching coping skills, stress management, and resilience through visual art media such as drawing, watercolors, and collages.

QSF therapeutic workshops are medically recommended as part of a treatment plan and covered by insurance in the US. The instructors are trained and mentored by an art therapist. Mental health clinicians attend each therapeutic workshop group. Most QSF therapeutic workshops meet twice per week for two hours for six weeks.

Since first offering its free and low-cost workshops, the Queen Shirley Foundation has served over 500 patrons, partnering with them on their paths to achieving their personal wellness goals. The pre-launch programs have been well received, as evidenced by a waiting list of over 7,500 clients for the full launch in June. In the near future, QSF will add therapeutic workshops in dance and drama and options for children.

Artists collaborating with the foundation have also sung its praises. The creative collaborators are eager to use their skills for the greater good of humanity. They have expressed their gratitude for the existence of an organization providing access to therapeutic programming through the arts. Artists affiliated with the program receive training and oversight from licensed therapists to ensure program efficacy, integrity, and outcomes.

“The Queen Shirley Foundation was born out of the desire to ensure every person who wants or needs access to mental health care receives it,” said Dr. Proctor. “We’re removing the stigma of mental health care through creative, accessible, and effective therapy programs that embrace each participant's unique characteristics and personalities and help them explore themselves in ways they may have never done before. I've seen firsthand the benefits of a therapeutic approach to mental health with my mother, the foundation's namesake, and I strongly believe our inclusive, creative approach to mental health therapy will change global conversations about it."

To learn more about the Queen Shirley Foundation and to register for workshops, visit queenshirleyfoundation.org.

About QSF:
From medically directed therapeutic workshops to creating custom mental health services, the Queen Shirley Foundation (QSF) offers national mental health resources for individuals, schools, and businesses. Honor First LLC is a mental health practice that provides virtual therapy in all 50 states and Canada. In 2019, QSF was founded by Dr. Jaschon Proctor, the CEO of Honor First. She founded the Queen Shirley Foundation in honor of her mother, Queen Shirley. Her mother’s journey through her mental illness, and its eventual alleviation through a holistic therapeutic approach is the foundation for QSF services.

Elizabeth Weber
Queen Shirley Foundation
+1 480-519-5155
info [at] queenshirleyfoundation [dot] org
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Learn more about the Queen Shirley Foundation by watching this brief video.

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