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Next Gen Prevention: Our Strategic Plan

For more than 100 years, Mental Health America has led the fight for mental health and well-being and today, we continue to fight for and center the needs of people with lived experience.

We celebrate our progress and acknowledge the frontiers that lie ahead — including the outlook for young people who are navigating new challenges of maintaining good mental health and wellness. Today, we are focused on the future.

Our strategic plan, Next Generation Prevention (Next Gen), centers our attention on the health and well-being of future generations and systemic reforms, as well as the embrace of new frontiers of science — from digital solutions to spirituality. All of this will change how we approach whole person health and healing.

hand holds string of lights in front of a beach

Our Mission

Mental Health America advances the mental health and well-being of all people living in the U.S. through public education, research, advocacy and public policy, and direct service.

Our Vision

We envision a world in which all people and communities have equitable opportunity for mental health and well-being and are enabled to flourish and live with purpose and meaning.

Our Commitments

Lived experience

We follow the lead of those with lived experience to improve the future of health and well-being.

Prevention

We invest in prevention to save lives today and save costs tomorrow.

Access

We ensure equitable and affordable access to mental health care.

Equity

We advocate for all people to have vital conditions for safety and well-being.

What We Do

We help

Our resources are among the most robust and widely referenced for people seeking help for their mental health, from how to navigate health care systems to working with providers and finding support in your local community.

We inform

Our growing body of research and knowledge is a resource for people navigating mental health conditions, and our screening tools provide guiding resources to help you understand and improve your mental health.

We inspire action

We advocate for reform wherever there has been harm, injustice, or exclusion in the field of mental health. Through the strength of our national network and the work of the national office, we identify and replicate efforts that close the mental health equity gap through policy and practice.

Our programs

Our programs and initiatives fulfill our mission of promoting mental health and preventing mental illness through advocacy, education, research, and services.

Our Horizon Focus Areas

We will advance this work through six horizon focus areas, guided by the needs of people with lived experience.

Social Drivers of Mental Health

Next Generation Equity

We advance the understanding that addressing the social drivers of mental health are vital conditions of overall well-being. 

Next Gen Digital

Next Generation Innovation

We ensure the next wave of digital supports and services center lived experience in solutions.

Spirituality

Next Generation Resilience

We elevate the concepts of spirituality and consciousness in the public understanding of mental health. 

Screening 2.0

Next Generation Prevention

We explore the development of National Prevention and Screening Programs as tools that can be used by individuals, schools, payers, and/or employers.

Collective Impact

Next Generation Sustainability

We enhance the capacity of our Affiliate Network and establish strategic partnerships to expand our national reach and impact.

Substance Use

Next Generation Support

We more fully integrate substance use and mental health on a national level through advocacy, research, and public education.

Get involved in Next Gen Prevention