Column: Mental Health Awareness Month demands more than awareness

May 3, 2026 - 02:32

As Mental Health Awareness Month unfolds, Virginia's behavioral health providers are being urged to move beyond symbolic gestures and forge deeper, more practical partnerships with public universities. In a guest column, William & Mary's Kathleen Jabs and David Gosling argue that true progress requires shifting from raising awareness to delivering real access.

The authors point out that while awareness campaigns reduce stigma, they often stop short of solving the crisis of limited care. Virginia's public universities, they note, are hubs of research, clinical training, and community outreach. By collaborating more closely with these institutions, providers can tap into a pipeline of future mental health professionals, expand telehealth services, and develop evidence-based programs tailored to local needs.

Jabs and Gosling emphasize that such partnerships are not just beneficial but necessary. The state faces a shortage of psychiatrists, counselors, and social workers, especially in rural areas. Universities can help fill this gap by offering supervised clinical placements for students, while providers can offer real-world settings for training. They also highlight the potential for joint research into prevention and early intervention, which could reduce long-term costs and suffering.

The column warns against treating Mental Health Awareness Month as a mere calendar event. Instead, it calls for sustained investment in collaborative models that turn awareness into action. Without concrete steps, the month risks becoming a cycle of empty slogans, leaving vulnerable Virginians still waiting for help.