Mental Health Month outreach ideas
Explore ideas for individuals, organizations, and businesses to help raise awareness and increase understanding about mental health.
Whatever your outreach approach, remember that Mental Health Month is an opportunity to make a positive impact on those around you and remind people that mental health can’t wait.
2026 Mental Health Month resources and tools
2026 planning guide
Check out our Mental Health Month Planning Guide for sample communications and more to help maximize your impact.
Get involved on social media
We’ve created sample text and graphics to make it easy for you to share on social media.
Download printables
Get printable handouts and graphics to help spread the word this Mental Health Month.
Join the Moving for More Good Days, Together Challenge!
MHA is partnering with Strava to challenge you to find a form of movement that you love, and let it lead you to more good days.
What you can do as an individual
Share information locally
- Ask wellness-oriented businesses like your local gym, yoga studio, or health food store to put up one of the posters from the toolkit.
- Reach out to your personal and professional contacts to encourage them to visit our Mental Health Month page and share resources with their customers and employees through newsletters and social media.
- Think about other groups in your community that could benefit from taking action to improve mental health – doctors’ offices, schools, churches, synagogues, and other religious gathering places are a good start. Direct them to our Mental Health Month page. You can be a tremendous help in getting this information to people who need it!
- Include our Mental Health Month page in Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other platform posts so people can access the resources that have been created for Mental Health Month and other mental health information. Get social media post images here.
Help spread the word about screening
- Put MHA’s screening link in the bio of your Instagram profile. For example, say, “Check up on your mental health at the link below,” and link to mhascreening.org in the website blank.
- Take a screen at mhascreening.org and share that you “took a checkup from the neck up.” Encourage others to do the same!
Create a personal fundraiser
- Be part of MHA’s month-long Be Seen in Green fundraising effort!
- Create a personal fundraiser in just a few simple steps. It’s a great way to share your story, create awareness, and raise money for Mental Health America’s important work. Get started today to make a difference!
- Share why mental health matters to you, or share your screening story.
- Incorporate mental health fast facts into your fundraiser.
- If gaming is your thing, try starting a fundraiser on Twitch.
Call or email your elected officials
Let them know why you think mental health should be a priority.
- Get in touch with your senators. Find yours using the drop-down menu in the top left at senate.gov.
- Contact your representative. Find yours using the ZIP code search feature in the top right at house.gov.
- Check out MHA’s most recent State of Mental Health in America report, find out where your state ranks, and share it with your elected officials.
- Share detailed data about suicidal thinking, depression, psychosis, and trauma across your state and county from our website.
Get your employer involved
- Not sure where to start? Visit our Workplace Wellness Resource Center for ideas and resources to share with your company.
- Ask company leadership to recognize and celebrate Mental Health Month in May.
- Share with leadership why mental health is important in the workplace.
- Contact your local MHA affiliate to host a speaker or training in your workplace.
Reach out individually
- Think about who you interact with on a regular basis who would find this information useful for themselves or others.
- Think about friends or family who you have been wanting to talk to about mental health — Mental Health Month is the perfect time to start the conversation.
Show your support
- Shop MHA’s online store to stock up on your mental health merchandise.
- Donate to MHA or one of its affiliates during May.
Friday, May 15
Join MHA's Mental Health Day of Action
Urge Congress to fund mental health prevention and early intervention and co-sponsor the EARLY Minds Act
What organizations can do
- Organize a mental health awareness walk or run (in-person or virtual).
- Host a mental health screening event at a library, community center, or local business. Action Boxes are available for purchase in the MHA Store and include everything you need to get started.
- Contact buildings and structures (like bridges and monuments) in your community to ask them if they can light up public spaces green, the official awareness color for mental health, to honor Mental Health Month.
- Contact your local MHA affiliate to discuss ideas or collaborate. Find the location nearest you.
What businesses can do
- Organize a Be Seen in Green fundraiser among employees and match funds raised.
- Purchase self-care items from the MHA Store. Distribute them widely or use them as prizes in contests or giveaways.
- Share our Mental Health Month Calendar and other printables with staff as a way to drive action toward individual well-being.
- Encourage employees to take a free, anonymous mental health test at mhascreening.org.
- Become a corporate partner for Mental Health Month (PDF)
What schools can do
- Share our Mental Health Month calendar and other printables with students and families
- Share mental health resources on topics that matter to students, such as MHA’s guide for supporting friends, and ensure students know where to get help if they need it.
- Share mental health-themed books, movies, and media with students, display them in the library, and create a featured reading list (PDF). Offer discussion and project opportunities afterward.
- Share MHA’s Mental Health Action Bracelets (available in English and Spanish) with students and staff to encourage conversations around what kind of day they are having.
- Provide a wellness space for teachers with stress-relief items like weighted blankets and aromatherapy or items from the MHA Store.
Help us have more good days, together
Make an impact and support our free screenings and resources during Mental Health Month.
