It’s time for a radical rethinking of mental health services. To retire the term mental illness and focus on mental wellness. To stop containing and start embracing. To recognize that people seeking mental health care are no different than people learning to manage chronic pain. A diagnosis isn’t a sickness — or a sentence. It just is.
Everyone deserves a life of possibility. To participate in the community without stigma or fear. To have a safe place to live, hold steady employment, and build lasting relationships. To be the author of their own story.
These beliefs are at the core of New Narrative. In offering a continuum of care for people experiencing mental health challenges, we work side by side with service recipients so they can build the lives they want.
Our truths are nonnegotiable. That services should apply to the whole person, not just the diagnosis. That just as no two people are exactly alike, no wellness journey should be either. And that the most meaningful support often comes from peers who’ve been there themselves.
We’re partners, not just providers. With access to our clinical care, housing, skills building, peer support, and other resources, recipients can develop the tools to thrive in the community, not survive in the system.
We believe the health of a community comes from the visibility of its people. We all deserve to be heard, seen, and recognized — and to have what we need to pave our own path to independence.
It’s your story. Live it your way.
I am not my diagnosis. Don’t see me as schizophrenic or depressed. I experience schizophrenia. I live with depression. But I’m so much more than that. A diagnosis is not a sickness — or a sentence. It just is.
I’m not looking to be cured or fixed. I’m learning to love myself. Accept my condition. Persevere without judgement. With the right treatments, I manage. I use my experiences to help others. I take charge of my life.
I deserve to live without stigma or isolation. To be heard. And seen. To exist in a world that appreciates my challenges and celebrates my strengths. To see the future for what it is — a doorway to possibility.
I’m here to connect. To thrive in the community. Succeed in the workforce. Have a safe place to live. To create meaningful experiences, build lasting friendships, and create a path to wellness. To be the author of my own story and live the life I choose.
I am not my diagnosis. I’m me. And that’s more than good enough.
