Helpers Wanted

When what I thought was anxiety and depression was diagnosed as PTSD last fall, I suddenly saw trauma and its impact all around me:

• In rising incidences of gun violence and hate crime
• In increased adolescent suicide rates
• In the growth of antidepressant use, and binge drinking
• In a mental health crisis so urgent, it’s prompted a national hotline

I noticed how little we talk about it, and remembered Fred Rogers’ oft-repeated mantra, “What’s mentionable is manageable.”

And when my friend and neighbor, Senator Sarah McBride, reminded me on our Friends & Neighbors podcast that when we speak our truth, we give others the courage to do the same, I knew we had to make another film.

Since April, I’ve been crisscrossing the country examining how trauma and chronic stress maladapt our nervous systems, contribute to shallow and complex lives, and drive poor health outcomes.

And I’ve been “looking for the helpers” in post-pandemic America – people with insights, solutions and strategies to help heal ourselves, and the anxious and uncertain communities around us.

Friends and neighbors like Trauma Informed Care Expert Alonna Berry; Trauma Therapist Winden Rowe; Music Therapist Kelli Rae Powell; Children’s Author Michael Tyler; Somatic Psychologist Matthew Tousignant; Professional School Councilor, Lauren Scott; and more.

Please click here to pitch to help us finish this timely film – and claim your seat at our premiere.