Warning: This story contains mentions of suicide.
Whether it be through group counseling sessions or community events, several organizations throughout Gainesville have sought to reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness.
September is Suicide Prevention Month, and to honor it, some organizations have increased their outreach and work in the community. The Alligator has compiled a short list of some of those groups across Alachua County.
Alachua County Health Promotion and Wellness Coalition
Growing up in poverty, LaShay Johnson, executive director of the Alachua County Health Promotion and Wellness Coalition, received little education on the resources offered in her community. As an adult, she said she strives to give Gainesville youth access to the tools they need to cope with difficult environments.
“I made it out,” Johnson said. “I very well could have fell victim to the society or the surroundings that I lived in. But I think now I have a duty to go back and say ‘Look at me. You can make it out.’”
Active for about 12 years, the Alachua County Health Promotion and Wellness Coalition works with students at the middle school, high school and college level to prevent substance abuse. The organization has sought to raise awareness of mental illnesses by working with the Gainesville community to provide counseling and mentorship opportunities for children and young adults.
“Our goal in the community is to raise awareness and make sure that we’re keeping these hot topics of substance use prevention and mental health education at the top of our list,” Johnson said.
The organization has worked with schools, clubs and sports teams throughout Alachua County, organizing activities that provide students with different tools to improve their mental health.
Among those tools: Workers can provide individuals with immediate referrals to behavioral health specialists to ensure they get the support they need.
“Providing resources is often what community organizations think they’re supposed to do,” said Johnson. “However, our goal is to be a direct advocate with those referrals and those resources.”
The coalition’s partnership with various behavioral health organizations allows it to overcome obstacles, like long wait times, when providing mental health resources to the youth.
Sage Wellness
Sage Wellness, a mental health office in Gainesville, offers counseling for children 5 and older on a range of topics, like anxiety, depression, trauma and relationships. With nine in-office counselors, the business strives to create a friendly environment that is comfortable for both workers and patients.
At the heart of the office’s work is helping the Gainesville community, said Emily Gartside, Sage Wellness office manager.
“I wanted someplace where I felt like I was helping people and making a difference,” Gartside said. “And I feel like that’s what attracted me to Sage, and that is something I feel like I’ve definitely been able to do.”
Gartside’s goal of helping people originates from her own personal experience and grief. After losing both her cousin and her friend to suicide, she felt compelled to spread awareness about mental health illnesses.
At Sage Wellness, she finds her goals align with those of her colleagues, who also welcome discussion of such difficult subjects. As a whole, the practice strives to destigmatize mental health.
“There is still a stigma around mental health, and we really want to shift that,” she said. “It’s normal to have mental health challenges. You don’t have to be embarrassed about it, because it’s something that everyone struggles with.”
As it did in 2024, the company will honor Suicide Prevention Month by creating stickers with encouraging words and QR codes linked to blog posts from survivors of suicide attempts.
National Alliance on Mental Illness Gainesville
The National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI, is a nonprofit organization that offers mental health resources to those in need.
The affiliate in Gainesville supports a variety of in-person and virtual group counseling sessions catered toward families and individual members of the community. For many volunteers at NAMI, their goal to help others comes from personal experience.
“I think everyone at our organization, and also me as well, has had deep personal experiences with mental health conditions,” said Talia Murphy, the executive director of NAMI Gainesville.
This lived experience encouraged members of the community to open a NAMI affiliate in Gainesville in 2011. Since its beginning, the organization has grown and will soon welcome new group programs, like Sharing Hope and Hearts and Minds, according to Murphy. The first will be a peer counseling program offered to members of the Black community, whereas the latter strives to connect the gap between physical and mental health.
Through these groups, NAMI wants to provide a safe space for people suffering from mental illness to share their thoughts. By opening the floor to such discussions, the organization hopes to spread awareness about the issues.
“By starting that conversation, it already helps reduce the stigma,” Murphy said, “and it helps people not stay in silence. It helps get it out in the open, which is really important.”
Contact Grace Larson at glarson@alligator.org. Follow her on X @graceellarson
Grace is a first year journalism student, serving as city/county commission reporter for the Fall 2025 semester. While she has not previously been on staff, her early journalism experience can be attributed to Devil's Advocate, her high school newspaper. When she is not writing, Grace enjoys staying active by running, weight lifting, hiking and doing yoga. Her other pastimes include thrifting and working on random art projects.
