Company Profile
Mental Health Connecticut, Inc.
Company Overview
Mental Health Connecticut (MHC) envisions a future where well-being is rooted in respect for the condition of being human. We get closer to realizing this future vision each day through our mission of partnering with individuals, families, and communities to create environments that support long-term health and wellness.
In our world, “environment” has many meanings, from a welcoming, safe home and other physical spaces to the conditions that allow an individual to thrive, overcome barriers, strengthen social connections, and achieve goals. In programs and policy, MHC advocates for system-wide change through the use of Social Determinants of Health, Cultural Humility, and other equity-based frameworks.
MHC supports individuals with lived experience as a trauma-informed and person-centered organization. We use only evidence-based and best practices in a recovery model approach to care, which means we help individuals obtain a safe home, activate whole health living, find fulfillment and purpose, and become actively engaged in the community.
Central to MHC's mission and workplace culture is promoting and practicing cultural humility and competency, anti-racism, and ally-ship. We meet people where they are and work together for a more just, welcoming, and safe community for everyone.
Company History
The roots of advocacy run deep at MHC thanks to our founder, Clifford Beers, who is also often referred to as the “grandfather of recovery.”
In the early 1900s, Beers was experiencing symptoms of what today may be diagnosed as Bipolar Disorder. After attempting to die by suicide, Beers was subjected to ineffective treatments and cruel conditions in Connecticut’s mental health institutions during three years of hospitalizations. Upon recovery, Beers vowed to make a difference in the mental health system and set out on the task of reform.
Beers gained the support of the medical profession and others in the work to reform the treatment of people living with mental illness. In 1908 Beers founded the “Connecticut Society for Mental Hygiene”, now named Mental Health Connecticut.
So much has changed over the years, but Mental Health Connecticut has worked for over 115 years now partnering with individuals, families, and communities across the state of Connecticut to create environments that support long-term health and wellness.