Nonprofit Spotlight: Access Psychology Foundation
At Concannon, we have the great honor of working with some incredible nonprofit organizations, and as part of our work, we love spotlighting the meaningful work that they do through our blog.
Today, we’re taking a look at the impactful work that Access Psychology Foundation does. Read on to learn more about their mission.
Access Psychology Foundation was established in late 2021 to address an ever-important and urgent need: equity in mental health treatment, training, education and prevention. On a global scale, rates of depression and anxiety have significantly increased since 2020 – by more than 25% worldwide. What’s more, these mental health disorders have particularly affected women and younger individuals, according to the first worldwide estimate of the mental impact of COVID-19, published in The Lancet.
In January of 2022, Damian Travier was appointed Executive Director of the new organization. With more than 25 years of experience in the education, philanthropic and corporate sectors, Travier has witnessed firsthand the disparity in access and equity – which has become even more of a problem over the past two years given the pandemic.
“Our goal is to create equity when it comes to mental health treatment, to everyone across the world, particularly those in underserved and under-resourced communities. From children to families, schools, to psychologists at all stages of their careers, we aim to offer our services as a resource to a broad range of touch points and audiences,” said Travier.
Alec Miller, PsyD, is the president of Access Psychology Foundation and co-founder of the for-profit Cognitive & Behavioral Consultants (CBC), which is an evidence-based center that provides clinical and wellness services, custom-designed programs for organizations, and continuing education for professionals. CBC specializes in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.
Together with their board and staff members, Travier, Miller and Access Psychology Foundation will work with several populations and constituent groups including underserved schools to help meet social and emotional needs of students, which ultimately, impact all facets of life.
“Disparities in access and equity have been an issue for years, but since the pandemic began, we’ve been in a mental health tsunami,” said Miller.
Travier said: “When mental health concerns go unaddressed, issues can manifest in a number of ways – academically, physically, in relationships, with careers – that can negatively impact the life trajectory of Black and Hispanic individuals.
That is why Access Psychology Foundation aims to work with school staff to train them in the necessary areas to identify and help mitigate factors that contribute to substance abuse, truancy, suicide, anxiety, depression and more – and ultimately help students stay in school, and improve academically, socially and emotionally.
Access Psychology will offer scholarships in five key areas to those working with underserved communities:
For mental health treatment
For psychologists in training (interns and post-doctorates)
For licensed mental health professionals
For schools, agencies and organizations, and
For college students of color / psychology summer internship
As an insurance partner, we’ve worked with their team to help navigate the unique coverage needs of an emerging nonprofit organization. "Jim Concannon has consistently been a responsive and sage guiding light for us. He has helped us navigate our many insurance needs to get the best coverage at the most competitive pricing,” said Miller.
Access Psychology Foundation welcomes financial support and the assistance of volunteers through their Ambassadors program, which aims to further the organization’s vision and mission. If you’d like to learn more, please contact Damian Travier at dtravier@access-psychology.org or visit their website at: access-psychology.org.
