Center for Healing The Hurt Mentality Day helping men with mental health
YOU’RE WATCHING. WLWT. NEWS 5 LEADING THE WAY. WELCOME BACK. MENTAL HEALTH STRUGGLES CAN IMPACT ANYONE, OF COURSE, BUT FOR MEN, THOSE CONVERSATIONS ARE SOMETIMES CONSIDERED REALLY DIFFICULT, UNCOMFORTABLE OR TABOO. THE CENTER FOR HEALING THE HURT HOPES TO CHANGE THAT BY CREATING A SAFE SPACE CENTERED AROUND HEALING, EMOTIONAL WELLNESS, AND ALSO DIALOG. THE GOAL IS NOT ONLY TO RAISE AWARENESS, BUT ALSO TO BREAK DOWN THE STIGMA. JOINING ME HERE ON THE COUCH TODAY IS DOCTOR CHANTELLE THOMAS. SHE’S THE FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR HEALING THE HEARD. AND ALSO ON THE END THERE, BRIAN COLE FROM KAPPA ALPHA PSI. THE CINCINNATI ALUMNI CHAPTER. GUYS THANKS FOR BEING HERE. THANKS FOR HAVING DOCTOR THOMAS. LET’S GET RIGHT INTO IT BECAUSE I DO THINK THIS IS AN ISSUE. AND I WAS SAYING IN THE BREAK, AS A MOM OF THREE BOYS THAT I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO TALK ABOUT. SO FOR PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT KNOW. FIRST EXPLAIN WHAT IS THE CENTER FOR HEALING THE HURT AND WHAT MADE YOU START THIS MISSION? SO THE CENTER FOR HEALING THE HEART PROVIDES ALL KIND OF TRAUMA COUNSELING FOR KIDS AGES 5 TO 18. SO IF YOU’VE BEEN IN A TORNADO OR FIRE OR THERE’S BEEN GUN VIOLENCE IN THE HOME OR THE PARENT IS INCARCERATED, WE PROVIDE FREE COUNSELING SERVICE TO THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES. SO IF THE MOM SAYS, WELL, HEY, I NEED COUNSELING AS WELL. THEY ALSO CAN RECEIVE THOSE SERVICES FOR FREE. AND I STARTED IT BECAUSE I HAVE A MENTAL HEALTH PRIVATE PRACTICE, A SOUND MIND COUNSELING SERVICE. I HAVE A COUPLE LOCATIONS HERE IN THE CITY, AND SOMETIMES PARENTS WOULD COME IN AND SAY, HEY, WE DON’T, WE’VE LOST INSURANCE OR WE DON’T HAVE INSURANCE. AND CAN YOU HELP US? CAN YOU SEE US? SO THE THERAPISTS WERE SEEING PEOPLE PRO BONO. THEN I JUST DECIDED, WELL, WE NEED TO JUST OFFER THIS SERVICES ALWAYS TO SOME PEOPLE WHO CAN’T AFFORD IT, WHO DON’T HAVE INSURANCE OR ARE UNDERINSURED. AND SO DO YOU FOCUS WITH BOYS AND GIRLS, OR IS YOUR FOCUS SOLELY ON YOUNG MEN? SO WE HAVE MEN THAT COME IN, WE HAVE BOYS, BUT REALLY ANYONE AGE, ANY CHILD AGE 5 TO 18. AND SO WE DO HAVE SOME PROGRAMS FOR GIRLS. WE HAVE SOME FOR BOYS, BUT THE DADS ASKING FOR THIS MENTAL HEALTH DAY. JUNE, BY THE WAY, IS MEN’S HEALTH MONTH. AND ACCORDING TO THE ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION ASSOCIATION, GET THIS 1 IN 10 MEN EXPERIENCE DEPRESSION OR ANXIETY. SO WHY DO YOU THINK THERE IS THIS GROWING MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS FOR MEN? BECAUSE I THINK THE STIGMA HAS ALWAYS BEEN FOR MEN THAT YOU DON’T TALK TO ANYONE ABOUT YOUR MENTAL HEALTH. YOU’RE A MAN. PULL YOURSELF UP BY THE BOOTSTRAPS. KEEP GOING. YOU HAVE TO PROVIDE FOR YOUR FAMILY, YOUR FRIENDS. YOU HAVE TO BE THERE FOR YOUR PARENTS. SO THEY HAVE SO MANY THINGS THAT THEY’RE CARRYING, AND THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO JUST SUCK IT UP AND DO IT BECAUSE THEY ARE MEN. AND SO WE HAD TO, YOU KNOW, WE, WE’RE STILL TRYING TO BREAK DOWN THAT STIGMA HERE IN CINCINNATI AS WELL AS THE WORLD, THAT IT’S OKAY FOR MEN NOT TO BE OKAY TO CRY, TO BE VULNERABLE, TO SHARE THEIR EMOTIONS. AND RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THEY’RE HEALING AND THEY HEAL FASTER WHEN THEY DO. BRIAN, I WANT TO BRING YOU INTO THIS CONVERSATION. WHY DID YOUR CHAPTER DECIDE TO GET INVOLVED IN THIS MISSION? I THINK FOR THE CINCINNATI ALUMNI CHAPTER OF KAPPA ALPHA PSI, WE EVOLVED INTO FOCUSING ON MENTAL HEALTH BECAUSE ONE OF OUR PRIORITIES IS TO FOCUS ON HOLISTIC WELL-BEING OF ALL MEN, AND WE ENCOURAGE HONORABLE ACHIEVEMENT IN EVERY FIELD OF HUMAN ENDEAVOR. AND IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE IF YOU’RE MENTALLY NOT THERE TO TACKLE ANY CHALLENGES OR GOALS THAT YOU HAVE IN LIFE. DOES IT FRUSTRATE YOU ALL TO SEE, YOU KNOW WHAT WE’RE SEEING? SADLY, DAY IN AND DAY OUT? I THINK WITH, YOU KNOW, WITH OUR KIDS, WITH YOUNG YOUNG MEN SPECIFICALLY, I KNOW I SEE IT TOO OFTEN ON THE NEWS. AND I THINK WHEN I WAS READING ABOUT WHAT YOU ALL DO, I’M THINKING, MAN, THIS IS A WAY TO REACH THESE YOUNG PEOPLE BEFORE THEY GET TO THAT POINT. YES, EXACTLY. IT’S VERY SAD. WE HAD A CONVERSATION JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO ABOUT ONE OF MY FRIENDS THAT DECIDED THAT HE WANTED TO TAKE HIS OWN LIFE, AND THAT’S WHAT MAKES MENTALITY DAY SO IMPORTANT AND SO VALUABLE, BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER RESOURCES AND OTHER OPTIONS, OTHER TURNS ON THE ROAD THAT YOU CAN TAKE. INSTEAD OF MAKING THAT FINAL DECISION, FINAL, FINAL DECISION QUICKLY FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN GETTING INVOLVED, HOW DO THEY DO THAT? SO WE HAVE A PHONE NUMBER. THEY CAN CALL (513) 550-8733 TO SIGN UP FOR THE MENTALITY DAY FOR MEN, AND IT’S OPEN TO ANYONE. WE’RE HAVING LUNCH. WE HAVE GREAT SPEAKERS, A PSYCHIATRIST AS WELL AS A PSYCHOLOGIST IN THE FIELD WHO ARE LOCAL RIGHT HERE THAT WILL COME OUT AND TALK ABOUT ALL KIND OF ISSUES THAT MEN HAVE. AND THEN THE MEN THAT WILL BE THERE ARE GOING TO BREAK OUT INTO SMALL GROUPS AND TALK ABOUT THAT AS WELL. I LOVE IT, GUYS. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND WHAT YOU CONTINUE TO DO IN OUR COMMUNITY IS SO IMPORTANT. SO ONCE AGAIN, IT IS THE CENTER FOR HEALING THE HURTS MENTALITY DAY HAPPENING JUNE 6TH. SO YOU HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME TO PLAN NEXT WEEKEND. IT’S GOING TO BE A WITHROW HIGH SCHOOL AGAIN, THEY’RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT GRIEF AND LOSS AND HOW TO REALLY REWIRE YOUR MIND. THERE’S ALSO THAT MALE PANEL, BREAKOUT SESSIONS, LUNCH, AND MUCH MORE. YOU CAN RSVP BY CALLING THE NUMBER HERE ON YOUR SCREEN, THE ONE THAT DOCTOR THOMAS HAD MENTIONED. WE’LL ALSO HAVE ALL OF THIS INFORMATION BECAUSE I KNOW IT’S A LOT ON OUR WEBSITE, WLWT.COM. BY THE WAY, STAY TUNED TO FOR THE WOMEN’S CONFERENCE THAT’S GOING TO BE COMI
Center for Healing The Hurt Mentality Day helping men with mental health
Updated: 4:27 PM EDT May 29, 2026
Mental health struggles can impact anyone, but for men, those conversations are sometimes considered difficult, uncomfortable and even taboo.The Center for Healing The Hurt hopes to change that by creating a safe space, centered around healing, emotional wellness and dialogue.The center’s Mentality Day is on June 6 at Withrow High School, with breakout sessions, a male panel and more. For information, click here.On Friday, WLWT was joined by Dr. Shantel Thomas, the founder and executive director of Center for Healing The Hurt, and Brian Cole from the Kappa Alpha Psi Cincinnati Alumni Chapter, who talked about the important topic.See the full interview in the video player at the top of the story.
CINCINNATI —
Mental health struggles can impact anyone, but for men, those conversations are sometimes considered difficult, uncomfortable and even taboo.
The Center for Healing The Hurt hopes to change that by creating a safe space, centered around healing, emotional wellness and dialogue.
The center’s Mentality Day is on June 6 at Withrow High School, with breakout sessions, a male panel and more. For information, click here.
On Friday, WLWT was joined by Dr. Shantel Thomas, the founder and executive director of Center for Healing The Hurt, and Brian Cole from the Kappa Alpha Psi Cincinnati Alumni Chapter, who talked about the important topic.
See the full interview in the video player at the top of the story.