ABOUT US | livewell-foundation

About Us

70% of people can't access or afford the depression support they desperately want and need.

We're on a mission

to change that!

One out of five American adults will experience at least one major episode of depression this year.

Major depression is associated with greater functional impairment and higher societal costs than any other chronic health problem.

Another American dies by suicide every 12 minutes.

Depression is the leading cause of disability; and its burden on the U.S. economy is estimated at 210 billion dollars per year.

The LiveWell Foundation believes all people deserve equal access

to free and effective education and peer support to live well with depression.

Our mission is to educate and empower people affected by depression

with the skills and community support needed to transform their own lives.

The LiveWell Foundation works to:

Increase access to depression support for a wide and diverse population in need through free, innovative, and high-quality psychosocial education and peer support.

Foster healthy lives through the LiveWell Program©: a curriculum-based program that is strategically designed to teach people the skills they need to reduce symptoms and relapses of depression, and to improve wellbeing.

Create a sustainable model for widespread availability of depression treatment by training volunteer peers to lead the free and easy-to-access LiveWell Program© in their own communities and online.

Advocate for the evidence-based practice of peer-led interventions to become an integral part of depression prevention, treatment, and recovery services.

Challenge the stigma of depression and its related mental health issues by creating opportunities for people with lived experience to share their stories.

What sets LiveWell apart?

It fills a much-needed gap in support services

Google 'free depression support' in your community, and you'll find it rarely exists. Even national leaders offering community-based peer support do not offer support groups specifically designed for treating depression. The LiveWell Program© fills this gap in the behavioral health landscape.

Quality of care

Peer-led interventions are proven to be more effective than psycho-therapy for both the recovery process and longterm treatment of depression. The LiveWell Program© brings together various evidence-based strategies for the treatment of depression into one unique package.

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Our innovative & empowering skill-building program

Behavioral health and psychoeducation at its most innovative, the curriculum-based LiveWell Program is strategically designed to give people the knowledge and skills they need to reduce their own symptoms and relapses of depression.

Our Facilitator Training Program

All LiveWell support group facilitators participate in a special training and mentorship program, including diversity and inclusion training, and best practices of trauma-informed learning environments.

BY peers, FOR peers

Livewell was created by a program design expert with her own experience of depression, recovery, and living well. And participating peers (from diverse backgrounds and professions) continue to offer input as the program evolves and expands. That's a lot of collective wisdom!

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Accessability & consistency of care

We know that depression recovery and staying well requires ongoing support from our peers and community. In fact, many peers attend more than one LiveWell support group a week: online and/or in their own community.