The data says the quiet part out loud.
Seventy-six percent of U.S. workers report at least one symptom of a mental health condition. Fewer than 1 in 3 organizations say their wellness efforts actually improve performance or retention. And 92% of workers say mental health support is essential, but fewer than half believe their employer is actually delivering it.
The majority of Americans are struggling with their mental health. Yet most of the solutions being offered in the workplace — the apps, the lunch-and-learns, the meditation reminders on Slack — are not moving the needle. Even employers with the best of intentions who have EAPs (Employee Assistance Programs) as a support are not immune to the growing mental health challenges in the workplace.
Eighty-two percent of U.S. businesses now offer an Employee Assistance Program, but utilization consistently sits between just 10% and 20%, which means that the majority of workers at organizations paying for EAP access never use it.
There are multiple reasons why these approaches are not working. Though technology was meant to make us more efficient, it’s actually increased the workload for many U.S. workers and blurred the lines between personal time and work time. Add to that the growing number of workers caught in the “sandwich generation” — simultaneously caring for aging parents and raising children — and the weight of daily life has become nearly impossible to carry alone.
Additionally, the economy — and the world — is changing rapidly. Job losses due to advances in AI and shifts in business priorities all contribute to the uncertainty that is taking its toll on almost everyone’s mental health.
For African Americans and people of color, the challenge runs even deeper — with only 2% of psychiatrists and 4% of psychologists in the U.S. being Black, culturally informed care has always been hard to find, let alone afford.
Amidst all this, we are attempting to treat a whole-person problem with a one-dimensional solution. Therapy is a good start, but by itself, it is not enough. According to leading trauma researcher Bessel van der Kolk in his book The Body Keeps the Score, holistic and body-based approaches can reach and resolve trauma in ways that talk therapy alone simply cannot — because trauma is stored in the body’s nervous system, not just in the brain. Trauma therapist Dr. Anita Phillips, in her book The Garden Within, argues that true well-being requires addressing the connection between spirit, heart, mind, and body.
From a holistic wellness perspective, that means prioritizing things like sleep quality, physical activity, and diet, which are some of the strongest predictors of depression and overall well-being — meaning what you eat, how you move, and how you rest are mental health decisions, not just lifestyle ones. And when holistic practices like meditation and movement are combined with traditional therapy, studies show the outcomes are more durable and satisfying than any single approach alone. The research points us toward a better way. But some lessons only come through fire.
I learned this after my own deeply personal journey through loss, burnout, and transformation after losing six people I loved in one year: wellness is not a one-time event. It’s a practice you build. That journey is what Soul Therapy Media was built on — and it’s what this Summit is about.
This May, Soul Therapy Media is co-hosting the Soul Therapy Wellness Summit: a free virtual interview series streaming live online, with conversations that go beyond the surface of wellness into the real work of feeling well. Mind, body, money, identity, community, joy — we’re talking about all of it.
Your Summit co-hosts are four women who live this work every day: Julian B. Kiganda, Joy Architect at Soul Therapy Media; Dr. Jovan Jackson of Good News Financial & Investment Advisors; Queirra Fenderson, ICF-certified coach and Founder of The Ambition Studio®; and LaKesha Veney, Founder of DeVine Wine Jelly. Together, we’re building a space for the kind of conversations our community deserves to have.
We believe that wellness is a “we” thing. Mental health isn’t a personal problem; it’s a community one. And the solution is a holistic approach that honors all of you. Because wellness isn’t something you schedule once a quarter; it’s something you practice every day.
Register for the Summit at soultherapymedia.com/summit26
Julian B. Kiganda is founder and joy architect of Soul Therapy Media.
The Washington Informer is the official media partner for the Soul Therapy Wellness Summit. Soul Therapy Media is a WBENC-certified creative wellness agency based in MD, serving individuals, corporations, and communities in the DC metro area and beyond.