South Florida nonprofit Beyond Grey provides free therapy to college students

For many students, college can be both an exciting and difficult time. Financial strains, societal shifts, and academic demands can all have an adverse effect on mental health, particularly for people without access to medical treatment. A nearby nonprofit organization called Beyond Grey is stepping in to help with that. Beyond Grey was established in 2020 by Bianca Natali with the goal of assisting young adults in overcoming the pressures of college life. More than 300 students from Miami Dade College, the University of Miami, and Florida International University have previously benefited from the organization’s group mental health activations and therapy sessions.

Our goal is to simply provide a secure environment where individuals may feel like they can contribute to something via their physical and mental well-being and not feel so alone,” Natali said. Natali’s own experience served as the basis for Beyond Grey. She understood that appropriate support may have an impact and acknowledged the dearth of easily accessible mental health options. “I found there was a need for it… honestly just from personal experience,” she stated. “I felt like I didn’t have the resources in a certain time in my life, and I felt like if I had mental health resources that were accessible to me, things would’ve gone a little differently.” .

Harmony Healthcare IT reports that 46% of college students had received a mental health diagnosis. Common issues include PTSD, anxiety, depression, ADHD, and even sleeplessness. According to Beyond Grey therapist Jessica Wylie, this stage is a time of change during which pupils frequently feel overwhelmed. Wylie stated, “It’s really important that we try to remove those barriers for mental health care and help spread awareness that this is actually a thing that can happen because they may be away from home, trying to figure out their careers, and have a lot going on.” Beyond Grey is able to provide more than 180 free treatment sessions to underprivileged youngsters because of the Give Miami Day campaign. Nine free individual therapy sessions are available to eligible students, who are between the ages of 18 and 27 and do not have access to mental health services. According to Natali, treatment enables patients to view situations differently.