Since the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in the number of people struggling with mental health issues. However, the stigma surrounding mental illness often causes people to shy away from discussing it. Unfortunately, this leaves many to deal with their battles alone.
In light of this, and due to his own personal struggles, a local pastor decided to do something about it. Kyle Earley, pastor of City of God Cleveland on E. 152nd St. in South Collinwood and CEO of the social justice nonprofit It’s Not a Moment, It’s a Movement, decided to take on yet another fight.
That fight was the battle for better mental health, especially in the Black community, and it comes through a program he calls “Mentally Mangled.”
Mentally Mangled came about three years ago at a time when Pastor Kyle experienced a rough patch in his own life. “I just woke up one day, and I was feeling like, ‘Man, I’m mentally mangled,’ and it just stuck with me,” he said.
From that day on, he started his personal journey towards mental wellness and began to put in the work to bring Mentally Mangled into fruition in order to help others. Now, Mentally Mangled offers mental health resources, guidance, and support to people throughout Cuyahoga County and Akron.
Overcoming stigma
Mentally Mangled is a program designed to provide assistance and resources to those in need of mental health support and help them overcome the stigmas around getting help. Mentally Mangled works to convince people that getting help and believing in God are not mutually exclusive. Pastor Kyle says that he’s found that many people raised in a church, mosque, or other institution of faith are taught, “‘So you just pray, and it’ll be okay,’ and that God is the end-all/be-all when it comes to mental health.” Pastor Kyle says this isn’t the case, and people can get mental health services while still respecting their denomination or their faith.
Pastor Kyle also noted that in the Black community particularly, there has always been a stigma when it comes to mental health, therapy, and counseling. He believes that due to this stigma people of color tend to keep what they’re facing to themselves. But he says that taking care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of your physical health and diet. “Just like you go to work out for your body, just like you diet to take care of your body, you need to take steps to make sure that your mind is mentally strong,” he said.
Angel Jacobs is part of the Mentally Mangled operations team and assists in creating and executing programs. She is also a participant in Mentally Mangled and is working on her own healing journey. During a recent conversation, she opened up to me about the stigmas she faced in her own childhood and how they affected her life. She said in her household growing up the mantras were, “What goes on in this house stays in this house,” and “We just simply pray about it.” As a result, she said she learned some unhealthy habits of keeping things secret and processing her thoughts and feelings alone. She said that when people face stigmas about talking about personal issues, it can prevent them from getting the help they need in order to heal.
Jacobs says for her personally, the journey of working with Pastor Kyle and participating in Mentally Mangled has allowed her to unlearn some of the things she was taught so that she can embrace a better way of healing. She says she’s grateful for Pastor Kyle reaching people with the message that, “Theology doesn’t replace therapy, and therapy doesn’t replace theology.”
What Mentally Mangled does
Mentally Mangled helps individuals through free trainings and workshops, conferences, and annual summits that help educate people about mental wellness and help them gain access to services such as counseling and support groups. The Mentally Mangled summit held this past May reached over 100 participants, and Pastor Kyle said that he and his team have trained more than 50 faith leaders on navigating mental health. Learn about upcoming events on their Instagram page or website.
Although Pastor Kyle is a Christian leader, he says “mentally mangled is not just for faith leaders and pastors, it is not about a church, a denomination, or where you come from … it’s universal.” Believing in God or being a person of faith is not a requirement to participate in the program. He assures that anybody and everybody who needs services and help, will get the help they need.
Mentally Mangled events typically cover such issues as what trauma is, what depression looks like, and how to handle an individual that may be struggling with anxiety. The information and resources that are provided come from partnering agencies such as the Minority Behavioral Health Group and Right Direction, both of which are Black-owned. These agencies provide information, therapy, and counseling services for families and individuals via licensed therapists, counselors, and social workers and can advise on low and no-cost options, says Pastor Kyle.
Mentally Mangled is the bridge that brings faith and mental health together, says Pastor Kyle. “If an individual says, ‘Hey, I’m struggling with this, and I need some counseling and therapy,’ we’re able to tap them into one of those two agencies, while being a support,” Pastor Kyle said. The overall goal is to help people identify the signs of those struggling with mental health challenges such as anxiety, and depression and aid in suicide prevention.
Participants at Mentally Mangled workshops and events can expect to be educated and engaged. Pastor Kyle says that the events are interactive and give participants an opportunity to communicate openly in a nonjudgmental space.
Pastor Kyle said there is also honest, transparent conversation at events about what people of faith and behavioral health specialists are dealing with on a day-to-day basis. The events not only look at people in need of mental health services, but also at providers and people helping others, because they deal with their own mental health issues. In addition to providing education and services, they also help connect people who may want to do mental health counseling work to training programs and agencies that can help them enter the field.
What’s next
In September, the Mentally Mangled team in collaboration with faith leader group The Faith Movement has put together a mental health tour that will take place around Cleveland. Each session is free and open to the public. More information and registration is available on the Mentally Mangled Instagram page. In addition, organizations interested in having the Mentally Mangled team come out to do a training or workshop can reach out through the website. Trainings are free, and Mentally Mangled provides food for these events.
Pastor Kyle hopes to see the program expand in the future to more churches, communities, and schools across Ohio. The team hopes that Mentally Mangled’s work will also cause a ripple effect in the community and across generations. Team member Jacobs said that by providing mental health services and bringing light to mental health awareness, the organization can bring about a snowball effect of families passing down wellness, which in turn aids in the health of communities and neighborhoods.
In the meantime, Pastor Kyle has words of encouragement for those of you that might be having mental health struggles. “We need you to stay alive,” he said. “We need you here. Life is important and there is someone somewhere that cares enough to listen and to help you through anything that you’re struggling with. It’s okay to have mental health challenges; I’ve been there.What is not okay is to quit on yourself, and what is okay is to find the help that you need.”
He emphasizes that support doesn’t always come from immediate family or inner circle. “But there is somebody out there that can help you navigate and become mentally strong so that you can have the will to live and the will to fight through the challenges that you may be having.”
To volunteer or donate, visit www.itsamovementohio.org. Visit the Mentally Mangled website to learn about events or request a training. To stay in the loop, and to be notified when the “Mentally Mangled – Let’s Talk Crazy” podcast goes live, find Mentally Mangled on Instagram.