Logan Lynn, Chief Impact Officer, talks about a changing approach to mental health care – making it cool! Trillium Family Services, through the Keep Oregon Well campaign, is partnering with artists from across the country and world to talk about the importance of acknowledging and treating mental health. In this special edition interview, Logan opens up about his own journey with mental health care, why this work is so important, and how we all can show up for Mental Health at Sunday Parkways and beyond!

Can you tell me more about Trillium? Your services and the people you serve?

I am a person who has a history of drug addiction, child abuse and depression. I worked in music and was approached to mix my music with Keep Oregon Well.

Why is it important to connect the mental health conversation to music?

Keep Oregon Well was the intervention I needed when I was a kid.  Music was a connector for me and it has the possibility to save lives...

We (Trillium Family Services) reach about 2.5 million people every week [through our radio station work and outreach programs]. We do outreach events. We partner with Charlie XCX and team up with [other] artists. We made mental healthcare cool. We had about 18 girls lining up for Charlie XCX, who was talking about our show, and we we’re like: “We did it! We made mental health cool!”

Who does this impact? Why is this work important?

It’s sort of like you’re on an airplane and they tell you to put on your own mask first, we are doing that for the community; if you don’t take care of yourself, you’re not good for your community, your job, your relationships. So everything you care about can flourish, [if you practice self-care].

What are some of the myths around mental illness?

Think of mental health like physical health. Some days my back feels great, some days it doesn’t and I go to my chiropractor. Replace chiropractor with therapist. Mental health looks different for everybody, but there is no day we go without our brains. We’ve been told that we should be ashamed about one part of our body and that’s why for 20 years I’ve been talking about mental health. Since I think its preposterous that I should feel ashamed about one part of my body…my brain.

1 in 4 Oregonians will experience a mental health crisis in their lifetime*. The national average is 1 in 5. The myth is that people think it’s a character flaw, not a natural part of life. At any given time 139K people are getting mental health care services. For example, if you broke your arm you would got to the doctor and get it fixed. There is no shame involved in breaking your arm. [On the other hand,] if you are having a mental struggle there is not a lot of casseroles brought to your house, there’s not a lot of calling around, [instead] there is a lot of shame. We [at Keep Oregon Well] celebrate neural diversity, my brain being different is part of my magic.

So, how do we know it’s time to get mentally healthy? And what can we do for ourselves or others when we see someone’s mental health waning?

We have tons of resources posted on KeepOregonWell.com. The best place to start is yourself. Acknowledge your struggles, get a therapist, and make a recovery plan. I know it’s possible. I’ve lived that.

How did y ’all come up with the motto “Keep Oregon Well”?

My first day here, I was talking with Trillium CEO Kim Scott and brainstorming on how we should be able to build a whole social movement around Keeping Oregon Well -  and it sprung from there!

I know that you have worked with KP to further broadcast this messaging about keeping Oregon well. How did you begin this partnership with Kaiser Permanente?

Trillium is Oregon’s largest mental health provider for children and families. Kaiser Permanente is a huge supporter of Trillium through its programs. KP is a long-term partner of Trillium. Another main supporter is KINK. We’ve worked together to saturate the market and we decided to create wellness hubs at Sunday Parkways together. Kaiser Permanente has their find their words campaign about (1) story telling (2) identifying people with lived experiences [and helping them] share their stories (3) and finding common ground to work together. We are also a partner with Kaiser Permanente’s Sticker hunt**.

What kind of activity will you be providing at Sunday Parkways?

Partners with Keep Oregon Well work to fight stigma. We pass out advocacy swag and we will be handed out swag for all participants at Sunday Parkways who make the pledge. KINK is there because of the music is a big part of Keep Oregon Well’s making community.

* Logan Lynn: Social determinants of health include addressing: racism, poverty, gentrification, homophobia and hunger. Left unattended these experiences will turn to trauma.

** Trillium is one of three mental health organizations that will receive $3,000 from Kaiser Permanente as a partner in its social cause campaign to talk about Mental Health and Healthy living at Sunday Parkways. For every Sticker Hunt that was turned in, Kaiser Permanente will provide $5 to one of the mental health organizations, which equals roughly be $3,000 for Trillium Family Services. Thank you, Portland, for making that possible!!

Want more information on National Mental Health Data? Check out the Mental Health America website.  

Photos Courtesy of the Q Center and Trillium Family Services.