click to enlarge CP photo: Jared Wickerham
Julius Boatwright, founder of Steel Smiling
Right now, there is an emphasis on physical health and wellness: wash your hands, don't touch your face, eat healthy. But with the recent
stay-at-home order in Allegheny County and the uncertainty of
COVID-19, what about your mental health and wellbeing?
On Wed., March 25, Steel Smiling, a Pittsburgh-based mental-health advocacy group, will launch a free weekly mental health and wellness program, so that Pittsburghers can get the support they need during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Taking place on its
Facebook page every Wednesday through the end of May, Steel Smiling plans to have health and wellness professionals
facilitate experiences on mindfulness, yoga, and other wellness-related activities. Three videos are set to release each week: a morning reflection, a lunchtime mental health moment, and an evening wellness activity. All videos
will range from 15 to 30 minutes and be recorded so they can be streamed at the viewer's convenience.
“Our world needs support now more than ever, and we're going to be there for them," says Julius Boatwright, the founder and CEO of Steel Smiling.
For the first week, Sharise Nance, a licensed clinical social worker, compassion fatigue specialist, and an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work, will host an evening wellness activity starting at 6 p.m.
Find out more about Steel Smiling and Boatwright in
CP's 2019
interview with the founder.