Mental Health Champions: How Dr. Mike Brooks of the ‘Austin Psychology & Assessment Center’ Is Helping To Reframe How To Talk About Mental Wellness

Rather than viewing others through a lens of “What mental illness do you have,” my typical perspective is, “What are you struggling with in your life right now?” Most people find viewing their issues as problems or struggles to be less stigmatizing than as a “mental illness.” Thus, we are working on problems to be solved rather than illnesses to be cured. In essence, I’m helping people develop different ways of behaving, thinking, relating, and being. With new tools in their “toolkits,” people can more effectively reduce their struggles and achieve greater life satisfaction.

As a part of my series about “Mental Health Champions” helping to normalize the focus on mental wellness, I had the pleasure to interview Dr. Mike Brooks.