Mark Simon connects with diverse audiences on a variety of topics surrounding mental health wellness. Mark’s life’s work helps people successfully meet the challenges of mental illness, including Bipolar Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder. He fosters awareness about these common conditions, educates the public about mental wellness, and advocates for healthy families that embrace their diversity, including members on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. Additionally, Mark focuses on collaborating with professionals in leadership positions to improve workplace mental health.

Mark’s vision is to create a world without stigma. Short-term, this means a future in which a conversation about mental health is as commonplace as discussing diabetes or heart disease. Long-term, Mark’s vision is to create a future where recovery is within reach for everyone.

Mark believes he can realize this mission by creating the right platform. Through education and awareness, the implementation of inclusive mental health policies in the workplace and government, and with everyday actions taken by individuals, meaningful change can be achieved. Mark is advocating for this shift through his work in corporate Mental Health First Aid, introducing mental health awareness in schools to our future leaders, and sharing his Mental Health Toolkit with people from all walks of life.

Mark Simon’s “why” is to end the stigma that prevents people from getting the mental health and substance abuse support they need. By shattering that stigma and giving light to people in need, Mark helps people see the reality of recovery.

In sharing his story, Mark’s purpose is to ensure that people can reach recovery without the barrier of stigma. Knowing the tolls that mental health challenges can have on relationships, finances, and academic and career success, he is passionate about ensuring people receive the support they need when they need it.

Mark is more than just a certified Mental Health First Aid professional. He is personally familiar with the unique challenges of growing up gay and Latino while managing a disability of his own. This provides Mark with an empathic foundation to connect with people on a deeper level. While his peers rely on their education and experience in the classroom and professional environment, Mark has first-hand experience that helps him relate to people facing mental health challenges. He is an authentic leader driving positive change in mental health awareness, education, and advocacy.

Mark formed his Mental Health Toolkit through his struggles and triumphs. This lived experience informs his tested approach. Mark’s strategies and coping techniques offer actionable steps to overcoming mental health and substance use challenges. In his mental health speeches and Mental Health First Aid courses, he equips audiences with tools that range from mindfulness, socializing and sleep, to nutrition, exercise, professional medical care, and support networks.

Effective workplace strategies for mental health must rise far above the occasional workshop and impersonal mental health speeches. This arms-length methodology leaves the listener cold, and people need to draw on their empathy to make real connections and progress. Mark’s integrated approach helps businesses, educators, and nonprofits build proper mental health awareness and foster positive change in their organizations. Learn more about his targeted and tailored programs to foster mental wellness in the workplace across many industries.

Mark’s experiences in mental health have paralleled his accomplished career in several high-performance corporate roles. Mark has played an active role in initiatives for diversity & inclusion and has been an advocate for mental health at work in many organizations, ranging from Big 4 Consulting firms to Fortune 500 companies.

Mark’s extensive professional background in workplace cultural transformation grants him unique credibility as a speaker and consultant for organizations’ D&I and workplace mental health & wellness pursuits. His services include:

• Mental Health Speeches
• Mental Health Panel Participation
• Workplace Strategies for Mental Health
• Employee Mental Health Program Design
• Alcohol and Drug Awareness Program Design
• Mental Health First Aid
• Diversity & Inclusion Training and Curriculum Design

With audiences ranging from middle and high schools to colleges and universities, Mark’s mental health speeches and programs on alcohol and drug education have reached both administrators and students of all levels, offering them valuable mental health and substance abuse solutions. Mental health awareness and proper coping skills are critical to students’ developmental progress and their education. Addressing their challenges head-on helps them maintain a connection with the adults and peers in their lives.

Mark delivers the following offerings for educators:

• Mental Health Speeches
• Mental Health Training for Teachers
• Mental Health Workshops for College Students
• Alcohol and Drug Awareness Program Development
• Alcohol and Drug Prevention Workshops
• Mental Health Panel Participation

Building on his background in delivering mental health speeches for organizations like National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the American Public Health Association (APHA), Mark Simon is a public speaker with extensive experience leading speaking engagements at events and participating in panels. One of the pitfalls of delivering mental health speeches to nonprofit audiences in maintaining engagement. Mark’s personal experience informs his delivery inviting listeners to connect with him as a human being and mental health professional. This is the crucial connection that creates powerful forward momentum toward greater mental wellness.

Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based, highly interactive course that teaches anyone how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders in real, actionable ways.

The course introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health concerns, builds understanding of their impact and provides an overview of common treatments. Through role-playing and simulations, it demonstrates how to assess a mental health or substance abuse crisis; select interventions; provide initial help; and connect people to professional, peer and social supports as well as self-help resources.

To learn more about Mark’s story and inquire about his mental health speeches, classes, and services, contact him today.