Keeping Mental Health in the Conversation
At Mental Health Lou (501 c3), we partner with mental health professionals, local organizations, and community members to expand access to mental wellness resources across Louisville. Our mission is to break down barriers to care and reduce stigma through inclusive education and impactful workshops — all while prioritizing support for historically underserved and overlooked neighborhoods throughout our city.
Board members Shannon Gonter, Dr. Markquetta Johnson, Carmellia Jackson-Hurley, Laura Watkins and Executive Director Amanda Villaveces at Sidewalk Talk in 2025
Our Origin Story
Our journey began with a mission to create and promote a mental health calendar for Mental Health Awareness Month (May) in partnership with local nonprofits. In our first year, we successfully organized 25 events that engaged the community and raised awareness about mental health.
As interest and participation grew, so did our ambitions at Mental Health Lou. By 2020, we had planned 50 workshops, set to make an even greater impact. However, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic introduced new challenges, underscoring the urgent need for connection with mental health providers.
In response, Mental Health Lou evolved into a wellness hub—a central resource designed to connect individuals with mental health services and providers. We developed a comprehensive, free-to-use database of providers, benefiting both the community and professionals alike. This project quickly gained the support of the Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness (LMPHW) and has since connected over 1,000 people to services across Kentucky.
With this strong foundation, Mental Health Lou has continued to expand its offerings. Our wellness hub now serves as a vital resource for navigating the often complex mental health landscape. We bring professional mental health practitioners into businesses, schools, and other organizations to teach workshops and mental health skills, offer free suicide prevention workshops, and collaborate with local professionals to make mental health programs accessible to the public.
Today, Mental Health Lou is dedicated to fostering a community where mental health resources are readily available, and the conversation about mental well-being is open and ongoing. Our journey reflects the power of collaboration and the significant impact of our dedicated efforts to enhance mental health awareness and support within our community.
Meet Our Team
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Amanda (she/her) is the founding Director of Mental Health Lou and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice. She loves to approach mental health in creative ways that improve accessiblity for everyone. She regularly hosts workshops and helps with the development of Mental Health Lou projects.
You can contact her at: amanda@mentalhealthlou.com
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Emily (she/her) has been with Mental Health Lou from almost the very beginning and is a crucial part of the team. She helps individuals seeking referrals, manages our database and presents Talk Saves Lives presentations for all types of organizations!
We are so thankful to have Emily on our team!
Contact Emily at: hello@mentalhealthlou.com
Meet Our Board
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Liz Bryan Amick is the owner of Alignment Bookkeeping and Finance. Her experience includes over 20 years in the fields of education, personal and small business finance, community relations, and mental health support. A Chicago native, she has a BA in English from the University of Iowa, and an MS in Family and Consumer Sciences from University of Kentucky. The current President of the Friends of the Louisville Free Public Library, Liz has worked with many non-profit agencies since making Louisville her home in 2008.
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As a practicing licensed mental health therapist in Kentucky - Shannon sees first hand the powers that 1-1 counseling has in peoples lives. She knows the counseling hour is important and helpful - but she also knows it is just one piece of the puzzle. Humans need to be connected with their communities and have access to spaces they feel safe bringing all parts of themselves to. That is one of the main reasons Shannon got connected with Mental Health Lou from the beginning - to normalize mental health in everyday conversations and bringing all parts of ourselves into safe spaces. The mission to decrease stigma and increase access to mental wellness care fits right into the personal and professional goals Shannon has for herself and her community. She is a proud member of the board and she is personally committed to the healing process and will never stop growing herself with hopes to bring this into others lives with the work she does professionally.
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Samantha is the author of Alive AF-One Anxious Mom’s Journey to Becoming Alcohol Free and co-author of best selling books The Epiphanies Project and Boy Moms. Through writing and speaking, Samantha is passionate about sharing her personal battle with anxiety in an effort to normalize the discussion of mental health struggles. In her work, Samantha encounters the importance of prioritizing mental health and sees how critical access to mental health is to our community. Samantha is a proud board member of Mental Health Lou and You because they are keeping mental health in the conversation and helping the entire community put mental health first.
Looking for ways to get move involved?
We have current openings for our programming, fundraising, and networking committees as well as open board seats.
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As a first generation professional and the eldest of three girls, Melina is an advocate first and foremost. Having grown up in Montgomery, Alabama (the first capital of the Confederacy and the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement), Melina knows firsthand the impact of history and power imbalances on us. As a result, Melina brings a hard-won perspective as an educator and community advocate to the practice of law. As a family lawyer, Melina often sees the positive benefits when clients have access to mental health services. Melina proudly serves on the board for the Mental Health Lou Fund to ensure her clients and the court systems continue to keep mental health in the conversations.
Ways to get involved…
VOLUNTEER
DONATE
TAKE CARE OF YOU
Our Memberships…
Mental Health Advocacy is an important part of our mission, which is why we actively join and connect with organizations throughout Kentucky that focus on mental health and wellbeing. We’re proud to be a members and/or donors of the following organizations and encourage you to follow and support them as well!
