After experiencing grief, Georgia therapist launches nonprofit to offer support
Jamie Kirk first experienced grief at a young age when her father died around the time she was 5. After moving in with her grandparents, she said she never processed what was happening.
“I never understood what was going on, and life just went on,” she told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Kirk, now a licensed psychotherapist, continued to experience trauma and grief throughout her life — including the death of her daughter over 20 years ago. Through those experiences, she learned how deeply grief can shape you as a person.
“I was allowing my anger to kind of take over me, and I knew it was affecting my son,” Kirk explained.
“I realized that a lot of people go through this and don’t have the tools that they need.”
Combating the effects of trauma and grief in her community was one of the main catalysts for creating A New Beginning Mental Health & Wellness, a new nonprofit dedicated to expanding mental health resources and reducing stigma across Atlanta.
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, ANB focuses on providing trauma-informed education and support for individuals and families experiencing grief and trauma as an accessible resource. With core values like compassion-driven care, empowerment through education and cultural relevancy and equity, the organization hopes to make sure “people don’t feel alone during their times of grief.”
ANB kicked off with a launch party Nov. 18, with raffles, prizes and networking opportunities at the Little Five Points Community Center.
The nonprofit will include monthly grief support groups, depression and anxiety workshops and affordable counseling and coaching services. It will also serve as a community center with a focus on mental health.
One of the support groups, the Warring Women Social Club, brings together women who have experienced loss for monthly activities and connection.
“In June, we had Tea Around Town, where we talked about masking our emotions and dealing with our true feelings,” Kirk said.
She hopes to focus the nonprofit’s efforts on young people in Atlanta, many of whom, she says, are not properly dealing with their own grief.
“If I can really start off with the teens, and I can start teaching them emotional regulation and how to deal with depression and anxiety, then they may not need as much therapy as an adult,” Kirk shared.
ANB’s reach extends beyond Atlanta. The organization also has a chapter located in Kirk’s native Los Angeles.
The nonprofit will offer free to low-cost individual and family therapy provided by licensed professionals. In the future, the organization hopes to accept insurance. All community workshops will be free as well, and Kirk aims to expand into schools and juvenile detention centers.
Though Kirk says that service has always been in her heart, stepping into work this personal has brought moments of self doubt.
“I still deal with self-doubt, and sometimes I do get anxious,” she explained. “I have my moments of depression.”
To achieve what she has in such a short period, Kirk has had to push past her self-doubts in order to best support her community.
“Everybody is grieving it, and it trickles down,” she said. “And nobody is above grief, and we’re all gonna grieve someday one way, right?”
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