About
StrongMinds democratizes access to mental health care for people with depression, globally.
About Us
StrongMinds is a global nonprofit organization driven by the fundamental belief that mental health is a human right and the foundation of thriving families and communities. We deploy ground‑breaking innovations to bring free, evidence‑based, culturally-relevant mental health care to some of the world’s most under‑resourced populations.
StrongMinds works with governments across Africa to embed group talk therapy into existing public infrastructure, reaching people where they already are – in communities, schools, health systems, and correctional facilities. While we began by focusing on women and adolescents, we now treat people of all genders and ages in low‑resource settings, while maintaining a strong emphasis on women and youth. Our programs are delivered by trained local facilitators using a low‑cost, scalable model that is proven to help people recover from depression, with independent evaluations and effective‑giving organizations highlighting StrongMinds as a cost‑effective way to improve mental health and life outcomes in Africa.
Our Story
StrongMinds grew from the conviction of Sean Mayberry, a former diplomat and social marketer, that mental health is often overlooked in international development, with devastating results.
While living and working in Africa for nearly a decade implementing HIV/AIDS and malaria programs, Sean saw firsthand the struggles and lack of access to treatment for those suffering from mental illness and was inspired to find a solution. In 2013, he read about the findings of a randomized controlled trial in Uganda in 2002 that had remarkable success in treating depression with group interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT-G). The study, by researchers from Johns Hopkins University (JHU), used lay community workers with only a high school education. The idea for StrongMinds was born.
Sean left his position as the CEO of a global antipoverty organization and founded StrongMinds, concentrating in Uganda, the site of the previous randomized controlled trial. The organization was incorporated in the United States in February 2013 with no funds. Sean used his family’s savings and volunteered full-time for the first 18 months until supporters were identified.
In our first decade of operation (2013-2023), StrongMinds proved that a simple, cost-effective, and impactful depression treatment model can be implemented at scale by community members in Africa. We demonstrated to global mental health experts that depression treatment can be made widely accessible at the community level—the majority of our depression group leaders are volunteers with low levels of education and literacy.
Our radical expansion of depression treatment in Africa has only just begun. By 2035 StrongMinds will ensure that evidence-based mental health care is abundantly available in schools and communities across the continent.
Our Vision for 2035
We spent our first decade proving that community-delivered depression treatment can succeed in Africa. Now, the urgent challenge is to see how fast we can make it a common good. By 2035, we envision a world where mental health care is embedded in all public services across Africa.
Getting there rests on the pivot we made in 2022: moving from delivering therapy ourselves to embedding our model inside government systems. Today every client is treated by a government community health worker— not by StrongMinds staff — and that shift is what makes national scale possible.
We pair it with a relentless focus on affordability, having brought the cost of treatment from over $400 per person in 2014 to around $10 today, because a model is only sustainable if a government can afford to run it. Our path in each country is deliberate and the same: prove impact, earn government buy-in, then integrate into national health and education systems, moving at the pace each country’s infrastructure allows. Our confidence comes from our track record — we grew sixfold in three years — and from the operational discipline to sustain that pace while protecting quality.
What Catalytic Funding Will Make Possible
Our bold vision relies on catalytic funding that will support the multi-year process of handing our depression treatment model over to governments to fully own and finance. We are working hard to develop leaner, more lightweight group therapy models that are even easier for governments to absorb — our goal is to bring the cost down to less than US$1 per person, a price point at which governments and communities can finance the program on their own. Catalytic investment would fund the period of adaptation and innovation to support this transition. The demand from governments is there and the need is urgent.
StrongMinds Is Guided by Its Core Values
WE ARE PEOPLE-FOCUSED
Our clients are the top priority and we ensure they receive the best possible care and support. Our employees matter and we enable our team to thrive. We respect all our stakeholders and treat them as equals.
WE THINK BIG AND ACT FAST
We are passionate about achieving our bold mission. We move with urgency and focus on achieving scale. We continually find new ways to work and to solve problems.
WE ARE DATA-DRIVEN
Data is at our core. It guides us and drives our decision-making. We are committed to using data to measure our impact and continually improve the outcomes we achieve.
WE DO WHAT WE SAY
We are open, direct, and honest in our communications. We do what we say and say what we do. No funny business.
WE ARE COLLABORATIVE
We are collaborative and do not compete with other mental health implementers. We welcome their contributions and partner with them whenever possible. Internally, we foster a culture of mutual support, prioritizing collaboration and teamwork in pursuit of our mission.
A closer look at results from this evidence-based approach.