She Dreams In Color Foundation
$800 is a health plan for one woman
Our Mission
The She Dreams In Color Foundation
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raises money to provide free and reduced cost mental health therapy.
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uses storytelling, curated events, and arts integrated programs, to reduce the stigma of mental health needs and seeking care, as well as, help reduce loneliness and social isolation - an epidemic in the United States.
Established in May 2022, the
She Dreams In Color Foundation funds mental health private practices to provide reduced cost mental health therapy to marginalized women in Charlotte.
We also curate free and reduced cost mental health providers on our Find Therapy portal for anyone to find accessible care, a click away.
We prioritize investing in and partnering with women, minority, and LGBTQ-owned small businesses to provide programming, host events, share experiences, and build community for those seeking connection.
Interview Series & Podcast
Through our two-time Telly Award Winning video and podcast storytelling series, She Dreams In Color Foundation is helping remove the stigma of mental health needs and seeking mental health care.
In four years, we've reached more than 21,700 people online with our interviews.
Women on our series discuss their Occupations & a personal Obstacle while sharing insight into their own experiences with therapy and mental health.
What we do
Our goal is to raise 10,000 therapy hours to provide mental health care for marginalized women in Charlotte.
In 2023, our Board of Directors voted to define marginalized as Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, Asian-American, Pacific Islander, and other women of color living below Federal Poverty guidelines and living in one of six health disparity zip codes in Mecklenburg County. Funds are distributed to private practices in Charlotte, with multiple licensed providers, who represent and serve the women we have designated our funding. In Charlotte, the health disparity zip code communities have historically been referred to as "the crescent" which are plagued with health and other social inequalities.
We provide eight therapy sessions, per woman. Our private practice partners receive a $100 reimbursement per hour of mental health care they provide. The average cost for self-pay therapy in North Carolina is $180. Because 75% of mental health therapists are women and 25% self-identify as a minority we want our providers reimbursed for their services as close to cost as possible. Funding private practice providers helps Charlotte woman-owned small businesses in our community.
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To help mental health be accessible to all, we curate mental health providers who are available at $70/hr to free in our Find Therapy portal. These providers are available to anyone, regardless of income. Our work reduces the effort it takes to find affordable care, which is a leading barrier to mental health.
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Each year, we host the Queen's Tea Party, a program to destigmatize mental health needs and seeking care. We deploy art, alternative healing modalities, research-based community building tools, and other elements that make the afternoon one that replenishes attendees, reminds them of their own mental health needs, and connections to stories and solutions of other women's experiences.
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Our Postcards to Future Self program is a third-person, future speak mental health modality that gives participants a moment to write themselves a note of love, grace, and reflection. Our organization mails the postcard back to the author after two months. This tangible medium, on postcards designed by women art entrepreneurs we commissioned, is a reminder that you are your own best guide.
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We use our Interview Series and Podcast as outreach to normalize seeking mental health services to show the positive impacts of therapy and to show a diversity of women speaking on benefits of mental wellness. Research and clinical trials in 2022 proved that internet-based storytelling with stigma-related content have an impact on reducing negative mental health stigmas. Read more.