Resources and coaching so people have an easier time speaking up about mental health needs
“We all have bad days. Conflict resolution tools can help us connect despite stigma, awkwardness, and difficult circumstances.”
– Dan Berstein, Mindquity Founder
How Mindquity Came to Be
Seeing rising Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) discrimination claims related to mental health problems, Mindquity was launched in 2023 to help law firms prevent problems. We worked to engage the top 100 law firms by offering them free resources and dedicated programming to help their employees prevent inadvertent mental illness discrimination. We contacted managing partners, human resources, and general counsels in addition to leveraging our own networks.
We found the most success connecting with Lawyers Assistance Plans, who confirmed that many attorneys across the country need and value support accessing reasonable accommodations and navigating stigma at work. We shared free programs with them including published articles, a reasonable accommodation request toolkit, and an anonymous survey lawyers could use to share misconduct concerns.
After facing challenges gaining buy-in from leadership at law firms, we decided to distribute resources directly to employees who are having problems. Realizing that all people with mental health needs could benefit from these tools, we expanded Mindquity’s focus beyond the law firm world – creating a user-friendly Mindquity plaform for anyone who is facing challenging conversations about mental health.
More Detailed Information
MH Mediate
Since 2012, MH Mediate has been at the forefront of mental health and conflict resolution. The company has helped thousands of professionals, at organizations and government agencies throughout the country, providing resources to help them have empowering mental health communication that prevents mental illness discrimination. MH Mediate’s Mindquity platform adapts the best resources to help individuals seek support, pursue accommodations, and overcome rejection.
Dan Berstein
Dan is a mediator living with bipolar disorder, and the author of the book Mental Health and Conflicts: A Handbook for Empowerment, originally published by the American Bar Association in 2022 and republished by DRI Press. Dan’s work combines his professional expertise and academic background with his own personal lived experience living with a mental illness and facing challenges with support, rejection, and accommodations. He brings all of this to the development of the Mindquity platform.
Mental Health Empowerment Coaches
Dispute resolution professionals from around the country opt into Mindquity’s directory of mental health empowerment coaches. When they do, they receive access to resources and training materials to help them follow the Mindquity mental health empowerment coaching model.
Free Resources
Mindquity’s free resources are produced by MH Mediate’s Mental Health Safe Project, and they include a wide variety of conflict resolution tools to help people seek support, overcome rejection and pursue disability accommodations. Some of these resources have been funded by the NY Office of Mental Health and NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and shared as part of Behavioral Health News.