Our Purpose & Mission
The Choosing Help Initiative addresses a critical gap in mental health care: helping individuals overcome the profound psychological barriers that prevent them from seeking treatment. Founded on decades of clinical research, we recognize that fear, shame, mistrust, and denial often keep people from accessing the support they desperately need.
Our mission centers on empowerment rather than coercion. We provide evidence-based tools and interventions that shift mindsets, making the decision to seek help feel possible, safe, and transformative. By combining compassionate understanding with proven strategies, we support families, clinicians, and communities in guiding loved ones toward healing.
Compassionate Approach
Understanding the deep emotional and psychological reasons people avoid treatment without judgment or blame.
Evidence-Based Methods
Interventions grounded in decades of clinical research and proven effectiveness in real-world settings.
Individual Empowerment
Shifting mindsets from within rather than placing burden on families or forcing external change.
The Book: Understanding Why People Avoid Help & Learning How to Help
In Choosing Help, psychologist Tracy Stecker, PhD, offers a groundbreaking guide that explores why individuals resist treatment for mental health and substance use issues. Dr. Stecker draws on extensive clinical research and real-world experience to illuminate the psychological barriers—fear, shame, mistrust, and denial—that keep people from seeking support.
01
Identifying Barriers
Explore the psychological obstacles that prevent individuals from acknowledging they need help and reaching out for support.
02
Understanding Resistance
Learn why traditional approaches often fail and how deeply rooted fears and misconceptions create powerful resistance to change.
03
Shifting Mindsets
Discover innovative intervention strategies that empower individuals to make the decision to seek help on their own terms.
04
Building Support Systems
Develop practical skills for families, clinicians, and communities to create environments where seeking help feels safe and achievable.
What Makes This Book Different
Rather than placing the burden solely on families or communities, Choosing Help introduces a revolutionary intervention model designed to shift the individual's own mindset. This approach makes the decision to seek help not just possible, but genuinely empowering. The book combines scientific rigor with compassionate storytelling, offering readers both understanding and actionable strategies.
- Grounded in decades of clinical research
- Practical intervention strategies for real-world application
- Compassionate framework that respects individual autonomy
- Addresses both mental health and substance use challenges
