How is Demi Lovato Offering Free Mental Health Help During Her Tour?
Singer and well-known mental health advocate Demi Lovato is offering her fans free therapy sessions on her next tour, in the form of group sessions and motivational speakers at the beginning of every performance.
The former Disney star, who suffered from depression and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, is looking to help erase the stigma.
“I had heard people joke about bipolar, as if it’s that one minute you’re sad, one minute you’re happy. I was worried about the diagnosis at first; I didn’t want anyone to think badly of me” Lovato stated in a recent interview.
The singer plans on providing group therapies and motivational speeches before each show on her upcoming “Tell Me You Love Me” tour. “It’s basically like a therapy session before the concerts and we have speakers from all over. So it’ll be incredible, a very moving and inspiring experience,” shared the artist.
The sessions are being done through a partnership between Lovato and CAST Centers, a mental health program Demi sought help from in 2011. According to CAST’S website:
“Demi overcame her struggles with addiction, eating disorders, bi-polar disorder, and self-harm. She credits Mike Bayer and the team at CAST Centers with providing her with the resources and tools to turn her life around when she needed it most.”
The purpose of the effort is to raise awareness for mental health, a topic Lovato is determined to address in her upcoming performances.
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This piece is based on an article for TheNews.com, which can be read here.
Mike Nickas received his Bachelor of Arts in Film and Multimedia Studies at Florida Atlantic University in December of 2015, and is currently pursuing his second BA at the University of South Florida in psychology with a minor in education. He is the former host of the online news show The Week in Neurodiversity. He also currently works for Dr. Mike Rizzo’s Child Provider Specialists in Weston, FL.