About Us
Since 1954, the Mental Health Association in Tompkins County has worked to support the mental health and well-being of people throughout our community.
What makes MHA unique is that we are a peer-led and peer-run organization. Lived experience is at the heart of who we are and how we support others. Our Peer Advocates combine their personal experiences with specialized training to provide free, non-clinical support, advocacy, practical tools, and connections to community resources.
We believe in meeting people where they are, recognizing their strengths, and respecting each person's right to define what recovery and wellness mean to them. Peer support isn't about telling someone what to do, it's about walking alongside them, sharing experience, building connection, and helping people find their own path forward.
Today, MHA supports more than 1,500 people each year through Peer Counseling, Family Support, Recovery Services, Social Drop-In, support groups, and community education. We also work throughout Tompkins County to increase understanding of mental health, reduce stigma and discrimination, and make it easier for people to seek support.
Our organization is 1 of 25 affiliates of the Mental Health Association in New York State (MHANYS) and 1 of the 140+ national affiliates of Mental Health America (MHA).
The Mental Health Association in Tompkins County is proud to be an affiliate of Mental Health America (MHA), the nation’s leading nonprofit dedicated to promoting the mental health and well-being of all people living in the United States.
Founded in 1909 by Clifford W. Beers, whose own experiences with mental illness and institutional care inspired a national movement for reform, MHA has a long history of challenging stigma and advocating for the rights and well-being of people with mental health conditions. Today, MHA advances its mission through public education, research, advocacy, public policy, prevention, and resources that help people find support.
More than a century later, lived experience continues to be at the heart of MHA’s work, helping shape how the organization approaches mental health, prevention, policy, and advocacy. Through its network of 130+ affiliates across the country, MHA connects national efforts with organizations like ours working directly in their local communities.
The Mental Health Association in Tompkins County is proud to be an affiliate of the Mental Health Association in New York State (MHANYS), a statewide nonprofit organization working to improve the lives of individuals, families, and communities across New York. Incorporated in 1960, MHANYS works to increase mental health awareness, reduce stigma and discrimination, promote wellness and recovery, and ensure that New Yorkers have access to the support they need. Through education, training, advocacy, public policy, and community partnerships, MHANYS works to create a New York where mental health is valued and supported.
MHANYS and its network of local affiliates bring this mission into communities across the state, connecting statewide advocacy and education with services and support at the local level.
The Mental Health Bell:
A Symbol of Hope
For generations, people living with mental illness were often restrained with iron chains and shackles in institutions, reflecting the fear, stigma, and misunderstanding surrounding mental health at the time.
In the 1950s, Mental Health America collected discarded chains and shackles from institutions across the country. On April 13, 1956, they were melted down at the McShane Bell Foundry in Baltimore and recast into the 300-pound Mental Health Bell.
Today, the Bell is a powerful symbol of hope, dignity, and freedom from stigma and discrimination. Its legacy is also reflected in the bell imagery incorporated into the logos of Mental Health America , Mental Health Association in New York State, and Mental Health Association affiliates throughout the United States, connecting their work today to the movement’s long history of advocacy and change.