When Jayden Haggler signed up for an introductory mental health and addiction course to fulfill his general education requirements at USF, he expected little more than a routine class on his path to graduation.
“One of my requirements for my general eds was a class in public health or mental health, and it didn’t matter to me what the class was,” he said. “But when I got there, it opened my mind so much. Where I grew up, nobody really cared about mental health and nobody really talked about it.”
The course, Mental Illness and Addiction, offered through the Department of Behavioral Health Science and Practice in the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, introduced Haggler to how mental health has been perceived throughout history. Although public awareness has grown, he was struck by how deeply the stigma still shapes people’s experiences.
The course really humanized mental health. These are actual people who are experiencing real issues, and that for me was a lot to take in.
Jayden Haggler
For their final project in the course, students design a resource or advocacy tool to address mental health stigma.
“Students can pick any diagnosis, any stigma, any population, and they imagine a solution in a perfect world with all the funding in the world and all the opportunity at their fingertips, to eliminate or reduce that stigma,” said Emilie Ellenberg, PhD, LMHC, Haggler’s instructor.
The Big Let Go introduces children to the idea of anxiety and how to cope with it in healthy ways.
The solution, Haggler thought, was to reach children before stigma could take root. While his group moved forward with another idea for their final project, he couldn’t shake the concept he developed: a children’s book that could introduce mental health at the earliest ages.
“So how about we do this?” he recalled thinking. “We’re going to partner with doctors and clinicians to teach these concepts through children’s books. If we start early with the next generation, eventually they’re going to build a society where the conversation is as normal as ‘How are you doing today?’”
Haggler teamed up with his good friend Donavin Hansberry to co-author the book, and together they worked with mental health professionals — including Ellenberg — to ensure it was evidence-based and developmentally appropriate. They also added a caregiver guide to help adults navigate conversations with children.
The result was The Big Let Go, which introduces children to the idea of anxiety and how to cope with it in healthy ways. Published just two months ago, it is already available through three large retailers and five library systems across the country. Several private schools have adopted it, and Haggler hopes public schools will follow.
“This is such an excellent example of taking what is learned in the classroom and turning it into something with real-world impact” said Kathleen Moore, PhD, research professor in the Department of Behavioral Health Science and Practice and executive director of the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, who originally developed the Mental Illness and Addiction course in 2018, alongside Catherine Batsche, PhD.
"Jayden’s persistence in carrying out his project is an inspiration to both students and faculty. This is exactly the type of impact we hoped for when we created the course," added Batsche.
Building a Movement
Alongside launching the book, Haggler and Hansberry created Shift Towards Hope, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting mental health literacy through education, community engagement, and creative initiatives.
“The ‘shift’ is the power the next generation has to create cultural change,” Haggler explained when sharing the organization’s name. “And the ‘hope’ is that mental health is no longer a taboo subject.”
Shift Towards Hope is already exploring opportunities to create short films, podcasts, YouTube content, and other digital resources that blend education with social media platforms children consume — a combination Haggler believes can be transformative for children ages 4 to 8.
“When you take education and social media and put them together, it’s the perfect recipe to install something into that child’s brain,” he said. “So, let’s install something that’s actually useful.”
Haggler met with Ellenberg at the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences recently to thank her for her guidance and feedback.
Haggler and Hansberry hope to expand the organization’s mission to include programs that bring mental health professionals directly to students in schools, especially in communities where access is limited. They’re also launching a nationwide college ambassador program with the first chapters on the campuses of USF and the University of California San Diego, and they hope to eventually sponsor college students who want to be published and who are passionate about advancing mental health awareness.
“It’s something we cannot do alone,” he said. “When people who care about this join, the conversation happens more often and is no longer a silenced one. And when it’s in the light, we can actually address these issues.”
Haggler graduated from USF in May with a degree in biomedical sciences. He is pursuing medical school, where he plans to focus on neurology and psychology, and he is considering programs that pair medicine with a master’s in nonprofit administration.