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Critically Acclaimed New York Mental Health Cable Show Struggling to Survive

Jacob Berelowitz prepares to tape an episode of Talk Therapy TV. Photo courtesy of the New York Daily News.

National Association of Social Workers member Jacob Berelowitz started the Talk Therapy TV program on New York City local cable systems to educate the public about mental health.

That was because Berelowitz, 27, who did clinical work at Holliswood Hospital while still in graduate school,  found many families were bewildered about mental illnesses and how to get treatment.

Talk Therapy TV started as special in late 2009 and went weekly in 2010 and has been a hit, according to this column in the New York Daily News.

Berelowitz has attracted a slate of top notch guests, including New York State Office of Mental Health Commissioner Dr. Michael Hogan and A. Kathryn Power, director of the federal Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Talk Therapy TV is now seen on five local cable networks with potential viewers of more than 1.6 million and Berelowitz is considering airing the program in Albany, the state capital.

But there is a danger Talk Therapy TV could go dark just when things are looking brightest.

Berelowitz funds the program out of his own pocket and money is growing low. And although Talk Therapy TV is a 501c-3 nonprofit group it has difficulty attracting funding from foundations and other grant-making organizations because it is not a long-running organization.

“It’s so challenging, because we have all these officials saying they love what you’re doing, but…,” Berelowitz said in the column. “Honestly, I don’t know how long I can continue, which is a shame, because the show is blossoming.”

To find out more about how you can help Talk Therapy TV survive read the New York Daily News column or visit the program’s web site by clicking here. You can also find out more about how social workers help clients overcome mental illnesses by visiting the National Association of Social Workers’ “Help Starts Here” Mind and Spirit web site by clicking here.

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