There are plenty of resources available when it comes to getting physically fit, however when it comes to emotional health the wide variety of resources aren’t always readily available. However, Alexa Meyer and Emily Anhalt, PsyD are hoping to change that with their new gym for mental health.
Meyer and Anhalt are the founders of Coa Mental Health Gym. The new gym will offer therapist-led courses that are meant to help participants train to become emotionally stronger. Class attendees can sign up for just one class at a time or sign up for an eight-week series of courses, plus Coa will offer one-on-one therapy sessions.
Meyer shares, “Our mission at Coa is to make mental health resources as common, accessible, and fun as physical fitness. Society has come a long way in making physical fitness proactive in groups and community, but when it comes to mental health, there's still a lot of stigma and difficulty figuring out where to go to get what you need. The lack of community can feel isolating, perpetuating the stigma.”
Initially, Meyer and Anhalt wanted to launch Coa with physical locations, but due to the pandemic, the co-founders are taking the virtual route at this time.
Anhalt explains that she and Meyers met via Twitter. “Alexa was planning to do a mental health pop-up. She got the idea for the pop-up walking around New York City and seeing all the places people could go to improve their physical health, like SoulCycle, Equinox, and 24 Hour Fitness, but when it came to therapy, all the therapists' offices were hidden away. Her idea was, what does it look like to have an equally welcoming space for mental health?”
Anhalt adds that when choosing Coa’s curriculum they focused on the seven human traits of “self-awareness, empathy, mindfulness, curiosity, playfulness, resilience, and communication.”
While Coa will be virtual for the time being, the co-founders imagine that they will eventually offer in-person instruction and therapy in a “modern and fresh” environment that feels, safe, comfortable, and energizing.
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