PROMOTING WELLNESS

A GUIDE TO COMMUNITY ACTION

USING THIS GUIDE

This guide aims to inspire communities to promote wellness. The tools in this guide define wellness and present a 

number of ways communities can share the message that wellness is central to recovery from behavioral health 

conditions. Since the path to wellness is different for each individual and community, this guide includes a range 

of recommendations that can be tailored to a community’s unique considerations. 

What Is Wellness?

Wellness has a personal meaning for each individual, so it can be 

defined in many ways. In general, wellness refers to overall well-being. 

More than the absence of disease or stress, wellness involves having: 

• Purpose in life;

• Active involvement in satisfying work and play;

• Joyful relationships;

• A healthy body and living environment; and

• Happiness.i

Eight Dimensions of Wellness

Source: Adapted from Swarbrick, M. (2006). A Wellness Approach. 

Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 29(4), 311–314.

Wellness incorporates many dimensions of health, each of which 

is interconnected within an individual’s total well-being. SAMHSA’s 

Wellness Initiative supports embracing the Eight Dimensions of 

Wellness—emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, 

physical, social, and spiritual—to achieve longevity and improved 

quality of life.

www.samhsa.gov/wellness-initiative
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Why Are We Talking About Wellness? 

The Wellness Initiative was inspired by data showing that individuals diagnosed with 

serious mental illness (SMI) and served by the public mental health system die years 

earlier than the general population.ii They also experience diabetes, high blood pressure 

and cholesterol, hypertension, and obesity at 1.5 to 2 times the rate of the general 

population.iii, iv, v

Wellness can decrease risk factors leading to premature death among individuals with 

behavioral health conditions. 

What Can Communities Do?

By creating an environment that is socially inclusive, communities can help individuals 

thrive in many areas of their lives and positively impact their overall wellness. 

Socially inclusive communities recognize that each member offers unique strengths that help meet the needs of the entire 

community. They also provide opportunities for individuals in recovery from mental or substance use disorders and trauma 

to contribute as students, colleagues, parents, spouses, congregants, citizens, community members, hobbyists, workers, and 

more. 

What Is National Wellness Week?

In 2011, SAMHSA launched the first National Wellness Week as part of SAMHSA’s Recovery Month to inspire individuals 

and communities to incorporate the Eight Dimensions of Wellness into their lives. Celebrated the third week of September 

every year, National Wellness Week is part of SAMHSA’s Recovery Support Strategic Initiative and encourages individuals in 

recovery and those who support them to commit to wellness. 

Each day of National Wellness Week focuses on a wellness dimension: 

Sunday: Environmental Dimension

Monday: All Dimensions Work Together

Tuesday: Physical Dimension

Wednesday: Intellectual Dimension

Thursday: Spiritual Dimension

Friday: Social and Emotional Dimension

Saturday: Financial and Occupational Dimensions

GETTING INVOLVED

National Wellness Week offers an excellent opportunity to improve the overall health of a community while showcasing the 

talents of its members. Since wellness can look different across communities—based on culture, circumstances, resources and 

other factors—get creative and brainstorm unique ways to incorporate the Eight Dimensions of Wellness into your community. 

If you’re involved in an activity, e-mail us at wellness@samhsa.hhs.gov with details about your event. We’ll post it, so others 

can see what you’re planning. 

NATIONAL PARTNERS: 

Encourage your local 

chapters to take part in 

National Wellness Week, and 

help get the word out!
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How Can We Integrate Wellness Year-Round? 

National Wellness Week is a great opportunity to amplify the wellness message, but there are many ways you can spread the 

word throughout the year. Consider these steps:

1. Featuring wellness-related articles and case studies in organizational newsletters, e-mail communications, and 

websites.

2. Creating or expanding a learning community, via a web page or e-mail account, where people can share ideas and 

announce activities that enhance community wellness. 

3. Sharing Wellness Initiative materials at meetings and activities with local officials, schools, or other community leaders. 

4. For more ideas, check out what other communities have done at http://www.samhsa.gov/wellness-initiative.

What Messages Can We Share? 

SAMHSA’s vision is that peers with behavioral health conditions achieve optimal health, 

happiness, recovery, and full and satisfying lives in the community. One way to get there 

is to communicate consistently about wellness and the health conditions that can be 

prevented. 

Here are some facts to use in presentations, materials, and social media activities: 

• Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) die years earlier than the general 

population, mostly due to preventable medical conditions, such as heart disease 

and diabetes.vi

• Wellness can improve quality of life and increase years of life, especially for 

individuals with behavioral health conditions. 

• Wellness incorporates eight dimensions of health, all of which are interconnected. 

• National Wellness Week, celebrated in September as part of National Recovery 

Month, encourages individuals and communities to improve health behaviors, 

while also exploring their talents, skills, interests, social connections, and 

environment to incorporate other dimensions of wellness into their lives.

How Do We Partner for Wellness? 

Think outside the box when looking for local partnership opportunities. While behavioral 

health-related organizations may seem like an obvious choice for wellness activities, 

consider where and how the people you’re trying to communicate with spend their 

time, so that you can reach them in meaningful ways. If you’re trying to reach parents, 

for example, you may consider partnering with an organization that provides day care 

services to distribute materials about wellness. 

Consider partners that share your goals, represent your audience, or can reach the 

people you want to take action. 

APPLYING CULTURAL 

RELEVANCE

Alameda County Behavioral 

Health Care Services in 

California made a commitment 

to Wellness, with a slightly 

different take on the Eight 

Dimensions of Wellness. In 

the spirit of cultural relevancy 

(and social marketing), the 

organization sought the input 

of its community to determine 

what the eight dimensions 

mean for them. 

Alameda County has been 

one of the most active 

communities in the country by 

organizing wellness dialogues 

and carrying out engaging 

wellness activities that include 

diverse stakeholders.

Alameda County’s

 Dimensions of Wellness
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Local groups and professionals that may be interested in teaming up 

to promote wellness may include:

• Advocates

• Behavioral health providers

• Business and professional associations

• Colleges and universities

• Faith-based organizations and faith leaders

• Hospital and clinic administrators 

• Local businesses (e.g., grocery stores, retail stores)

• Local school district or charter schools

• Musicians and performing artists

• Non-profit organizations

• Parent groups 

• Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)

• Physical fitness and nutrition practitioners 

• Police forces, firefighters, and emergency services workers

• Primary care providers 

• Recovery community organizations

• United Way of America

• YMCA 

• Youth groups and organizations

DEVELOPING STRONG PARTNERSHIPS FOR WELLNESS

1. Create a team to identify and engage partners. Engaging colleagues, friends, and community members interested in 

spreading the word about wellness and enlisting their support can help get the job done while sharing the wellness 

message in your community. Your colleagues may also have connections in the community that can help you expand 

the reach of your efforts. 

2. Consider partners that reflect the cultures in your community. Having an array of partners that reflect the diversity of 

your community will help ensure that you address your community in a culturally inclusive manner and direct them to 

culturally appropriate supports and services. 

3. Prepare materials for partner recruitment. The two questions most organizations or individuals will ask when you 

reach out to collaborate is “What’s in it for me?” and “What do you want me to do?” Craft materials that communicate 

these answers clearly. 

4. Recruit. It’s time to pick up the phone, schedule a meeting, and put all you’ve prepared to work! Remember, common 

ground leads to meaningful collaboration—so emphasize how the wellness message relates to a potential partner’s 

mission and vision. Avoid terms that may be unfamiliar to them (e.g., use “heart health” instead of “cardiovascular 

health”), and present the messages that would best compel them to get involved. 

5. Engage partners early in the planning process. Depending on the partnership role you’ve defined for your activity 

or event, a true partner should be engaged from the beginning. Partnerships are a two-way street, so consider the 

benefits to partners for their support, such as positive earned media coverage, online recognition for local wellness 

activities, cross-promotional efforts on social media, and opportunities to network with other leaders in your 

community.

PRESENTING ON WELLNESS? 

USE OUR SLIDES!

At your next partner 

recruitment meeting, 

customize our “Bringing 

Wellness to Your Community” 

PowerPoint presentation to 

demonstrate the importance of 

wellness. 

Download it at www.samhsa.

gov/wellness-initiative.
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How Can We Use Social Media?

Use SAMHSA’s Facebook page and Twitter account (#ShareWellness) as active forums to 

start conversations about Wellness, engage with your target audiences, and encourage 

the use of Wellness materials on the SAMHSA website. 

You can promote Wellness tips, alert your audience to upcoming events, and remind 

your community about the Wellness Community Activation Kit’s Step-by-Step Guide, 

PowerPoint, fact sheets, and PSAs.

How Do We Talk With Media Outlets? 

Reaching out to local media organizations is one of the most effective strategies to 

share information about wellness for a broad audience. Media can include magazines, 

newspapers, television and radio stations, as well as online news and blog sites. Take 

advantage of the media’s role in educating and informing the public on important issues 

by working with them to raise awareness about the value of wellness. 

LEARNING YOUR COMMUNITY’S MEDIA LANDSCAPE

Are there one or two daily newspapers? Are there community or ethnic publications? Is 

there a television news station in your city or town, or is it located several towns away? 

Does the radio news feature interviews with local personalities?

As you consider the media options in your community, think about those that would be 

the best suited to report about wellness and your wellness activities. To obtain media 

coverage in your community, you can request, or “pitch,” feature stories, expert resources, 

customizable pre-written articles, calendar items for local events, op-ed (i.e., opposite the 

editorial page) articles and letters to the editor, and blog entries. 

PITCHING TO THE MEDIA

• Be brief—Before making the call, narrow your message down to a brief sentence or two. Tell reporters who you are and 

where you are calling from and that you have an idea for an important health story. 

• Be creative—Consider the various perspectives and elements that a reporter could use to cover the story. Know the 

kinds of stories the reporter often writes and try to fit your story into their mold. 

• Be persistent—If a health reporter is not interested in covering your story during National Wellness Week, an arts and 

entertainment reporter may be if it is art-related. 

• Be compelling—Stories of people helping others overcome challenges in your community are powerful. They illustrate 

the importance of well-being and provide the human-interest angle that reporters love. 

• Be prepared—When you offer a spokesperson for your story, be sure that the person is willing and ready to talk to a 

reporter, understands the overall outreach goal, and is prepared with the appropriate messages. 

• Be convincing—Use compelling data (included above) that shows wellness is essential for overall health and recovery 

so that reporters will be more likely to believe your messages. 

• Be quotable—Think about the best way to describe the impact of wellness and prepare some short sentences for your 

spokespersons in advance of their interviews. 

PARTNERING FOR CREATIVE 

EXPRESSION OF WELLNESS

As part of National Wellness 

Week in 2012, Peerlink, the 

National Empowerment 

Center, the National Mental 

Health Consumers’ Self-Help 

Clearinghouse, NAMI Star 

Center, and the Family Cafe 

TA Center partnered to host 

the Wellness Works Initiative. 

The organizations invited 

peers in recovery from mental 

and substance use disorders 

and trauma to submit a piece 

of original creative work 

expressing what wellness 

meant in their life and for the 

community. 

Artists submitted art, 

poems, songs, and videos 

to display in the Wellness 

Works online gallery, raising 

public awareness about the 

importance of embracing a 

wellness-based perspective.
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How Do We Collaborate With Public Opinion Leaders? 

Public opinion leaders can extend the reach and impact of your wellness events and messages by providing information from 

a reliable source. When messages are delivered by public opinion leaders, relevant audiences will be more receptive to the 

information and hopefully, motivated to improve their wellness. 

FINDING THE RIGHT LEADER

When we think of public opinion leaders, we often think of legislators, but there are 

other trusted, respected figures who can help you reach your audiences and inspire 

them to take action.

To identify the right public opinion leader to approach, consider your audience. Who 

is important to them? Who do they listen to? Then look at the four categories of types 

of public opinion leaders (see below) and start writing down names.

Public Opinion Leaders 

Elected Officials—Mayors, City Council members, school board members, district/

county judges, County Board members, State representatives, members of Congress

Civic Leaders—Government officials, police/fire chiefs, school superintendents, 

business owners/CEOs, Chamber of Commerce officers

Respected Leaders—Religious leaders, business and neighborhood association 

officers, youth/school athletic coaches, college/university leaders, local celebrities or 

heroes, behavioral health advocates

Networked Leaders—PTA officers, charity organization leaders, behavioral health 

support service providers, union organization leaders

ASKING PUBLIC OPINION LEADERS 

Celebrating National Wellness Week offers the perfect opportunity to solicit action and support from public opinion leaders. 

Here are some ideas that engaged public opinion leaders can help promote wellness activities in your community: 

• Sponsor a proclamation—Elected officials often write proclamations to commend individuals or to announce upcoming 

events or celebrations. See the sidebar for steps for securing one.

• Serve as an honorary chairperson—A high-visibility public opinion leader could serve as your wellness event or 

program’s honorary chairperson, creating multiple opportunities to bring more attention to the issue of wellness in your 

community. These leaders can speak at events, participate in media interviews, and even lead wellness activities with 

your audience.

• Byline an opinion piece or letter to the editor—What appears in the local newspaper’s editorial section still matters in 

many communities. Encourage a public opinion leader to write and submit an op-ed or letter to your local newspaper 

supporting wellness and its importance.

STEPS TO GET A WELLNESS 

PROCLAMATION

1. Identify the best person/office, 

such as city councilmember, 

State representative, or 

congressperson, to approach.

2. Contact the government 

official’s office to request the 

proclamation using formal 

request instructions on their 

website.

3. Draft your proclamation and 

include the date on which you 

would like the proclamation 

issued. 

4. Make an appointment to meet 

with the official for the signing 

of the proclamation (if possible).

ENDNOTES

i Dunn, H. L. (1961). High-Level Wellness. Arlington, VA: Beatty Press.

ii Parks, J., Svendsen, D., Singer, P., & Foti, M. E. (Eds.). (2006). Morbidity and mortality in people with serious mental illness. Alexandria, VA: National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors 

(NASMHPD) Medical Directors Council. 

iii Fagiolini, A., Frank, E., Scott, J. A., Turkin, S., & Kupfer, D. J. (2005). Metabolic syndrome in bipolar disorder: Findings from the Bipolar Disorder Center for Pennsylvanians. Bipolar Disorders, 7(5), 424–430. 

iv McEvoy, J. P., Meyer, J. M., Goff, D. C., et al. (2005). Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in patients with schizophrenia: Baseline results from the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness 

(CATIE) schizophrenia trial and comparison with national estimates from NHANES III. Schizophrenia Research, 80(1), 19–32. 

v Newcomer, J. W. (2005). Second-generation (atypical) antipsychotics and metabolic effects: A comprehensive literature review. CNS Drugs, 19(suppl 1), 1–93. 

vi Parks, 2006.
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ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

For additional tools and resources visit the following organizations and Web sites: 

SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions

http://www.integration.samhsa.gov/

Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation

http://www.bu.edu/cpr

Faces & Voices of Recovery

http://www.facesandvoicesofrecovery.org

healthfinder®

http://www.healthfinder.gov

Million Hearts®

http://www.millionhearts.hhs.gov

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) 1–800–950–NAMI (1–800–950–6264)

http://www.nami.org

National Empowerment Center 1–800–POWER2U (1–800–769–3728)

http://www.power2u.org

National Wellness Institute

http://www.nationalwellness.org

Peerlink National Technical Assistance Program

http://www.peerlinktac.org

The Wellness Institute 

http://www.welltacc.org

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

http://www.hhs.gov

Wellness Works Inititative

http://www.power2u.org/wellnessworks

2016 SMA-16-4957