Why People Struggle to Seek Help: Barriers to Getting Mental Health Support
The Ify Otuya Mindshift Sessions | Free Online Mental Health Events
Why do so many people struggle to seek or accept help when they are experiencing mental health challenges? What stops someone from reaching out, even when they recognise that they need support?
Join Ify Otuya for an engaging and thought-provoking online mental health talk exploring the personal, social and cultural barriers that can prevent people from seeking or accepting mental health support — and, more importantly, what we can do to address them.
This session is part of The Ify Otuya Mindshift Sessions, quarterly online mental health events offering fresh perspectives and practical insights into mental health and everyday living.
About the Talk
Presentation Title: Barriers to Seeking/Accepting Help and How to Address Them
Seeking help is not always as straightforward as it sounds. Fear of judgement, stigma, cultural expectations, misconceptions about mental health, financial limitations and concerns about confidentiality can all influence whether someone feels able to reach out for support.
Even when help is available, accepting it can be difficult.
In this presentation, we will explore why people hesitate to seek help, the factors that make accepting support challenging, and how individuals, families, communities and organisations can create an environment where seeking help becomes easier and more acceptable.
The goal is to encourage a better understanding of help-seeking behaviour and challenge the attitudes and assumptions that keep people from getting the support they need.
What You Can Expect
During this session, you will gain insights into:
- Understanding help-seeking behaviour: Why people may struggle to recognise their need for support or take the first step towards getting it.
- Identifying common barriers: The psychological, social, cultural, financial and practical factors that discourage people from seeking or accepting help.
- Understanding stigma and misconceptions: How fear of judgement, shame and misinformation influence attitudes towards mental health support.
- Addressing resistance to help: Practical ways to encourage openness, build trust and make accepting support less difficult.
- Creating supportive environments: How families, workplaces and communities can become safer spaces for conversations about mental health and help-seeking.
Who Should Attend?
This talk is for anyone interested in understanding mental health and making it easier for people to access support, including:
- Individuals who want to understand their own attitudes towards seeking help.
- Parents, family members and friends who want to support someone experiencing mental health difficulties.
- Working professionals and employers interested in promoting mental wellbeing.
- Educators, community leaders and advocates.
- Anyone interested in reducing mental health stigma and encouraging help-seeking.
You do not need a background in psychology or mental health to attend. The session is designed to be accessible and relevant to everyday life. Nothing stops you from attending online mental health events like the Ify Otuya Mindshift Sessions.
Meet Your Speaker: Ify Otuya
Ify Otuya is a Nigerian mental health speaker, educator and advisor with a background in Applied Psychology. She is passionate about making mental health knowledge accessible, practical and relevant to everyday living.
Through speaking engagements, media appearances, educational programmes and digital resources, she helps individuals and organisations develop a better understanding of mental health and the skills needed to navigate life’s challenges.
Her approach combines psychological knowledge, practical education and relatable insights to encourage healthier thinking, informed choices and improved wellbeing.
Visit www.ifyotuya.com to discover more about Ify Otuya.
About The Ify Otuya Mindshift Sessions
The Ify Otuya Mindshift Sessions is a quarterly speaking series featuring free online mental health talks designed to challenge assumptions, introduce fresh perspectives and encourage healthier ways of thinking about mental health.
Each session explores a relevant mental health topic, offering audiences an opportunity to learn, reflect and take away practical insights they can apply to everyday life. For a list of upcoming topics and dates, view here.
Ideas that change how we think about mental health.
Event Details
- Talk: Why People Struggle to Seek Help: Barriers to Getting Mental Health Support
- Speaker: Ify Otuya
- Format: Online keynote presentation
- Platform: Google Meet
- Admission: Free
- Registration: Required
Register to Attend
Join this important conversation and discover how we can make seeking and accepting mental health support easier for ourselves and others.
Register now to reserve your free place.
We look forward to having you with us!
To attend, fill the registration form below (form admits one)
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