The Kids Mental Health Foundation is launching a powerful new awareness campaign, “Kids’ Mental Health Starts with Us”, for May’s Mental Health Awareness Month, led by acclaimed filmmaker and advocate Soleil Moon Frye.
This initiative includes a documentary short and national PSA that combines the reach of celebrity voices with cinematic storytelling to share authentic conversations around kids’ mental health and create lasting impact for families across the country.
The “Kids’ Mental Health Starts with Us” awareness campaign brings together Malin Akerman, David & Christina Arquette, Lance Bass & Michael Turchin, Anna Cathcart, Jordan Chiles, Corey Conrad & Angel Carter Conrad, Alexandra Daddario, Tyler Davis, Troy Garity, Lucy Hale, Oliver Hudson, Raymond Lee, Lisa Ling, and Christian Ramirez to normalize dialogue around mental health and encourage families to talk openly, access The Kids Mental Health Foundation’s free resources, and support one another—helping to ensure that no child feels alone in navigating emotional challenges.
The Kids Mental Health Foundation partnered with Frye to lead this initiative because of her longstanding mental health advocacy and her track record as a documentarian. Frye has a rare ability to tell intimate, emotionally honest stories, as seen through her films, including Kid 90 and The Carters: Hurts to Love You, and her expertise in exploring complex and personal experiences with nuance and compassion.
“Kids’ Mental Health Starts with Us” is transformed from a traditional awareness campaign into a storytelling-driven movement. The documentary short and PSA capture authentic conversations and lived experiences that underscore why addressing children’s mental health feels especially urgent right now.
“This Mental Health Awareness Month, we’re raising our collective voices for support around children’s mental health. At a moment when kids are facing unprecedented stressors, normalizing conversations around mental health is transformative. We want adults to know that they have the power to promote every child’s mental wellness,” said Ariana Hoet, PhD, executive clinical director of The Kids Mental Health Foundation. “We hope this documentary short and PSA inspire families to talk, connect, and ensure children feel supported. We’re especially thankful to Soleil Moon Frye, whose creative vision and authenticity elevated “Kids’ Mental Health Starts with Us” into something that truly resonates.”
“I am truly honored to be working with The Kids Mental Health Foundation, a cause that is very close to my heart. As a filmmaker, a parent, and someone who cares deeply about mental health awareness, this campaign is incredibly meaningful to me,” said Soleil Moon Frye, Director of Kids’ Mental Health Starts With Us. “I am so grateful to everyone who participated in this. Over the years, the extraordinary team at KMHF has become like family, and together I believe we can inspire more open dialogue around children’s mental health while expanding awareness of the resources and support every child and family deserves.
The documentary short and PSA will roll out nationally in advance of and throughout Mental Health Awareness Month in May 2026 and drive families to KMHF’s free, evidence-based resources, equipping them with the tools they need to start conversations, reduce stigma, and build resilience.
The documentary short and PSA will live across KMHF’s platforms, and for the third consecutive year, the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) is partnering to coordinate in-kind national TV and radio airplay. Since July 2024, the Yellow Couch series has aired across more than 2,300 outlets.