Lynn University alumnus Kevin Lynch '12, founder of The Quell Foundation, is a powerful advocate for mental health awareness. Through The Quell Foundation, Lynch and his wife, Karen have made an impact in the community with their documentaries and speaking engagements created to shatter the stigma surrounding mental illness. At Lynn, the Lynch family has played a vital role in advancing the institution's M.S. in clinical mental health counseling (CMHC) program.
"Working with Lynn has been my most favorite endeavor since starting the foundation," said Kevin Lynch. "They do what needs to be done, and they're ahead of the curve."
In 2021, the Lynch family donated $50,000 to fund scholarships for students pursuing a CMHC degree, creating four annual awards of $2,500. In addition, the Lynch family created a $250,000 challenge gift for the CMHC program with a matching gift of the same amount.
Beginning in 2024, the Lynch family funded an addition to the CMHC curriculum, allowing students to take courses in crisis, trauma and resilience counseling. First responders are typically first on the scene, and they face emotional situations and suffer mental health issues, so the addition of the coursework provides clinicians essential skills to treat the first responder community.
Working with Lynn has been my most favorite endeavor since starting the foundation. They do what needs to be done, and they're ahead of the curve.Kevin Lynch, The Quell Foundation
"When we decided to partner with Lynn's behavioral health team, we were excited to know that we were going to train the next generation of mental health care professionals—specifically those working with first responders," said Lynch.
With the curriculum collaboration from Lynch, students gain real-world experience and firsthand experiences to help them understand what a mental health crisis looks like for not only those in the community, but also first responders and special forces. When asked what Lynch wants future clinicians to take into their careers, his response ... 'empathy, curiosity and compassion.'
"It's important for future clinicians to stay educated and change their approach if they need to when it comes to helping clients," said Lynch.
This past year, Lynch has stepped back from his leadership role at The Quell Foundation to let the next generation lead the charge in normalizing the conversation around mental health. Lynch will stay on as chair of the board for the next several years, working with the executive director and the president of the foundation. He will also continue taking on speaking engagements, showing his important documentary series and meeting with students and scholarship recipients.
"I am really looking forward to meeting some of the students who have benefited from the work that we're doing, see how that has changed their life and how in return they're changing other people's lives because of it," said Lynch.
See more about how the Lynch family is raising awareness for mental health.
