Her Strength Has History. So Does Her Healing.

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For generations, women were taught to endure. To carry families. Communities. Expectations. And to call it strength. But strength today looks different. It looks like pausing. Like asking for support. Like choosing care.

During Women’s History Month, Hackensack Meridian Health is highlighting a comprehensive women’s mental health initiative designed to support women not just in moments of crisis, but through every season of life. Because honoring women’s history also means recognizing how women’s needs, and definitions of strength, have evolved.

Strength, Redefined

Women experience mental health conditions at higher rates than men, yet many delay seeking care. Nationally, about one in four women experiences a mental health condition each year, while fewer than one-third receive treatment.

Why the gap?

For many women, the instinct to keep going - to manage, to provide, to carry others - can make it harder to prioritize their own mental health.

“For a long time, women were expected to endure in silence,” said Dr. Catherine Cunningham, Chief Medical Officer of Hackensack Meridian Carrier Clinic. “Today, we understand that real strength includes recognizing when support is needed and knowing that care is available.”

Care Through Every Season of Life

Women’s mental health needs change over time. Adolescence, pregnancy, postpartum changes, caregiving responsibilities, midlife transitions and aging all bring different pressures and risks.

The Hackensack Meridian women’s mental health initiative was intentionally designed around these life stages, offering coordinated services that evolve as women’s needs evolve.

“Care shouldn’t start and stop with a single diagnosis or moment,” Dr. Cunningham said. “Our services are structured to support women continuously, whether they’re facing new challenges or navigating long-standing concerns.”

Services available across Hackensack Meridian Health include inpatient and outpatient behavioral health care, trauma-informed treatment and coordinated support designed specifically with women in mind.

Care That’s Connected

Another key focus of the initiative is integration. Behavioral health teams work closely with primary care providers, obstetric clinicians and specialists across the health system to reduce barriers and make access clearer.

“When care is fragmented, women often fall through the cracks,” Dr. Cunningham explained. “By connecting services across Hackensack Meridian Health, we’re making it easier to find help and to stay connected to it.”

Honoring Strength By Choosing Care

Women’s History Month invites reflection, not just on where women have been, but on what they deserve now.

Her strength has a history. So does her healing.

This Women’s History Month, Hackensack Meridian Health invites women to support themselves - or the women they care about - by choosing care.

Mental health services are available to support women through every season of life. Learn more about available resources by clicking here.

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