What happens when the mental health system is quietly crumbling — and the woman holding it together has been doing so for 25 years? In episode 257 of Joy Found Here, Janelle Miller Moravek, Executive Director of Youth & Family Counseling, pulls back the curtain on America's behavioral health crisis — from a shrinking workforce and impossible pay rates to the hidden toll social media is taking on our kids. Hopeful yet eye-opening, this conversation is a reminder that access to mental health care is not a luxury.

In This Episode, You Will Learn:

(3:54) How a French major stumbled into 25 years of nonprofit leadership

(7:49) Why loving your work makes it harder to switch off

(10:39) What nonprofit fundraising really looks like

(17:47) Why the mental health crisis didn't start with COVID

(20:05) The workforce shortage driving therapists out of behavioral healthcare

(22:57) How social media is rewiring kids' tolerance for discomfort

(30:16) The wrestling mat conversation that led to her son's ADHD diagnosis

(36:48) The "atlas" project helping people navigate to the right care

(38:22) Why one person getting help creates a community ripple effect

(39:30) What Medicaid rollbacks mean for mental health nonprofits in 2026

Janelle Miller Moravek is the Executive Director of Youth & Family Counseling (YFC), a nonprofit mental health organization serving Lake County in the Chicagoland area. A Wesleyan University graduate, she joined YFC in 2000 as its first-ever development director and has spent over two decades building it into a leading provider of affordable, accessible mental health services — including bilingual care and Medicaid-covered options — for children, teens, adults, and families.

In this episode, Janelle Miller Moravek brings 25 years of nonprofit leadership to a candid conversation about the growing gap between mental health need and workforce capacity — tracing the roots to chronically low reimbursement rates, a lengthy therapist training pipeline, and COVID-era burnout. She connects social media's rise to a surge in adolescent mental health struggles, shares a personal story about parenting a son with ADHD that deepened her advocacy, and makes the case for treating behavioral health literacy as common knowledge. She also introduces YFC's "atlas" project — a navigation tool to help people find the right care — while sounding an honest alarm about what Medicaid rollbacks could mean for organizations like hers in 2026.

Connect with Janelle Miller Moravek:

LinkedIn

Youth & Family Counseling website

Let's Connect:

Website

Instagram

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