Courage to Caregivers

Courage to Caregivers

Kristi Horner

2018 Presenter
Health & Wellness category
Presented in partnership with:


Keep up to date with Courage to Caregivers on their website, and by following them on Facebook and Instagram.


October 23, 2019

Since presenting at Accelerate almost two years ago, Courage to Caregivers has successfully launched three one-year pilot programs. These programs provide encouragement and training tools to people providing care for those with depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, dementia, and other mental health challenges. The focus of their programs is on the self-care of the caregiver.

  • One-to-One Caregiver (peer) Support connects caregivers with others who have experience caring for someone with a mental illness, to provide participants with training and resources that help them take better care of themselves. The One-to-One program appears to be the first program that provides peer support specifically to caregivers of people living with mental illness.
  • Breathing Meditation provides a source of support and resources for mental illness caregivers, thus improving the care they give themselves, as well as the care they are able to provide to their loved ones.
  • Support Group is co-facilitated by both a professional (licensed counselor or social worker) and a trained peer specialist who has experience caring for a loved one with mental illness. The goals for these support groups include reinforcing a variety of skills that seek to empower the mental illness caregiver, as well as establish a caring community.

Courage to Caregivers support groups and breathing meditation programs are headquartered at the sites of two “community partners” — Laurel School in Shaker Heights and Urban Community School on Cleveland’s west side. About 50 caregivers participate in all three programs.

They are actively working to expand their reach to increase community awareness and participation. They currently have 10 community partners and would like to double that over the next year.

They are also increasing their focus on fundraising and plan to build on their donor base and have received four grants from:

  • Peg’s Foundation
  • CareSource Foundation
  • The Church of the Resurrection Loaves and Fishes Fund
  • The Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Cuyahoga County.

They are currently in the process of measuring the impact of their programs through participant feedback, as well as measuring reduction in stress among caregivers and improved quality of life, and personal goals achieved. They are seeing a positive impact in all three areas and plan to make adjustments to their programs based on the results of the one-year pilot. They are already seeing a need for programming tailored to populations such as professional caregivers, inner-city caregivers, male caregivers, as well as collegiate caregivers.

For more information please visit www.couragetocaregivers.org or contact Kristi Horner at kristi@couragetocaregivers.org or (216) 536-7699.


March 21, 2019

Courage To Caregivers announced two upcoming Caring for the Caregivers fair at Magnolia Clubhouse.

  • Sunday, April 7 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
    Resources and demonstrations to help caregivers focus on self-care, with resources and demonstrations of practices such as (our very own) breathing meditation, yoga, reiki, journaling, nutrition and cooking.
  • Thursday, May 23 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
    Additional support for those who are living with mental illness, with information and demonstrations of practices such as behavioral healthcare, art and music therapy and more.

These events are part of their One-to-One Caregiver Support program, but are free and open for anyone to attend.

Learn more >


February 5, 2019

Courage To Caregivers announced the launch of two new programs: a series of breathing meditation sessions, and support group sessions for caregivers.

Research has documented how regulated deep breathing can reduce anxiety, stress and depression, and increase energy levels. Breathing Meditation classes will allow caregivers to learn breathing techniques and participate in guided meditation with credentialed yoga instructors. The program is intended to improve both inner and outer well-being by developing life skills such as mindfulness, self-confidence, coping, stress management, self-care, resilience, and a growth mindset.

The Support Group program is designed to provide a wide range of benefits to caregivers, including:

  • Helping them feel less alone and better understood;
  • Empowering them to solve their own problems, including connecting individuals with other resources to help them make their own informed caregiving decisions;
  • Sharing up-to-date information on topics of interest for caregivers;
  • Providing role models and peers who are contending with the same issues;
  • Allowing caregivers to share personal issues, experiences, struggles and thoughts;
  • Reducing anxiety, improving self-esteem, and reinforcing the importance of self-care.

Sessions for both Breathing Meditation and Support Groups will be 45 minutes long and will take place weekly at two locations:

  • Laurel School on Tuesday evenings beginning February 19
  • Urban Community School on Wednesday evenings beginning February 20.

Participation will be free during the pilot phase of both programs.


November 1, 2018

At Accelerate, Kristi Horner pitched her concept for a program that empowered and enabled caregivers and family members of those living with mental illness to put on their own oxygen mask by providing self-care resources. She recently launched a pilot of her program, which according to a press release, “connects caregivers with volunteers who have experience caring for someone living with a mental illness. The purpose of the program is to provide participants with training and resources to help them take care of themselves both physically and emotionally so they are better able to take care of their loved one.” See the full release >

Kristi was also on WKYC’s October 30 edition of Live on Lakeside to talk about Courage to Caregivers. See the clip >

You can follow Courage to Caregivers progress directly at:

November 1, 2018

At Accelerate, Kristi Horner pitched her concept for a program that empowered and enabled caregivers and family members of those living with mental illness to put on their own oxygen mask by providing self-care resources. She recently launched a pilot of her program, which according to a press release, “connects caregivers with volunteers who have experience caring for someone living with a mental illness. The purpose of the program is to provide participants with training and resources to help them take care of themselves both physically and emotionally so they are better able to take care of their loved one.” See the full release >

Kristi was also on WKYC’s October 30 edition of Live on Lakeside to talk about Courage to Caregivers. See the clip >

You can follow Courage to Caregivers progress directly at: