WeDoMind starts from the conviction that mental distress cannot always be understood or addressed as an individual disorder requiring treatment. Mental health is shaped by individual, social and societal conditions. Specialised mental health care remains essential for those who need it, but not every form of distress requires specialised treatment.

Our aim is therefore not less care, but a better match between people’s needs and the support they receive. We work towards personalised and context-sensitive stepped care, enabling people to access the right level of support at the right time and in the right place.

Our work is guided by three principles: mental health support should be Accessible, Grounded and Co-created.

Accessible. Support should be easy to reach, low-threshold where possible, and proportionate to people’s needs. People should not have to enter specialised care when other forms of support are more appropriate, but neither should they face unnecessary barriers or long waiting times when specialised treatment is needed. We also use technology to identify risks earlier and enable more timely, targeted and efficient support.

Grounded. Mental health is shaped in everyday life, and support should therefore also be embedded there. We develop practical approaches and tools that strengthen wellbeing where people live, learn, work and connect. This includes school-based prevention, wellbeing initiatives in sports and other community settings, and accessible resources for frontline professionals such as doctors, nurses, school counsellors, primary care psychologists and social workers.

Co-created. Effective support should be developed with, rather than only for, the people it is intended to serve. Young people, clients, parents, teachers, coaches and care professionals actively contribute to shaping our work, helping us ensure that support is both scientifically grounded and meaningful in everyday practice.

Our message is clear: Not everyone needs specialised care, but no one should have to face mental distress alone. Prevention, peer support and supportive communities can strengthen wellbeing before difficulties escalate. When problems begin to disrupt daily life, people deserve rapid access to effective, personalised, context-sensitive and integrated care. And beyond care, they deserve a society that accepts, supports and protects them.

Mental health cannot be strengthened through treatment alone. It requires the right support, at the right level, at the right time and in the right place, and a society that helps make wellbeing possible.

Partners and collaboration 

WeDoMind builds on the networks and collaborations that have emerged within PRISM and BRUCC. In this way, we bring together expertise from research, education, healthcare and social welfare around mental well-being. 

Our current partners include, among others, Studiebegeleiding VUB, Scholengroep Brussel, UZ Brussel, OBC Ter Wende, PsyBru, Universitaire Huisartsengroepspraktijk, Gezond Leven and BESF. 

Would you like to collaborate? 

With WeDoMind, we aim to further expand this network. Are you active in research, education, healthcare, social welfare or a related field, and do you see opportunities for collaboration? Feel free to get in touch with us. We would be happy to explore how we can connect expertise, practice and research.