Powerful New Videos Personalize Mental Health Issues in Construction
As part of its Member Mental Health and Wellness Initiative, NAHB has been partnered with Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas to conduct a pilot program with the North Carolina Home Builders Association called “Blueprint for Worker Well-Being.”
The goal of the pilot program, supported by a grant from the Job-Site Safety Institute, is to develop a strategic plan for mental health awareness promotion and suicide prevention that can be replicated by other associations within the NAHB Federation.
A key component of that program involves storytelling. According to Dr. Spencer-Thomas, storytelling is our most powerful tool to reduce mental health stigma, which is arguably the biggest barrier in any construction mental health initiative.
“Getting to know people who have ‘lived experience’ with depression, anxiety, addiction and suicidal thoughts does more to undo stigma than all other methods,” Spencer-Thomas notes.
NAHB has published two videos of home building professionals telling their personal stories of the impact mental health issues have had on their lives and careers. Brandon Bryant, owner of Red Tree Builders in Asheville, N.C. and 2023 President of the North Carolina HBA, and Gary Hill, a home builder in North Carolina, bravely sat down and told their stories. Watch the videos here.
Bryant also recently appeared on a podcast produced by Builders Mutual that discussed these issues. Hill will appear on a panel discussing his experience with storytelling at the Construction Working Minds Summit in Kansas City, March 28-29, which NAHB is sponsoring.
At the 2023 IBS Leadership Council Meeting, NAHB Chairman Alicia Huey held a panel discussion with Bryant and Hill to discuss the importance of storytelling. Watch the video below.
The more we work to normalize discussions about mental health and wellbeing in residential construction, the more people will seek help for themselves and others when they identify potential issues.
Latest from NAHBNow
Aug 29, 2025
NAHB's Monthly Update Features Canadian Lumber Duties Talking PointsThe update provides the latest messaging framework to help members articulate housing priorities and latest news related to the Canadian lumber imports and builder sentiment.
Aug 28, 2025
Podcast: Congressional Priorities and the Trump Economy Heading into FallOn the latest episode of NAHB podcast Housing Developments, NAHB CEO Jim Tobin and COO Paul Lopez discuss how the rest of the year looks as Congress gets ready to return to Washington next week.
Latest Economic News
Aug 29, 2025
Multifamily Absorption Rises in the Second QuarterThe percentage of new apartment units that were absorbed within three months after completion rose in the second quarter, according to the Census Bureau’s latest release of the Survey of Market Absorption of New Multifamily Units (SOMA).
Aug 28, 2025
Mortgage Rates Move Lower, Hitting 10-Month LowAverage mortgage rates in August continued their steady decline and are now at their lowest rate since last November.
Aug 27, 2025
Wood-Framed Home Share Increased in 2024Wood framing continues to dominate the U.S. single-family home construction market, according to NAHB analysis of 2024 Census Bureau data.