51°µÍø

This Is My Brave (TIMB)

The STAR Lab partnered with This Is My Brave over the course of eight years (2016 - 2024) to evaluate their anti-stigma programming. This Is My Brave went from a non-profit to an open-source evidence-informed anti-stigma program in 2024. You can learn more about This Is My Brave at the . 

TIMB’s Mission:

“… to end the stigma surrounding mental illness by sharing personal stories of individuals overcoming mental illness through poetry, essay and original music, live on stage, through stories submitted and published to the TIMB blog, and via the TIMB YouTube channel.

Through the sharing of stories and experiences of those in recovery, we provide a sense of community and hope; and encourage others to share their stories. We believe that each time one of us shares our story, there’s another crack helping to break down the stigma of mental illness. Right now, it's time to #LiveBrave and bring mental health issues into the spotlight because they've been in the dark too long."

The STAR Lab/This Is My Brave partnership involved multiple research studies, designed to understand the impact of This Is My Brave's programming on the stigma surrounding mental health conditions.

Below is a list of peer-reviewed publications highlighting the findings of these studies:

Tran, J.T., Bolton, C., Mills, V., Matteo, C., & Kosyluk, K. (2025). We Matter: Pilot Study on the Impact of Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi American (APIDA) Stories of Mental Illness to Address Stigma. Community Mental Health Journal.

Conner, K.O., Abusuampeh, D.K., Kosyluk, K., Tran, J.T.,* Davis-Cotton, D., Hill, A.M., and Brown, A.P. (2024). Mitigating the Stigma of Mental Illness: The Impact of Storytelling in the Black Community. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(11), 1473.

Tran, J.T.,* Rigg, K., Galea, J., & Kosyluk, K. (2024). Examining the Effects of Digital Stories to Address Mental Illness and Sexual and Gender Minority-Related Stigma. Journal of Homosexuality, 1-18. 
 
Tran, J.T.,* Singhal, A., Galea, J., Rigg, K., & Kosyluk, K. (2024). Examining Entertainment-Education Narratives to Reduce LGBTQ+- and Mental Illness-Related Stigma. Trends in Psychology.

Conner, K.O., Kosyluk, K.A., Tran, J.T., Anderson, E., Davis-Cotton, D., & Hill, A.M. (2023). The Impact of a Culturally Meaningful Storytelling Intervention on Stigma and Attitudes About Mental Health Treatment. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 211(6), 419-426. DOI: 10.1097/NMD.0000000000001640 PMID: 36878207

Kosyluk, K. A., Marshall, J., Macias, D. R.,* Macias, S.,* Conner, K. O., Beekman, B. M.*, & Her, J.* (2021). Challenging the stigma of mental illness through creative storytelling: A randomized controlled trial of This Is My Brave. Community Mental Health Journal, 57(1), 144-152. doi: 10.1007/s10597-020-00625-4  PMID: 32388690

Kosyluk, K.A., Marshall, J., Rivera Macias, D*., Andrus, D.T*., Guerra, D.*, Robinson, M.*, Ostos, A.P*., & Chapman, S.* (2018).  Examining the Impact of This Is My Brave on Mental Illness Stigma and Willingness to Seek Help: A Pilot Study.  Community Mental Health Journal, 54(3), 276-281. PMID: 29372500

In addition to serving as the lead scientific evaluator for This Is My Brave, Dr. Kosyluk has also produced four This Is My Brave shows at the 51°µÍø, featuring USF students with mental illness and substance use disorders sharing their stories of struggle, recovery, and hope. 

You can view these shows on YouTube:

This Is My Brave College Edition at USF 2026

Media Pieces: