Interview @ Authority Magazine / Mental Health Champions

Why & How Rev. Sheri Heller Is Helping To Champion Mental Wellness

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?

I was born in Brooklyn N.Y. into a family presenting with generational trauma and mental illness. The impact of the Russian pogroms on my grandparents infiltrated their child-rearing practices with my parents. Additionally, the prevalence of my mother’s schizophrenia and others in her family of origin had a direct impact on my development. Paradoxically, although there was so much chaos and traumatic abuse growing up there was also an immersion in art and nature that offered me glimpses of life-affirming possibilities. My love of animals, music, acting and my being a voracious reader buffered me from the full onslaught of what I was up against. Still, adolescence culminated in a destructive period of acting out, until my circumstances prompted me to seek out therapy at eighteen. That pathway was crucial to self-preservation and led me towards self-discovery and identifying my potentials creatively and professionally.

You are currently leading an initiative that is helping to promote mental wellness. Can you tell us a bit more…