Skip to content
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Menu
  • Happy Health
  • Happy Mindset
  • Animal Wonders
  • About Us
    • Team
  • Subscribe
Happy News

How Park Benches Became a Powerful Therapy Tool

A revolutionary mental health program that began with fourteen grandmothers in Zimbabwe is crossing continents to reach the United Kingdom this summer. The Friendship Bench project trains community elders to provide free therapy sessions on simple wooden park benches, creating safe spaces for people struggling with depression and anxiety. What started as a solution to Zimbabwe’s severe shortage of mental health professionals has now reached over 280,000 people across multiple countries since launching in 2007.

Brighton and Sussex Medical School will launch the first UK pilot next month, initially focusing on migrant groups and minority ethnic communities who often face barriers to traditional mental health services. The approach is beautifully simple yet profound—trained lay counselors sit with clients on benches under trees, offering compassionate listening and evidence based problem-solving therapy in community settings. Research shows the intervention is remarkably effective, with participants three times more likely to maintain better mental health outcomes compared to standard care. This grandmother-led revolution proves that sometimes the most powerful solutions come from the wisdom of those who understand life’s struggles and the healing power of human connection.

PrevPreviousThis Endangered Species Just Shocked the World
NextHow One Startup Just Changed Laundry ForeverNext

Recent Articles

Happy News

This Award Show Is Finally Returning Soon

February 7, 2026

Billboard Women in Music is returning in 2026 to celebrate another year of women’s excellence in the music industry, with the annual awards show taking place at The Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles to recognize the bold vision, global influence and artistic excellence of women transforming music across all genres.

Read More
Happy News

McDonald’s Brings Back Most Requested Happy Meal Toy

February 7, 2026

McDonald’s announced it is bringing back the Changeables Happy Meal featuring nostalgic toys originally launched in 1987 that transform from McDonald’s menu items like French fries into robots and dinosaurs, marking the return of what the company calls “the most requested” Happy Meal toy from the past. The Changeables officially

Read More
Happy News

Fourth Graders Get Music Lesson From Rihanna’s Husband

February 7, 2026

A$AP Rocky headed back to a Harlem elementary school to teach kids a thing or two about rap for the Wednesday episode of Celebrity Substitute, where Mr. Mayers’ class was in session and fourth graders got a crash course in hip hop from one of the neighborhood’s most famous success

Read More
« Previous Next »
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Notice
  • Accessibility Notice
  • Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
  • Unsubscribe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © 2026 HappyNews.