Friendship Bench DC

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Grandparents Delivering Community-Based Mental Health Support

In the aftermath of COVID-19, the U.S. is facing a mental health crisis, and it’s hitting the Black community especially hard. Many are unable to afford help, face discrimination and institutionalized racism within the healthcare system, and struggle to find Black mental health providers.

A group of older people from historically Black neighborhoods in Washington, DC, saw an urgent need for mental health services in their communities. These older people had already come together to encourage loved ones to get vaccinated through a movement called DC Grandparents Against COVID-19. They felt empowered by their success and realized that they could be part of the solution.

Supported by HelpAge USA, they set out to address the crisis impacting their friends and neighbors by piloting a proven model for delivering community-based mental health support: the Friendship Bench.

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Learn More About Friendship Bench DC

The Friendship Bench: Bringing talk therapy into underserved communities (CBS News Sunday Morning)

A bench and a grandmother’s ear: Zimbabwe’s novel mental health therapy spreads overseas (AP)

How DC Grandparents Are Improving Community Mental Health (Next Avenue)

HelpAge USA Awarded $200,000 Grant from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to Expand Friendship Bench DC

Stories From Our Friendship Bench DC Grandparents: Building Community and Mental Health Support Through Intergenerational Connection

How counsellor-grandmothers of Zimbabwe are averting a mental health crisis (Al Jazeera)

A Global-Local Partnership

Friendship Bench DC is a program by HelpAge USA, adapted from psychiatrist Dr. Dixon Chibanda’s Friendship Bench model started in Zimbabwe. This evidence-based program trains older people to provide basic talk therapy to people of all ages on wooden “Friendship Benches” situated in safe spaces within communities, effectively addressing anxiety and depression. Since its launch, the Friendship Bench model has served more than 150,000 people and has been featured in many articles, as well as Dr. Dixon Chibanda’s TED Talk. 

At HelpAge USA, we saw a match between our values and the values that Friendship Bench represents. The Friendship Bench approach puts power in the hands of the community—and in this case, hands that are wise, experienced, and ready to help. 

HelpAge USA is part of a global network of organizations in more than 90 countries working with older people in primarily low- to middle-income countries—and encouraging the sharing of learning and ideas across borders is a central piece of our work. 

Friendship Bench DC in Action

Launched in early 2024, Friendship Bench DC is available at 14 locations, including schools, senior wellness centers, recreation centers, library branches, a church, and social services organizations. Community members can contact HelpAge USA to schedule a time to meet one-on-one with a trained Friendship Bench DC Grandparent on a bench at one of these locations. Sessions are free, confidential, and available Monday through Friday by appointment. 

Working alongside the Friendship Bench team in Zimbabwe, our group of older men and women, known as “Grandparents,” have been trained and certified to provide problem-solving support and empathetic listening to Friendship Bench DC visitors of all ages.

To date, there have been more than 350 Friendship Bench DC sessions serving over 120 unique visitors.

According to an independent evaluation, people who visited Friendship Bench DC reported improved mental health, stronger social connections, and greater comfort seeking emotional support. After meeting with a trained Friendship Bench DC Grandparent, visitors’ depression scores dropped significantly, social connections were strengthened, and 90% said they now had someone to talk to about mental health—up from just 40% previously.
Explore Our Evaluation Findings Learn how Friendship Bench DC is successfully supporting community members and making an impact.

Host Partners and Locations

Friendship Bench DC is available at sites around Washington, DC, called host partners, which include social services organizations, schools, recreation centers, and houses of worship that offer the program for free to the people they serve.

Below is a list of our current host partner sites and locations, and we’re excited to expand to more!

  • Arthur Capper Recreation Center – Ward 8
  • Bernice Fonteneau Senior Wellness Center – Ward 1
  • Bread for the City – Ward 8
  • Congress Heights Senior Wellness Center – Ward 8
  • Joseph’s House – Ward 1
  • Joy Evans Therapeutic Recreation Center – Ward 7
  • Kingsman Academy Public Charter School – Ward 6
  • The SEED School of Washington, DC – Ward 7
  • So Other Might Eat (SOME)’s Senior Center, Kuehner Place – Ward 8
  • The Temple of Praise – Ward 8
  • Washington Seniors Wellness Center – Ward 7
  • 3 DC Public Libraries (MLK Jr., Petworth, and Anacostia) – Wards 2, 4, and 8

FAQs

Friendship Bench DC provides a way for people of all ages to confidentially share their story with an older person and know they will receive empathy, respect, and understanding. Friendship Benches are placed in safe community spaces in Washington, DC.

There is a mental health crisis among people of all ages and a lack of resources and other barriers to care. With the support of HelpAge USA, the older people behind DC Grandparents for Mental Health and Friendship Bench DC are committed to stopping the secrecy and stigma around mental health and providing a non-judgmental space to help others feel less alone. By joining together, they know they can have a positive impact and be part of the solution.

Older people are custodians of wisdom and culture in our community. They are an untapped resource who can provide emotional support or simply a listening ear. Through Friendship Bench DC, older people can give others a sense of connection and personally gain a sense of purpose and fulfillment. The concept builds on the successful Friendship Bench model pioneered in Zimbabwe.

Grandparents participate in 10 weeks of evidence-based training from the Friendship Bench Zimbabwe team to learn how to effectively listen, empathize, and help people solve their own problems. A referral pathway is established for cases which are considered "red flags" where a higher level of care is needed. 

HelpAge USA is piloting Friendship Bench DC. The idea came from discussions with our group of older people who are committed to making a difference in their communities called DC Grandparents for Mental Health. Previously, they joined together to successfully encourage COVID-19 vaccination through the HelpAge USA program, DC Grandparents Against COVID-19.

No, but you do need to be 60+ years of age. Many older people are like a grandparent to others and can play an influential role in their lives.

This depends on the individual, but evidence from the Friendship Bench in Zimbabwe shows that most people feel better after four to six sessions.

People of all ages, from younger to older, will be able to turn to Friendship Bench DC to tell their story. 
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The faces of our DC Grandparents

Donate now to support Friendship Bench DC!

Are you having a tough time and would like someone
to help you through it?

Everybody has a story. We're here to listen.

Friendship Bench DC offers a confidential, safe, and judgment-free place to talk through whatever you may be facing with someone you can trust.

The Grandparents who serve on Friendship Bench DC have been specifically trained to actively listen with empathy and offer problem-solving support. They know life can be tough and are here to help you feel less alone. 

All Friendship Bench DC sessions are free of charge and by appointment only. Sessions typically last for 45-60 minutes. 

For more information, email us at friendshipbenchdc@gmail.com or call 202-709-8442

Interested in Becoming a Host Partner?
We have more information about Friendship Bench DC available for interested host partners! Read more in our partner FAQs.
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Contact Us
Do you have questions about the program or are simply interested in learning more? Send us an email at friendshipbenchdc@gmail.com or call the HelpAge USA office at 202-709-8442! You can also reach out to Jeffrey Prost-Greene, Program Manager, at jprostgreene@helpageusa.org.
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About Problem-Solving Therapy

Through connection and empathy, our Friendship Bench DC Grandparents will guide you through a series of steps known as “problem-solving therapy.” These steps are designed to help you identify, define, and create achievable solutions to your problems, as well as help you feel more confident as a decision-maker who is equipped to handle future issues as they arise.

Problem-solving therapy (sometimes referred to as “structured problem-solving”) is an evidence-based cognitive-behavioral intervention used to help people cope with stressful life experiences, increase resilience, and improve people’s functioning in various areas of their lives, be it personal, professional, or social.

Meet the Grandparents

Our Grandparents have been trained to listen and provide a non-judgmental space for people to talk through any issues they may be facing. Meet a few of our Friendship Bench DC Grandparents and experts to learn more about the program and why they got involved.

Meet the Friendship Bench DC Grandparents and Experts

12 Videos
“Close your eyes and imagine you are in the kitchen with your grandmother. It smells wonderful, like freshly baked pound cake. Your grandmother has on her apron, one pocket filled with toothpicks and tissue, the other with peppermint candy. You want to spill your guts, tell her what's on your mind, because you are in a warm and familiar place, where you feel loved, and are not being judged because of your story. She calmly listened, and that’s what you needed most.”
Scarlett S.Friendship Bench DC Grandparent
“The mental health crisis is real. Where it’s a real crisis after the pandemic is that many clinicians have dropped out of the workforce. Friendship Bench DC provides people with someone you can trust, open up your heart to, that you can tell your deepest secrets (and) that requires trust, so that’s what’s so wonderful about the Friendship Bench.”
Dr. Gigi El-BayoumiFriendship Bench DC Expert; Physician and Founding Director of the Rodham Institute, Georgetown University
“We have a need here in our city. And not everyone is comfortable going to a ‘professional.’ But, they are comfortable going to someone they can just sit down and talk to. … We have so much wisdom in our older population and arms that can open.”
Barbara A.Friendship Bench DC Grandparent
“Do I think there’s a big need for that kind of listening and support in DC? Absolutely. There’s a lot of people who are going through a lot of different things and they keep it inside … and it’s not a good result. Some commit suicide, you have a lot of loneliness going on, people who lose hope—and they don’t know there are options for them. And the Friendship Bench gives them an opportunity to know that there are people out here who really care and really want to listen.”
Theresa K.Friendship Bench DC Grandparent
“I have learned so many things but the best thing I've been sharing with my community is the hope that we put in people, the feeling. Dr. Dixon said people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel, and that’s what I want to accomplish: to go out and instill hope in people. And I’ve learned to listen. Everybody needs hope—and they need someone to listen to them, to help them figure it out. And that’s what I want to do since I’ve been in this program.”
Ann M.Friendship Bench DC Grandparent
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