Everyone is working through their own individual challenges. No matter what you are facing or where you are in that journey, you are welcome at Move to Heal. We are a community of support and a safe space for people to be themselves, speak their minds, and recover. Move to Heal (MTH)is a non-profit that supports people who suffer from all forms of mental health issues, depression, addiction, and other life challenges by offering free group exercise, group support meetings, nutritional coaching, and mental health counseling. Move to Heal partners with gyms to provide a comfortable and welcoming environment with free fitness classes, followed by non-denominational group support and recovery meetings. Participants bond on a physical level during workouts, and on an emotional level at meetings. They build strong, open relationships, feel safe, and receive support from others facing similar life circumstances. In Move to Heal gyms, stigma evaporates. Everyone is welcome.

Move to Heal was founded in May 2021 but its story began years before, in 2014, when licensed clinical therapist Alexandria Hershman studied how combining exercise with mental health counseling significantly improved the lives of those suffering from depression, anxiety, and addiction. The holistic mind-body connection led to long-term benefits. 

In 2021, her father Ethan Hershman, a gym owner who has been in recovery for nearly 30 years, experienced an exercise class followed by a group support meeting. He was hooked. He realized he was living proof that Alexandria’s research findings were true. While his friends in AA had experienced relapses, Ethan’s focus on exercise, nutrition, and counseling were the reason for his successful long-term recovery. 

It occurred to Ethan that most people don’t have the means to get therapy, nutritional counseling, and also join a gym to get physically healthy again. But as a gym owner, Ethan had the means to provide access.  

He conferred with his daughter Alexandria and his partner at the gym Colleen Delaney, who had solved her own medical issues, including Crohn’s disease, with a healthy diet. The three founded Move to Heal with a goal of helping those with mental health issues, depression, addiction, eating disorders, PTSD, abuse, or any life trauma, to achieve wellness and long-term recovery. 
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Move to Heal serves nearly 200 people a week in gyms across Connecticut, and in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. Participants receive free exercise classes, mental health counseling, nutritional counseling, and gym memberships. Best of all, they build and foster a community of support that many participants have called “lifesaving.”

The officers, directors, committee members, employees, and persons served by this organization shall be selected entirely on a nondiscriminatory basis with respect to age, sex, race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or any other category or status protected by law. It is the policy of Move to Heal not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, ancestry, marital status, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical disability, veteran’s status, political service or affiliation, color, religion, national origin, or any other category or status protected by law.

Move to Heal would not exist without our remarkable members, partners, and supporters. We are incredibly grateful for all the support we have received along the way to help us continue our mission of supporting and uplifting individuals in recovery. To help Move to Heal keep thriving, please consider making a contribution.