National Council Announces Name Change as Part of Rebrand

The National Council for Behavioral Health has a new name.

The membership organization that drives policy and social change on behalf of mental health and substance use treatment organizations has rebranded as the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.

President and CEO Chuck Ingoglia tells BHE that the change is the result of a process that spanned about 18 months. At the outset, National Council leadership knew it was time for a logo refresh, but after several rounds of talks with board, staff, member organizations and recipients of care, the decision was made to pursue a name change and full-scale rebrand, Ingoglia says.

“There were several things that came up in those conversations, one of which was that the term ‘behavioral health’ was very confusing to a lot of people,” Ingoglia says. “When we talked to recipients of care who get treatment in our member organizations, we heard very loud and clear that they found the term ‘behavioral health’ kind of hurtful and offensive—that it seemed to be blaming them for the conditions they have.”

At that point, National Council decided to shift the focus of its brand identity from who its members are to what they do. That led to the idea of placing an emphasis on mental wellbeing. Several new names were workshopped, but “National Council for Mental Wellbeing” proved to be “the most durable,” Ingoglia says.

As for retaining the “National Council” moniker, Ingoglia adds that it was “not necessarily top-of-mind. We tested a lot of names, and it turned out that this one garnered the most support and it allows us to keep some brand familiarity. That was not something we went into this trying to do purposefully, but it turned out that way.”

Supporting Cities Thrive

In addition to its rebrand, National Council has gotten involved with the Cities Thrive Coalition, a project being led by Chirlane McCray, first lady of New York City. The initiative brings together leaders from 225 municipalities across the nation to promote best practices in mental health and highlight developments in the areas of substance use disorder and mental health treatment.

Ingoglia says getting involved with Cities Thrive dovetails with National Council’s rebrand as the organization tries to reshape public dialogue and create a more inclusive environment for individuals in need of mental health and/or addiction treatment to seek out care.

“If you think about our name change and what we want to focus on, it’s this notion that yes, we are a membership organization,” Ingoglia says. “That’s foundational to who we are. And we want to be able to bring more people into these conversations.”