THE WOMAN BEHIND USA HOPE

Liesl Schoonraad is a mental-health educator, counselor, speaker, and Mental Health First Aid instructor with a passion for making mental health education practical, accessible, and real.

Liesl believes that mental-health conversations should not be limited to clinical settings. The ability to recognize when someone is struggling, respond with compassion, and connect them with appropriate support is a skill that belongs throughout our communities.

Through years of working with schools, healthcare professionals, community organizations, educators, businesses, and community leaders, Liesl has seen firsthand what happens when people are given the knowledge and confidence to have conversations that might otherwise be avoided.

A TRAINER WHO BELIEVES IN REAL CONVERSATIONS

Liesl’s approach is straightforward: take complicated subjects and make them understandable.

Her training style is interactive, engaging, and practical. Rather than simply presenting information, she creates an environment where people can ask questions, challenge assumptions, laugh, learn, and have meaningful conversations about mental health.

She believes that education becomes powerful when people leave a training thinking:

“I can actually use this.”

EXPERIENCE & CREDENTIALS

Liesl brings extensive experience in mental-health education and community training, including:

Mental Health First Aid — Adult, Rural Adult, Youth, and Teen

QPR Suicide Prevention — Adult and Youth

Narcan Training

Community mental-health education and outreach

Training for schools, educators, healthcare professionals, community organizations, and businesses

Large-group presentations and community education

Development and coordination of mental-health training programs

Liesl has trained thousands of people in mental-health education, with experience spanning South Africa and the United States. Her audiences have ranged from small community groups to large-scale presentations, including training programs reaching hundreds of participants at a time.

Her work has included partnering with schools and community organizations to bring mental-health education directly to the people who need it.

RECOGNIZED FOR TRAINING

In 2025, Liesl was recognized as a Top Trainer in New York State by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.

For Liesl, recognition is meaningful — but the real measure of successful training is what happens afterward.

Does someone recognize a warning sign they previously would have missed?

Does a teacher feel more prepared to help a student?

Does an employee know how to approach a colleague who is struggling?

Does someone finally feel comfortable asking, “Are you okay?”

That’s the impact Liesl strives to create.

WHY USA HOPE?

USA HOPE was created from a simple belief:

Mental health education should be part of everyday community life

People don’t stop being human when they walk into a workplace, classroom, business, community center, or family gathering.

Stress, grief, anxiety, trauma, substance use, loneliness, suicide, and other mental-health challenges affect every community.

Yet many people still don’t know what to say, what to look for, or where to turn when someone is struggling.

USA HOPE exists to help change that.

Through training, workshops, speaking, and community partnerships, USA HOPE brings people together to learn, talk, connect, and build greater awareness around mental health.

LET’S GET REAL

Liesl believes we can talk about mental health without making every conversation clinical, uncomfortable, or complicated.

Sometimes we need facts.

Sometimes we need tools.

Sometimes we need a conversation.

And sometimes we simply need someone willing to say:

“Let’s get real about this.”

That’s the heart of USA HOPE.

Mental Health Education • Training • Workshops • Community Connection

Bring USA HOPE to your organization or community.