Our Story
Real Stories and Research‑Based Solutions for Suicide Prevention
By sharing real stories and practical strategies rooted in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), we aim to empower people to navigate their darkest moments with resilience and hope.
Our Mission
We help people who want to build meaningful lives by offering free mental health resources and peer‑led storytelling spaces for connection and coping.
Our Vision
Our 25‑year vision is that all people have access to evidence‑based resources and community support in times of crisis. By offering this support, Now Matters Now can help people build a bridge from emotional hell to skillful action and fulfillment.
Our Values
We center lived experience and storytelling, as well as evidence-based mental healthcare. Our community guidelines are based on: Compassion. Dialectics. Respect. Equity. Inclusivity. Open-mindedness. Joy. Autonomy. Connection. Trust.
Our Team & Advisors
The Now Matters Now team is made up of people with lived experience. We’ve faced suicidal thoughts, self-harm, depression, anxiety, addiction, chronic pain, suicide loss and more. We’re all committed to reducing stigma and helping others.
The Research Behind Now Matters Now
We know what helps people in crisis. Now Matters Now was created with that knowledge in mind. Our efforts are focused on three main evidence-based components: Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Narrative Psychology, and Social Connection.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
Originally developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan to help chronically suicidal people, DBT has decades of research showing it can be helpful for people with borderline personality disorder, PTSD, depression, bipolar disorder, some eating disorders, substance use disorders, difficulties associated with ADHD, and more. One of the things that makes DBT so helpful for so many people is that it teaches dozens and dozens of skills. DBT skills include tips and tools for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness. DBT skills are life skills. They’re concrete. They’re flexible. They can be life-changing. That’s why we teach them on our website and in our meetings. To learn more about the DBT skills we teach, check out our Skills Library. To learn more about all of the DBT skills, try the DBT skills handbook. To learn more about DBT and its research, visit Behavioral Tech’s website.
I wish I would have known this wasn't going to last forever.
Narrative Therapy & Storytelling
Narrative Therapy is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on helping people tell their stories. Crafting your story can help you better understand yourself, what’s important to you, and how your life experiences and challenges have shaped and strengthened you. Storytelling is powerful. It helps us feel seen and supported. It helps us find meaning and hope, even the most difficult of circumstances. At Now Matters Now, we share our stories as a way to help one another heal and build lives worth living.
Social Connection & Peer‑Led Healing
Now Matters Now is a community based on compassion and equity. We are not therapy or healthcare. We are peers. We’ve faced ableist discrimination, and we’re dedicated to fighting against stigma and loneliness. Our meetings encourage autonomy, recognizing that every individual knows their personal needs the best. We have no dogma or hierarchies. At the same time, we recognize that healing happens in community, and we know that emotional suffering is harder when we feel alone. We do our best to support each other in finding our personal definitions of growth and fulfillment.
Now Matters Now in the News
Support our Work
Your support helps us keep showing up with powerful resources and tools. Whether it’s through a quick online donation via PayPal (credit or debit) or by sending a check to our address below, every bit helps NowMattersNow.org continue making a real impact:
NowMattersNow.org
1915 140th Ave NE
Suite D2 # 1012
Bellevue, WA 98005
We’re a proud Washington State registered charity. For more info, give a call to 800-332-4483 or visit sos.wa.gov/charities.
You can also view our profile on Guidestar.
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Our 501c3 Tax-ID: 47-433-3366