HS Connect is launching The Healing Space, a mental health initiative created specifically for the hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) community.
Sponsored by UCB, this program features a library of expert-led videos, educational articles, crisis resources, and a podcast—all designed to address the often-ignored emotional and psychological toll of living with HS.
The idea for The Healing Space was sparked during a conversation between HS Connect founder Brindley Brooks and dermatologist Dr. Adam Friedman. While advocating for routine mental health check-ins with patients, the dermatologist posed a poignant question: “What do I do when they say they’re not okay? Where do I send them?”
The answer didn’t exist, so HS Connect built it.
Listen to TDD’s Beyond the Headlines podcasts with Brindley Brooks and Dr. Adam Friedman now.
“There was a clear gap between recognizing emotional suffering and knowing how to support it,” says Brindley Brooks, Founder of HS Connect, in a news release. “The Healing Space was created to bridge that gap and to ensure no one with HS ever feels alone or invisible again.”
The program includes:
The Healing Space is now live and free to access at www.hsconnect.org/healingspace. It is open to anyone impacted by HS—patients, caregivers, and clinicians alike.
- The Healing Space Podcast, hosted by HS advocates and mental health professionals, diving into real-life conversations about body image, trauma, identity, and chronic illness.
- An on-demand video library featuring topics such as coping strategies, guided meditation, art and music therapy, accessible movement options, and content designed for moments of crisis.
- Curated mental health articles, blending clinical expertise with lived experience.
- Support resources tailored for individuals who may not have access to traditional systems of care or feel overlooked by them.
“This program is built on the principle that emotional wellness is not optional—it’s essential. HS can affect everything from how you move to how you connect with the world,” says Dr. Katelyn Baker, PsyD, Senior Program Director at HS Connect and architect of The Healing Space. “This is the space where people can find tools, support, and understanding—all in one place.”
Brooks adds, “This is only the beginning; we have big plans for this program, including a HS-specific crisis line rolling out in the near future.”
According to a 2025 review article in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, individuals with HS face significantly higher rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation than the general population.
The Healing Space directly addresses these concerns with culturally competent, identity-affirming, and trauma-informed content.
Dr. Friedman says, “The impact of chronic inflammatory skin diseases on every facet of life is well established, but the recognition of said burden is nowhere near enough. Hidradenitis Suppurativa is famous for being one of the most disruptive, most painful, most disabling dermatologic diseases for which we now have more treatment options than ever before, but these options don’t address the whole picture. Addressing the psychosocial and mental wellbeing is paramount, and now we have a place for those suffering, which can extend well beyond the patient, can go. Help is here.”
“UCB is proud to support a resource that underscores the critical need to make space for mental health – a burden we know is felt heavily by those living with hidradenitis suppurativa,” adds Jeffrey Stark, MD, Head of Medical Immunology U.S. at UCB. “‘Healing Space’ is designed to offer a refuge for reflection and connection, emphasizing the importance of nurturing our minds alongside our bodies. This is exactly the kind of innovation that brings humanity back into healthcare.”
The Healing Space is now live and free to access at www.hsconnect.org/healingspace. It is open to anyone impacted by HS—patients, caregivers, and clinicians alike.
