Author Dr. Ann-Marie Popwell’s New Book, "I Am the Face of Mental Health," Aims to Raise Awareness of the Challenges Faced by Those Suffering from Mental Health Trauma

Ellenwood, GA, January 08, 2026 --(PR.com)-- Dr. Ann-Marie Popwell, a mental health and wellness facilitator at a public school in Georgia, as well as a consultant, coach, and mentor, has completed her new book, “I Am the Face of Mental Health: My Blood Was Not Shed in Vain”: a potent work designed to advocate for and raise awareness about the challenges faced by individuals with mental health trauma.

Dr. Ann-Marie Popwell has been an educator in the public school system for twenty-two years and has thirty years of educational experience. She holds a doctorate in education (EdD), a master’s degree in curriculum, instruction, and assessment (CIA), a second master’s degree in mental health and wellness, a bachelor’s degree in human services, and an associate’s degree in education. Dr. Popwell is versed in many subject areas that deal with education, relationships, infertility, marital issues, grief, overcoming life’s challenges, and ageism.

For Dr. Ann-Marie Popwell, “I Am the Face of Mental Health” was forged in the fires of a deeply personal tragedy—the untimely loss of her only son, Ainsley Stephen Popwell, who lost his life to a tragic Atlanta Police shooting. Stephen suffered from schizophrenia and PTSD after serving his country as an army veteran. The author, Dr. Ann-Marie Popwell, wrote this book with the hope that it will shed some light on the plight of those young men who suffer from mental health trauma.

“We have come a long way in acknowledging that there is a crisis in America—a crisis of the mind, a crisis of mental health illness,” writes Dr. Popwell. “A few decades ago, we associated mental illness with the words ‘crazy, not right in the head, unstable…’ but post-COVID-19 has unearthed the dirt we swept under the rug for so long, the dirty societal secret that we did not talk about outside our families because it was a taboo subject. We pretended it did not exist, and we were reluctant to engage in conversations about it because it made us uncomfortable. During the pandemic, however, many of us were left with our thoughts and had to face the truth about ourselves and loved ones—the truth that our inner thoughts were frightening, that we did not like the person we were evolving into, that we were experiencing major anxiety and depression, and that we were fearful more than at any other times in our lives. During that time when we were shut in with ourselves and loved ones, many of us couldn’t deal with the dark side that resulted in increased substance use, child abuse, domestic violence, severed relationships, divorce, loneliness, suicide, and mental breakdown. This was the awakening that mental health is real, and more people than we think experience mental health challenges, which is nothing to be ashamed of.”

Published by Covenant Books of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, Dr. Ann-Marie Popwell’s new book is a deeply personal account that will resonate with anyone whose lives have been touched by mental illness, offering both comfort and a guiding hand towards how one can help those struggling with mental health.

Readers can purchase “I Am the Face of Mental Health: My Blood Was Not Shed in Vain” at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

Covenant Books is an international Christian owned and operated publishing house based in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. Covenant Books specializes in all genres of work which appeal to the Christian market. For additional information or media inquiries, contact Covenant Books at 843-507-8373.