2026 Mental Health Awareness Month (MHAM) Campaign, Presentation #3 – “You Are Not Data” by Dr. Garrett Boyer & Dr. Laura Cusumano

We chose this year’s campaign based on the published stats from NIH (Nov 2025). Humans need connection, empathy and emotional understanding. We want to bring awareness of how AI is impacting our communities and the human need for connection and empathy.

Usage by Age Group

• Adolescents & Young Adults (12–25): Approx. 13.1% use generative AI for mental health advice, with 65.5% of those users seeking advice monthly or more often. Young adults (18-21) have higher adoption rates (22.2%). Daily, 31% of teens aged 15-17 and 24% of 13-14 year olds use AI chatbots.
• Adults (18+): Over 50% of U.S. adults use AI to manage stress, anxiety, or other mental health needs.
• Older Adults (50+): Only 8% of adults aged 60 and older use AI for mental health. Roughly 50% of those 50+ are not confident in their ability to identify incorrect AI information, particularly those with poor physical health.

Digital systems are optimized for engagement, not for care.

#HumansOverAlgorithms 

Join us for the upcoming five presentations by our esteemed Alumni and Faculty members. All presentations are open to the public and free to register.

Presentation #3: May 13th, 7:00pm EST, Dr. Garrett Boyer DMU Psy.D. 2020 Alumnus & Dr. Laura Cusumano DMU Psy.D. 2017 Alumna:

Join us for this exclusive presentation by Dr. Garrett Boyer, DMU Psy.D. 2020 Alumnus and his wife Dr. Laura Cusumano, DMU Psy.D. 2017 Alumna as they present on “You Are Not Data.”

The core idea of this presentation revolves around the fact that people are complex emotional beings, not datasets that algorithms can fully interpret.

About Dr. Garrett Boyer

Garrett Boyer was born and raised in North Dakota. He completed his undergraduate studies at North Dakota State University and graduate studies at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He worked as a music teacher in the National Capital Region before completing doctoral studies in clinical psychology in 2020.

Dr. Boyer enlisted in the United States Army in 2017 and was commissioned in 2019. He completed his internship and residency at Womack Army Medical Center in North Carolina and currently serves as a staff psychologist at Winn Army Community Hospital at Fort Stewart, Georgia.

About Dr. Laura Cusumano

Dr. Laura Cusumano completed her undergraduate studies in psychology and theatre at the College of William and Mary, and she earned her doctorate in clinical psychology at the Institute for the Psychological Sciences at Divine Mercy University in 2017. Her areas of interest and specialization include the treatment and prevention of eating disorders. She is intensively trained in radically open dialectical behavior therapy for disorders of overcontrol. In addition to her clinical interests, Dr. Cusumano enjoys teaching, and she served as an adjunct professor for Divine Mercy University’s Master of Science in Psychology program between 2022 and 2024.

Dr. Cusumano currently resides in Georgia with her husband, Dr. Garrett Boyer, and their four young children. At present, she devotes her time to homeschooling and raising the children. She is also involved in faith formation at her parish and is a Level 1 Catechesis of the Good Shepherd catechist.