How curaJOY started

The Toll of Continuous (and Ineffective) Therapy on a Family

For over five years, behavior therapists, counselors, and social workers came into our home 3 to 5 hours at a time, five days a week. My neurotypical daughter flipped out one day and said, “Mom, can we just have one dinner alone without somebody watching us?” I remember sobbing uncontrollably at church, away from the watchful eyes of my kids, feeling crushed between the multimillion-dollar deals I had just made, with people who staked their careers on me, and the crumbling, suffering mess at home. Despite every available help from the government, healthcare, and school systems, I eventually almost lost my daughter. I’ll give my daughters, who are both thriving now, the choice to share what happened when it’s no longer so raw and when they’re ready.

The Birth of a Nonprofit Driven by Conviction

When I started developing curaJOY, many savvy investors, close friends, and even family asked me why I made curaJOY a nonprofit when there’s clearly a desperate need (thus a strong business opportunity) for what we do. It is because of this conviction: Family emotional wellness is too important to be dragged down by business interests, personal egos, and bureaucracy! Supporting families’ social and mental health is the only reason why curaJOY exists, the basis of all our decisions, and I wanted it to stay that way forever.

The Need for a Movement Beyond Personal Gain

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A group of people, mostly young adults and teenagers, pose for a photo in an art gallery with various framed artworks—some labeled "Ready to Ship"—displayed on the walls behind them.
Our Stories
Caitlyn Wang

Safe to Break, Ready to Ship

I hired a newbie handyman to replace five faucet fixtures. He and I both assumed he knew what he was doing. Nothing leaked before. That night, every sink he touched started dripping. Three callbacks and extra parts later, the total bill far exceeded what a licensed plumber’s—plus the time and

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A collage depicting stress: Real Human Beings watch a worried person at a laptop, while a woman holds a “HELP” sign at her desk and another sits overwhelmed by clocks and schedule-related words—a stark contrast to the impersonal Grade Machine.
Our Stories
Bianca Shen

A Real Human Being, or a Grade Machine?

Caitlyn Wang’s wonderful article, besides managing to alleviate my anxiety about not taking enough AP courses, also brought up another thought in mind. In her article, there was this quote “Nothing is more fragile than a child who only knows how to chase accolades. Let’s help them learn who they

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A busy multi-lane city highway with numerous cars, each annotated with green rectangles, surrounded by tall buildings at sunset.
Our Stories
Grace Li

Literature Review: Cyberbullying Labeling Schemes and Annotation Guidelines

Cyberbullying, defined as willful and repeated harm inflicted through digital means, continues to rise in prevalence and severity, particularly among youth populations, who are exposed to social media at starting at young ages. The mental health consequences of cyberbullying—including anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation—are well-documented (NIH, 2023). As a result,

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