At HIKE for Mental Health, we are fortunate to work alongside volunteers whose personal passions align closely with our mission. One of those volunteers is Diana Lapp, LCSW, founder of Inner Strength Counseling Services in New Jersey and organizer of the annual Walk & Get Inked for Mental Health fundraiser. Diana’s dedication to promoting mental wellness extends far beyond a single event. Through her counseling practice, community outreach, and volunteer work, she helps people discover the healing power of movement, nature, creativity, and connection.
Diana’s connection to HIKE for Mental Health began more than a decade ago when she participated in one of our hikes. What started as a personal experience became a professional inspiration. Through her own time on the trails, Diana discovered how hiking, nature, and community could support emotional well-being and resilience. Those experiences ultimately helped shape both her counseling philosophy and her ongoing commitment to mental health advocacy.
Today, Diana brings that same perspective into her counseling practice. A Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 16 years of clinical experience, she incorporates nature-informed approaches into her work through Walk & Talk therapy, mindful outdoor experiences, and nature-based healing practices. She is a certified forest therapy practitioner, trained in wilderness first aid, and is completing advanced certification as a Nature Informed Therapist. Her belief is simple but powerful: meaningful healing often happens when people step outside, slow down, reconnect with themselves, and experience the restorative effects of nature.
That philosophy is perhaps most visible through the Walk & Get Inked for Mental Health event she created and leads each year in partnership with HIKE for Mental Health. Held during Mental Health Awareness Month, the event combines a community walk along the Middlesex Greenway with an afternoon of creative expression, mental health resources, and fundraising. Participants can walk, connect with others, learn coping skills, access mental health information, and even choose meaningful tattoo designs that symbolize hope, resilience, and personal growth.
An important part of the event’s success is Diana’s partnership with Carol and the team at Iron & Pine Tattoo in Metuchen. What began as a creative fundraising idea has grown into a unique community event where mental health advocacy, artistic expression, and human connection come together. Through the generosity of Iron & Pine Tattoo and its artists, participants have the opportunity to choose meaningful flash tattoos that commemorate personal journeys, honor loved ones, celebrate recovery, or serve as lasting reminders of hope and resilience. The collaboration between Diana, Carol, Iron & Pine Tattoo, and HIKE for Mental Health demonstrates how local businesses can play a powerful role in strengthening communities and supporting mental wellness.
The 2026 event was a tremendous success. Together, participants raised $1,005 through the community walk and an additional $3,477 through the Get Inked fundraiser, generating a total of $4,482 in support of HIKE for Mental Health’s mission to fund mental health research, raise awareness about mental illness, and support trail conservation. The event brought together hikers, mental health professionals, artists, local businesses, and community members in a shared effort to reduce stigma and promote healing.
What makes Diana’s contribution especially meaningful is that she embodies the message she shares with others. Whether she is guiding a mindful hike, supporting a therapy client, organizing a community event, or volunteering for HIKE for Mental Health, she consistently demonstrates how movement, nature, and authentic human connection can improve lives. Her work reminds us that mental health support doesn’t always begin in a therapy office. Sometimes it begins on a trail, during a conversation, in a creative expression of personal meaning, or simply by walking alongside someone who understands.
On behalf of everyone at HIKE for Mental Health, thank you, Diana, for your leadership, your generosity, and your commitment to helping others discover their own inner strength. We are grateful for the time, energy, and heart you invest in our mission and in the broader mental health community. Your work continues to make a lasting difference, one step at a time.
