MHA News
April 2011
We want you to
be among the first to hear about a new campaign that MHA is kicking off for the
month of May (mental health month) - My Mental Health Day. As a
supporter of MHA, you know how hard we work to educate the community about the
importance of mental health. This campaign, culminating on May 28th, is
designed to engage the community in that conversation. Check out the
campaign at www.MyMentalHealthDay.org and remember to 'like' it on Facebook, tweet about it on Twitter and
leave comments about the local (and even national) celebs who are sharing their
"My Mental Health Day" plans! You can even share your own plans
for the day by sharing comments, photos and video clips. Join in the fun
and help get the word out about the importance of mental health and mental
well-being!
Sneak
Peak: MHA's My Mental Health Day Campaign
Be among the first to see MHA's My Mental Health Day website at www.MyMentalHealthDay.org.
It launches any day now (once fully complete, we'll announce it to the whole
world). When finished, it will have an amazing PSA/Video... ever
wonder what Ted Leonsis or Cokie Roberts do when they take time for themselves,
this video will fill you in!
You'll also be able
to "choose your adventure" by answering a quiz and getting some GREAT
ideas for yourself for "My Mental Health Day".
We'll be
on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, so remember to 'like' the campaign,
follow us (@MyMHDay) & tweet with us and comment on the videos at
YouTube.
Don't forget to sign
up to formally participate in the campaign to get emails with great
info AND get chances to WIN GREAT PRIZES!
What is
N*COMMON?
Who Has
What In Common/N*COMMON with Whom?
N*COMMON (pronounced "in
common") is a name that is both symbolic of the program goal of forging
common bonds of mental wellness across this community of diverse
populations and an acronym for "New Capacity and Outreach for Multicultural
Mental health Opportunities Now". The program's vision is
to support and educate current service providers to culturally diverse
populations, to address currently unmet mental health needs of diverse
populations and to engage interns in meeting the current and future needs of
our diverse community. N*COMMON works toward
these goals through three related program components:
- Internship
opportunities for culturally & linguistically competent individuals to work in the
human services field through placements at MHA and at other public and
nonprofit agencies in Montgomery County.
- Diversity
education programs for mental health and human services professionals serving the community
as well as for other community groups.
- Clinical
services (individual, group and family therapy) to diverse clients unable to afford
treatment. Currently the focus of this programming is on low-income,
uninsured, newly-arrived immigrant children, youth and families who are
referred by MHA programs and other partner agencies.
Why Internship Placements?
N*COMMON is as much a
vision as it is a program. The vision is a community prepared to support
the mental health and social service needs of the increasingly diverse
population of Montgomery County. To do that, we need providers who are
adept at cultural competency and who can communicate effectively with clients,
often in their languages or origin. This programming provides an
orientation, ongoing education and supervision to bilingual and bicultural
interns to help build a workforce that can support this vision.
Aren't Providers Already Educated?
Ongoing training is a
requirement for many mental health providers, cultural competence is not.
N*COMMON works with various coalitions and committees to address issues of
diversity, has provided foreign language courses specifically designed for
mental health providers and offered dozens of presentations to numerous
audiences about various aspects of diversity.
What About the People Who Can't Find
Help Now?
That's where
N*COMMON's clinical services can be of assistance. The program offers
clinical support to some of the neediest members of this community and it
offers them in French and Spanish.
A. 2000 Census data shows that 31.6% of
people aged 5+ living in Montgomery County speak languages other than English
in their homes. In depth research
by the program revealed that access to Spanish and French mental health
services for low-income, uninsured, newly –arrived immigrants was and is
extremely challenging. The program
seeks to help meet those needs.
Q. Who are these clients and why are they
receiving services?
A. Many of the French-speaking clients are
highly educated professionals who were political advocates in West Africa. Most left their homes to flee
persecution and are receiving N*COMMON’s clinical services for trauma
experienced as a result of their activism. Many of the Spanish-speaking clients are from El Salvador,
Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Peru and Mexico. Most left their homes to seek a more economically stable
life and are receiving N*COMMON’s clinical services to address separation and
reunification issues.
What Are Some of the Other N*COMMON Successes?
·
93% of clients reported they either agree or completely agree that
their self-esteem improved, they are better able to confront problems and their
relationships with family and friends improved as a result of therapy provided
through the clinical services component of the program.
·
81% of participants in the acculturation and family reunification
groups reported they had improved family communication about issues surrounding
acculturation, separation and reunification.
·
70% of the interns placed through N*COMMON were bilingual. Through their placements they increased
the capacity of local programs and they saw the value of that work in this
community.
·
88% of participants in the diversity workshops reported they
learned new information and would be able to use that information to improve their
personal and professional interactions and communication.
For more information about MHA's N*COMMON program,
Click Here or call (301) 424-0656, ext. 520.
A Closer
Look: N*COMMON's Clinical Services
Celina has steadily healed and found
new hope in her life, but it took a lot of hard work on her part and the
support of the N*COMMON program. She had stopped receiving money from
her husband who had left El Salvador and come to the United States to support
the family, including their four children. When he stopped sending money, Celina became desperate to care for her
family and left El Salvador (the country in which she grew up) and moved
without her children to the US to try to find work. She moved back
in with her husband even though he'd been abusive from early on in their
marriage. He continued the abuse, to the point that she feared for her
life. She found the courage to leave him.
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Ms. T appeared frail, weak
and often sleepy and tired, even during the support group organized by
N*COMMON. She fell asleep in sessions, was unable to concentrate and had
frequent startle responses. She appeared older than her stated age,
showed some signs of self-neglect and always wore a hat to cover her
hair. Ms. T was sad and often cried, she complained of feelings of
hopelessness and helplessness, the inability to feel pleasure, insomnia, lack
of appetite, nightmares and anxiety. She was hearing voices calling her
name and often had the feeling she was followed. She stated she didn't
want to be alive. Because of her PTSD symptoms, depression and an open leg
injury Ms. T had difficulty attending sessions. She asked for individual
sessions with the same N*COMMON therapist. In therapy, she reported having been severely tortured and
raped in her home country. After a few sessions, she took off her hat and
explained how her head, buttocks and arms were burned with an iron while in
jail. Therapy with Ms. T focused on helping Ms. T regain a sense of safety. In sessions, Ms. T and her therapist discussed triggers and
symptoms of depression and PTSD and used guided imagery, relaxation exercises,
breathing techniques and cognitive behavioral therapy. Together they focused on meeting Ms. T’s basic needs and linking her to services for her medical and psychiatric
care. She was referred to the
local food program and to an organization which provided her with a free
French-speaking lawyer who worked with Ms. T and her therapist to get a hardship
evaluation for asylum, which she was granted in March of 2010. Ms. T’s attendance at sessions improved and she
was able to express herself freely in therapy. Her therapist gave her a referral to the International
Society for Hair Restoration Surgery, and she was accepted into the program. She was given her first surgery in
January 2011, which helped with the hair loss she experienced as a result of
the torture she endured. Ms. T continues to attend therapy twice monthly, is employed and is looking forward
to beginning her training as s special education teacher. Ms. T is excited about starting her new life with
her two children, with whom she will be reunited in September 2011 after more
than two years of separation.
MHA's Mental Health Month
Continuing Education Conference
PTSD in Returning Combat Veterans:
MHA's Mental Health Month CEU Conference
Friday, May 20, 2011
Location: Universities at Shady Grove (Rockville, MD)
8:00am - 8:30am Check in and light
refreshments
8:30am -
4pm Conference (One-hour
Lunch Break MiddayLunch will NOT be provided)
6.5 CEUs*
Download
Invitation PDF (for more event information &/or to register by mail or
fax)
Event Patron:
for its support of this event.
Thanks
to You and to Bloomingdale's!
MHA thanks everyone who
participated in the "Spring for MHA"
Bloomingdale's Event!
Shoppers who registered their receipts for Bloomingdale's to make
a donation, attendees at the Spring Trends Fashion Seminar
and generous contributions from others helped MHA raise over
$6,000! Those funds will support the organization in providing
valuable services right here in this community ~ from mentoring of
at-risk youth to friendly visiting for the elderly, from 24/7 hotline and
supportive services to support for formerly homeless mentally ill adults,
and for all that it takes to run these and other programs and services!
The event was fantastic and very "cozy" - Did you buy a
cozy?
More than 80 of us learned several ways to wear a cozy & had
great fun:
MHA's
Mental Health First Aid for the Public in July
Mental Health First Aid for the Public
Mon 7/11, Wed 7/13, Mon 7/18 AND Wed 7/20
from 6:15pm-9:15pm*
Montgomery College's Gaithersburg Business Training Center
This 12-hour course prepares the citizen responder to provide
initial help to someone with a mental health problem or in a mental health
crisis. MHA is pleased to partner with Montgomery College - WD&CE in
offering this Mental Health First Aid course.
Registration is ONLY available through Montgomery
College.
Click Here for more details and registration information.
*Participants must attend all
of the listed sessions for the entirety of each session. Full attendance is required in
order to receive the course certificate.
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Thank you so very much for
your interest in MHA, its programs and services. We hope that you
have enjoyed this e-newsletter and that you will share it with
others.
Next issue, learn more about MHA's Voices VS Violence
(VVV) program!
Please remember
that MHA depends on contributions from supporters like you to continue
offering its valuable programs and services. Please make MHA one of the
organizations you select for your charitable contributions.
Click on "Donate Now"
to put those dollars to work right now or
mail your contribution to 1000 Twinbrook Parkway -
Rockville, MD 20851.
THANK YOU!!!