During the summer months, several consumers expressed interest in learning the Spanish language. A group of consumers gathered together and decided to form a Spanish Club, which is a peer-led group that gathers together for 45 mins. during goal time at the Harford PRP. Consumers are learning the basics of the Spanish language (i.e. days of the week, greetings, numbers, etc) and will advance as the meetings continue.
Stay tuned for more to come!!!!
The consumers at Key Point Health Services (Harford PRP) had the opportunity to participate in this years HCC Art Exhibit to celebrate 21 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Under the direction of Liz Tutino, Consumers were able to submit their personalized artwork and have it displayed at the Harford County Community College. The Harford County PRP of Key Point Health Services, along with other entries from The Arc Northern Chesapeake Region’s inclusive recreation program as well as by the Harford County Cultural Arts Board. Consumers were very excited to see their work displayed and this experience has not only increased their self-esteem and confidence, but it has allowed them to see that creativity is abundant in their lives.
Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!” ~Robin Williams~
As we embrace the joys of Spring time, Harford PRP consumers will be having their annual Spring Dance! Under the leadership of Melissa Potemra, Rehab Recovery Specialist, the consumers will be dancing to a variety of songs from the 70′s, 80′s, 90′s and beyond. Consumers were asked to wear pastel colors and to bring their rhythm and dancing shoes, as they celebrate a new season and enjoy a time of fun and socialization. There will be a Dance Contest, Raffle, Prize Giveaways, and much more.
Positive article in the WSJ on helping the mentally ill stop smoking. Key Point has had several well-run programs for this in the past (thank you state of Maryland and Harford County). It’s a hard nut to crack however. Our staff tend to believe that something about the nicotine “helps” clients overcome medication side effects.
It’s about that time of the year again….
The Mental Health America 2011 Annual Conference will be held on June 9th-11th at Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
From all across the country, advocates, consumers, educators, researchers, business and community leaders, health professionals and nationwide networks of 300 affiliates will gather this year. The conference will explore and examine opportunities to strengthen wellness in individuals and communities through advocacy, education and service delivery. The conference also provides a unique opportunity for people in the mental health field to connect with others who are committed to promoting an agenda that will improve health outcomes and drive down the tragically high rates of mental health and substance use conditions in the United States.
Contacts for General Questions: General Inquiries:
Danielle Fritze dfritze@mentalhealthamerica.net
Exhibits: Antionette Means ameans@mentalhealthamerica.net
Sponsorships: Michael Turner mturner@mentalhealthamerica.net
Media Awards: Steve Vetzner svetzner@mentalhealthamerica.net
Registration and Hotel Info:
http://mentalhealthamerica.net/go/conference/registrationandhotel
Conference Speakers:
http://mentalhealthamerica.net/go/conference/speakers2011
Conference Agenda:
The results of this study showed that while more people are understanding that there may be neurobiological causes of mental disorders, we’re still a long way off from removing the prejudice and discrimination that accompanies a mental disorder diagnosis: However, the results show that although believing in neurobiological causes for these disorders increased support for professional treatment, it did nothing to alleviate stigma. The results show that, in fact, the effect increased community rejection of the person described in the vignettes. Pescosolido said the study provides real data for the first time on whether the “landscape” is changing for people with mental illness. The negative results support recent talk by influential institutions, including the Carter Center, about how a new approach is needed for the fight against stigma.
By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 25 Sep 2010
Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.
When I think about Stigma as it relates to mental illness, I am reminded of Stigma as a general problem and concern for many, in all facets of life. In my opinion, Stigma, as it relates to mental illness is a form of discrimination that is automatically placed on an individual due to their specific mental illness. There are a variety of misconceptions and prejudgments about those who cope with mental illness on a daily basis. These misconceptions could possibly imply that one who suffers from a mental illness is not capable of contributing to society as much as someone who doesn’t have a mental illness, when in fact, persons with mental illness can make just as much of a positive impact on society. With mental illness, it is very easy for society to make judgments, but often times, stigma is prevalent specifically with mental illness due to lack of knowledge and awareness. The topic itself is often taboo in certain respects and it almost suggests that if you have a mental illness, you are not able to hold a job, raise a child, go to school, etc. This is false. Many individuals with mental illness are actively involved in treatment and participating in programs and community resources that will aid them in getting the best care possible. Reducing stigma requires more community education and for advocates to willingly challenge unfair treatment and discriminatory stereotypes.
So, in essence, Is Mental Health Stigma still prevalent? Yes! And something should be done! It begins with you!
Some Helpful Resources
Fight Stigma: Become A StigmaBuster! http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=fight_stigma
Mental Health America, http://www.nmha.org/index.cfm
For St. Patrick’s Day this year, consumers were surprised with a decorated community room and some tasty “green” snacks (cookies). Consumers also participated in a variety of activities in their TRIBE groups, which brought about more peer-to-peer socialization and a cheerful atmosphere!
Hi — Having trouble updating the blog right now. Sonic Wall firewalls have a filter problem that is blocking Word Press servers. I just found a way to add new posts, but I can’t update existing pages while I am at work. I look forwards to updating program schedules, calendars, and staff bio pages as soon as I can!
Thanks,
Michael
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| PRP Art Show Open House May 11th 12:00pm – 1:30pm
You are invited to: The Key Point PRP Client Art Show Refreshment will be served The show will feature original artwork by Key Point Clients from Aberdeen, Dundalk, and Catonsville. Liz’s art and art history class has been working through a home school curriculum featuring several famous artists. This has inspired our clients to try their hands at art works in the style of the famous artists. They have also completed lots of artwork on the themes of gardening and personal growth. Sonya Myers reports that a few of the clients at Key Point Catonsville and Dundalk locations have been featured in recent art and poetry publications. We look forward to their work and the work of other clients from all our locations being featured at the show. Please RSVP for more information and directions to Liz Tutino or Michael Reeder. |
The PTSD Workbook by Mary Beth Williams is FULL of exercises in each chapter. I outlined the first 3 to give you an idea. It describes many techniques that can be used while maintaining a feeling of encouragement. What I liked most was on page 38 it gives 11 different things to look for that may mean the person is doing too much work out of the work book. I did notice some of the language may be too hard to understand for lower functioning clients. I would recommend this book because it gives very visual, specific, and recordable ways to rate feelings and experiences. A number of exercises in this book would work for a variety of client issues. Any client that is in need of taking a harder look into their feelings and experiences would benefit from some of the exercises. If tackled head on it is a lot for one person to do but broken down I believe it is an awesome resource.
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Chapter 1: A look at trauma: Simple and complex
I noticed the wording the very positive and encouraging, “By picking up this book, you have shown that you are not denying any need to look for change. You may still have some resistance but at least you are willing to begin to look.”
The first sentence of the book is, “What is trauma?” Goes through the trauma story, then into defining and reacting to trauma.
Exercise: My ability to cope with trauma
Explains Acute Stress D/O and PTSD
Goes into true and false memories
Am I a healthy person?
My trauma related beliefs
My healing history
Committing to the work – asks person to commit to working on their PTSD
Journal exercise: Drawings of self and environment
.
Chapter 2: Safety – what it means to be safe
Exercises:
My sense of safety
Safety assessment
My safe place
Journal exercise: Safe place collage/drawing
Exercise: Getting to my safe place – involves developing and using a symbol or phrase to return to your safe place and draw strength from it using visualization
Next goes into checking in with yourself, relaxation and breathing techniques
Deep breathing
PMR
Quick relaxation (PMR with bigger muscle groups so it does not take as long)
Page 38: When to take a break from doing work out of the workbook – 11 things to look for and 5 self-care things to do when taking a break
My safety net
.
Chapter 3: Identifying and writing about what has happened to you
Subjective Units of Distress – SUDS scale; person is asked to chose a level of the scale they feel they are experiencing and explain why.
Trauma inventory
My positive traits
Page 45: do you have PTSD
My symptoms
Create trauma time-line
Healing by writing
Journal exercise: My traumatic experience – over 4 days the person is asked to write about an experience for 20 minutes each day without stopping
Exercise: Learning from my traumatic experiences – person asked to reflect on what they wrote for 4 days and what they learned about the trauma, self, and their world.
Using metaphors to describe trauma – explains there is no one way to tell your story
Time to Heal – asks person to pick specific symptoms that are bothering them to be worked on then use the exercises in the rest of the workbook to assist with recovery
