Mental HealtH ReviewSuMMeR 2017

585.325.3145 | mharochester.org

PatHS to wellneSS

Painting: “Glade Creek Grist Mill W.V.” by Tom Kuzmik Featured at CWO Annual Show

Mental Wellness Tips P. 3Reel Mind Film Festival P. 5Volunteer Highlights P. 6

Dear Friends,

Finding a path to wellness is different for everyone. Sometimes the path is clear. Sometimes the path is challenging. Sometimes we get turned around and sometimes the path is dangerous. But we also know that with support and the right tools, you can survive and be well.

In this newsletter, we explore how our consumers, volunteers, and staff members found their path to wellness at the Mental Health Association. They’re people who’ve been in tough circumstances, but have been able to succeed and give back despite a mental health challenge. We trust you will find inspiration and hope in their stories.

Every day, our staff and peer volunteers are educating, empowering, and supporting anyone who’s ready to take that journey. That’s why we’ve been very busy connecting with as many people as possible in our community. In the first half of 2017 alone, we opened up our Ontario County office, we launched a new program for transition aged youth, we held our annual older persons conference, and we partnered with BOCES to hold Welding for Wellness (P. 4). And that barely scratches the surface of what’s happened at the Mental Health Association recently.

We couldn’t possibly list every event, initiative, challenge, and victory that’s happened at the Mental Health Association since our last newsletter, but you can stay in the loop by liking our Facebook page at Facebook.com/mharochester and subscribing to our email newsletter at mharochester.org.

Thanks for reading and for supporting community members in their path to wellness.

Be Well,

Patricia WoodsPresident & CEO

A letter to our community...BOARD OF DIRECTORS2017-2018

Kevin BestBest Times Financial Planning

Chetna ChandrakalaRochester Regional Health

Patrick ColemanThe Wladis Companies, Inc.

Jennifer DeVaultThompson Health

Andre GodfreyEntre Computer Services

Ann Griepp, MDExcellus BlueCross BlueShield

Randy JacqueRetired

Julie Jordan, Esq.Faraci Lange

John Kiweewa, Ph. D. St. John Fisher College

David KolczynskiConstruction Robotics

Robin LavergneWilson Foundation Academy

John LeeCoordinated Care Service, Inc.

Melissa Lord Accelerate Media

Michael MoellerMindex Technologies, Inc.

Mary Jo MuscolinoMonroe Plan for Medical Care

Rita Nischal Canandaigua National Bank

Michael ShayStein Miller insurance

Nicole VanGorderUpstate Special Needs Planning

Daniel WagnerTLF Graphics

Kelley WillmotHillside Family of Agencies

Patricia WoodsPresident & CEOMental Health Association

Mental Health Association Offices:

Main Office320 N. Goodman Street, Suite 202

Rochester, NY 14607585.325.3145 Fax: 585.325.3188

www.mharochester.orgFacebook.com/mharochester

Self-Help Drop-In Support Services539 South Avenue

Rochester, NY 14620585.454.3530

MHA Life Skills344 N. Goodman St.

Rochester, NY 14609585.224.2005 Fax 585.224.2761

Wyoming County Office27 W. Buffalo StreetWarsaw NY 14569

585.786.0992 Fax: 585.786.0751

Livingston County Office10 Park Place, P.O. Box 206

Avon, NY 14414585.226.3150 Fax 585.226.3162

Mental Health Tips

Subscribe to the MHA’s monthly email newsletter to keep informed about upcoming classes, workshops, and groups that meet at the Mental Health Association. A once per month digest of everything that’s happening!

Go to mharochester.org/newsletter to sign up

July is Minority Mental Health Awareness Month.

In 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives proclaimed July as Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. Campbell, who passed away in 2006, was a champion for mental health education and support among individuals of diverse communities. A leading African American author, she co-founded NAMI Urban Los Angeles and received NAMI’s 2003 Outstanding Media Award for Literature. During her life she worked tirelessly to raise mental health awareness in minority communities. Historical adversity in the form of racial and ethnic based exclusion from educational, health, social and economic opportunities translates into socioeconomic disparities experienced by many minorities today. Socioeconomic status, in turn, is linked to mental health: People who are impoverished, homeless, incarcerated or have substance abuse problems are at higher risk for poor mental health.In honor of Minority Mental Health Month, we would like to share some tips for maintaining wellness in ourselves and others in difficult times.

• Exercise - take a walk around the

block, attend a Zumba class, exercise to a video on YouTube, go swimming. The point is to get moving!Exercising releases endorphins which can elevate your mood and get you feeling better!

• Express Yourself! - Don’t hold feelings inside. If you are feeling something that needs to be expressed use different methods to get your feelings off your chest. You can have a conversation in person, over the phone, write a letter, or journal. Use the method that works for you and your situation.

• Make time for yourself- In the seemingly incessant “Busyness” of life one often forgets to put themselves on their “to do” list! Make dedicated time

for yourself where you do something for yourself for the sake of enjoyment and fulfillment.

• Limit social media consumption - many times social media can exacerbate feelings of sadness and anxiety. It’s ok to step away to clear your head.

• Cut yourself some slack - Know that it’s OK to not be OK. We all go through difficult periods and those periods can deeply affect us.

• If you see something say something! - We know our friends and loved ones better than most people. If we see changes in the behavior of a loved one take the time to have a conversation. Let them know that you see them and that you care. It may seem like a small thing but can make all the difference.

• Laugh! - Take time to enjoy yourself and have a good laugh. Laughing is good for you. Watch a favorite funny movie or share some time with friends who make you laugh. The old adage is true “Laughter is the best medicine!”

Written by Melanie Funchess, Director of Community Engagement at the Mental Health Association

If you enjoyed this column, be sure to check out our Wellness Wednesday videos each Wednesday afternoon at Facebook.com/mharochester

Photo from Max Pixel

Event Photos

The Mental Health Association was honored to be the recipient of the annual BOCES metal trades art sculpture auction. This year’s theme was Welding for Wellness and on June 2nd, 2017, we raised over $22,000 for the Mental Health Association.

We’d like to thank our sponsors (right), the volunteers who helped make this event possible, the BOCES Metal trades instructors, the generous participants who bid on these items, and the talented students who dedicated many hours of their time to create beautiful metal art sculptures. Thank you all for supporting mental wellness in our community!

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

The Mental Health Association serves over 15,000 people each year. Whatever step an individual or family is on in their journey to wellness, we strive to be a resource for them. We couldn’t be that resource without the support of people like you. Funding for the Mental Health Association comes from many different sources, but we still rely on your individual gifts to fulfill our mission of promoting lasting mental wellness. Your gift works towards ending the stigma of mental illness. Your gift enhances our programs so staff have the tools they need to help people wherever they are on their path to wellness. Your gift changes lives.

Please support mental health in our community by making a tax deductible gift to the Mental Health Association this year. Whether it’s a single donation or a recurring gift of just $10 a month, it’ll make a big impact on someone’s journey to finding wellness. If you have any questions about how to make a gift or how it’ll be used, please call me at 585.325.3145 Ext. 115 or email me kwilson@mharochester.org

Sincerely,

Kevin WilsonDirector of Community Relations

MHA’s CWO and Strong Collaborate at Reel Mind Film Festival

I had two great experiences at the Reel Mind Film Festival at the JCC last week. One was my experience being on a panel after the showing of scheduled documentaries and it was amazing. I felt sick before I went up on stage with butterflies in my stomach…but as soon as I got up there and saw the audience, I felt really comfortable having a captive audience hanging on my every word! The second experience was having a piece of my art work displayed with others from Creative Wellness Opportunities annual art show in the foyer of the JCC as part of a collaboration with Reel Mind and the Mental Health Association. A number of the CWO paintings sold to the audience that night. An Artist-in-Residence from Strong, Charmaine Wheatley, was also part of the four member panel. Charmaine has been drawing portraits of peers at Creative Wellness Opportunities, and elsewhere in the community, as part of a concentrated effort to break the stigma of mental illness by the telling of our stories. She was featured in a six minute movie documenting her process at work with peer volunteer models and integrating snippets of peer testimonials (which also included my own testimony). It was all very impressive. The audience asked each panelist questions. I found that I could articulate my thoughts and experiences and truths very easily. I surprised myself. At one point, I received cheers and applause for something I stated:“We are all strong and taking responsibility for our issues and growing from them.” My feeling is that some people out there who call themselves ‘normal’ are sometimes in denial about their issues and avoid acknowledging them and taking

responsibility for adapting. We are all so much stronger and courageous for accepting our issues and weaknesses and taking the time and responsibility to change and become healthier. Another person from the audience asked about feeling “less than” and having “flaws” and being “broken”. I remembered from a FaceBook post of a bowl that had broken, and how the Japanese value “flaws” as unique expressions and put the bowls back together with gold. As a result, the bowls become even more valued and beautiful. This is our metaphor. This is what we do. We are not broken or flawed. We are gluing ourselves together and becoming our unique and true selves. An illness

can be an opportunity to increase our awareness of who we are. I am grateful to have such an ability. I am a better, healthier individual as a result of how I am learning from my past experiences. It is my choice to accept, adapt, become responsible, aware, happy, joyful, and to be a role model and mentor for my friends and peers. This recent experience has allowed me to realize that I am a leader. All my efforts have finally gelled and come together, and it is awesome to realize! ~ Evelyn Cammarano

Your Support Makes a Big Difference!

Katherine has volunteered at the Mental Health Association’s Self-Help Drop in Support Service since 2016. She gives back to her community through the Mental Health Association while she works on her own recovery. Katherine recently started a certificate program at MCC in addictions counseling and will graduate in December 2017. According to Shon Fluitt, Self-Help Drop-In Support Service, “Katherine contributes in various ways to the SHDSS services by encouraging and inspiring our guests. Some of her many workshops include: Grounding Techniques, How To Stay Motivated & Positive, Stress Management, Procrastination, How To Deal With Change and many more. Katherine has been actively taking on leadership roles and initiatives by creating a resource booklet for all volunteers to help them strengthen their recommendations for our guests.

Katherine was the SHDSS June volunteer of the month and we are very fortunate to have her.” Describing her volunteer experience at the Mental Health Association, Katherine wrote in a

letter: “We provide a safe place for [guests] to get off the streets and away from their problems for a few hours. Sometimes we have food and we always have some sort of programming, such as games, talks on how to manage stress, and movie nights. I do one or two presentations a month. The special part of the [SHDSS] is that many of the people who come here are often ignored because of the way their illnesses manifest, or because they smell, or because people are afraid of them. At SHDSS, we see them for the people they are and give them respect and dignity they don’t get anywhere else. I am so honored to be working there. I am given so much from them…” She concludes her letter with a quote that can inspire us all: “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself” George B. Shaw.Thank you for everything you do Katherine!

Volunteer Highlights

Big Boost

I first began coming to Life skills services to have some social interaction. Maybe make a few friends. I wasn’t really interested in what LSS could do for me, as far as learning life skills. I knew I just didn’t want to isolate. The more I participated, the more I wanted to be there. I realized I was learning something in every class/workshop. I was learning from LSS staff and other peers. I began looking for more learning opportunities, as well as enjoying myself. I began to grow as a person. I also began volunteering as a receptionist with the hope of co-facilitating a class or two. I was a little scared, but I realized I had done

some facilitating before at Rochester Psychiatric Center. I thought, well if I did it once, I can do it again. It has only been a short time volunteering at LSS, but I really enjoy it. Because I participate regularly, it makes me feel part of a community. Participating has turned out to be something that has given my self-confidence a “big boost.” I believe it is a very safe space for peers to come and work on themselves to become a well-rounded person.-Linda Knauber

Interested in Volunteering?

Give us a call at 585.325.3145 to learn more

As a child, my mother struggled with depression and bipolar, while my father battled with PTSD after the Vietnam War. I was given my first label at age seven, and my sixth by twenty-two. As a mother of three, I found myself in an abusive relationship which cost me a major part of my memory. I had reached rock bottom. A close mentor sent Mobile Crisis to my home when I uncharacteristically did not show up to the office for days. She suggested I reach out to the Mental Health Association so that my children and I could get help. It came by way of my advocate; a lovely lady whose compassion and belief in me, gave me motivation. I am now a part of the

Mental Health Association Family Support Services, helping others as a family peer advocate. I use self-disclosure as it’s an effective tool in giving others hope. In doing so, I continue on my path to wellness while maintaining a healthy balance. I have a strong social network, and a healthy relationship going strong. I possess multiple degrees, and continue to further my education. I am a certified presenter of mental health curricula through NAMI Rochester, and am in the process of writing several books. My accomplishments are proof that living with mental illness does not have to deter one from success. Daily, I strive to better myself; modeling for my children that you can attain

anything you wish in life, no matter what the obstacles.-Karen Delgado

Stories of Wellness First Person recollections of their journey to wellness

MHA’s Consumers give back to their community

Every week for the last three years, a group of people has met at the Mental Health Association at a workshop offered through our Creative Wellness Opportunities (and now at one of DePaul’s residential sites in the city) to participate in an activity that has helped make the wishes of several groups in our community come true. Play Forward and Give Back is a unique experience of creating and sharing that has helped individuals move along in their recovery processes. Each week, with varied art materials, wonderful items are created to “give back” to groups listed in Rochester’s Charity Giving Guide, the Community Wishbook. Some of the items created have been dolls, blankets, pillows, stuffed animals, and books for children. Among the items created for adults are holiday cards for individuals who are

homeless, and cards thanking Veterans for their service to our community. The Bivona Child Advocacy Center, Rochester General’s Pediatrics Department, the Breast Cancer Coalition and several area nursing homes are examples of groups that have benefited.People with mental illnesses are often seen by the community as recipients not as contributors. This false stereotype is perpetuated by the fact that many people with mental illnesses receive help from public benefits such as SNAP and public assistance. Play Forward and Give Back sends a strong signal that many people with mental illnesses are also contributing members of our community. According to Jane Wharram, the group’s creator and facilitator, “the group has been a strong healing force in the lives of participants, especially when they know what they’ve created is actually needed by someone in our community.”

Other MHA Highlights

MHA hosts a training on auditory hallucinations for Bryant & Stratton College Students

Our first transition age youth employment skills class finshed up in April. Class made possible thanks to a grant from Wegmans.

MHA’s Creative Wellness Opportunities Annual Art show “Polarities” opened in May.

The Mental Health Association fosters an environment to build skills and provide support to individuals facing a mental health challenge, empowering them to make informed decisions on their self directed path to wellness.

MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATIONFIND WELLNESS

MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATIONFIND WELLNESS

Mental Health Association of Rochester/Monroe County Inc. 320 N. Goodman Street, Ste. 202Rochester, NY 14607

Address Service Requested

Non Profit OrgU.S. Postage

PAIDRochester, NY

Permit No. 1277

What does Peer Support mean?

When you’re looking at Mental Health Association materials, you might see the word “Peer” in our service descriptions. What that means is that staff or volunteers providing the service have had a lived experience with mental illness. They’ve been there before and know first-hand what it’s like to be in the midst of a mental health challenge. But they also know there’s hope for recovery and they’ve learned lessons along the way.

This evidence driven model is at the heart of nearly every service at the Mental Health Association of Rochester/Monoe County Inc. Learn more at mharochester.org

Mental Health Facts

Image from MentalHealthAmerica.net