Tagged With "Mental Health First Aid"
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Men's Mental Health Symposium: Listening Through the Silence
In general, men in the U.S. are expected to live nearly six years less than women . Men's Health Month is an opportunity to learn more about disparities in men’s health and about providing racial and ethnic minority boys and men with culturally and linguistically competent healthcare services. especially those with limited English proficiency. The US Department of Health and Human Services will host the inaugural Men's Mental Health Symposium: Listening through the Silence on Thursday, June...
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Save the date! Western Region Mental Health and Nutrition Network Conference
The Western Region Mental Health and Nurition Network is convening a inaugural mental health and nutrition Conference and Workshop on October 17-19, 2023 athe University of Nevada in Las Vegas. For more details. Please visit: https://www.wrmhnn.org/
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Consider a socio-ecological approach to mental wellbeing
We often focus on the individual-level risk and protective factors that influence mental wellbeing, but wellness is affected by circumstances far beyond the individual. Consider a socio-ecological approach to mental health that includes a person’s family, workplace or school, housing and neighborhood, and larger society. This approach illuminates the many influences on a person’s health, all also points out all the ways we can intervene. In Extension, we all have a role to play. Review a...
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Finding Appropriate Professional Help for Yourself or Others
Have you been wondering how you can obtain mental health services for yourself or others? A web search for the words “professional care for mental health”, though can yield a plethora of results making the world of mental health services particularly difficult to navigate. Here are a few tips, to get you on the road to finding the appropriate support you or your loved ones may need: Look up your local hospital’s website and search for doctors who specialize in Psychology and/or Psychiatry –...
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Re: Finding Appropriate Professional Help for Yourself or Others
Thanks, Lakshmi, for this useful post. Very helpful!
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Stress is not a Badge of Honor
( The original version of this post was written for farmers, on my blog Thriving on the Farm...but I think it can apply to just about any of us.) I was reading an article from University of Minnesota Extension on farm safety today ( https://extension.umn.edu/farm-safety/being-stressed-can-compromise-farm-safety ), and this phrase jumped out and hit me over the head. “There is no award for who suffers the most.” Ouch. How often do we brag about how long our workday is, or how little sleep...
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NACo Addresses Mental Health through Intergovernmental Partnerships
The National Association of Counties' Commission on Mental Health and Wellbeing led discussions during the conference on best practices and intergovernmental partnerships that support the 988 Lifeline and crisis response, bolster the behavioral health workforce, and address exclusionary policies that often preclude effective behavioral health care options. • Why it matters: Effective behavioral health care systems reduce recidivism and other cyclical service utilization patterns, leading to...
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Re: NACo Addresses Mental Health through Intergovernmental Partnerships
Thank you Roger for sharing this important information!
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Identity- Based Trauma (Lockett;Siegel)
The author James Baldwin states that “an identity is questioned only when it is menaced, as when the mighty begin to fall, or when the wretched begin to rise, or when the stranger enters the gates, never, after that, to be a stranger: the stranger’s presence making you the stranger, less to the stranger than to yourself” (Baldwin, 1976 p.537). The quote by Baldwin emphasizes the importance for people to be cognizant and confident of their distinctiveness and the multiplicity of identities...
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Mentally Healthy Aging in America
September is Healthy Aging Month, the month recognized to promote ways people can stay physically, mentally, and socially healthy as they age. The National Coalition on Mental Health and Aging observed significant increases of mental health conditions in older people, disproportionately affected by loneliness, social isolation, and loss. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation issue brief, in 2020 approximately 25-30% of older adults (1 in 4) reported increased anxiety and depressive...
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September is National Suicide Prevention Month
(Note: Today I’ll be talking about suicide, which can be a really painful topic. I’ll be focusing on suicide prevention.) September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Prevention means doing something before the crisis happens. We’ve talked about all sorts of ways to manage stress and be SAFER ( S leep, be A ware of your stress levels, F ocus on positives and gratitude, E at well and drink water, R each out to talk to someone)—these are all ways to reduce the risk of emotional distress and...
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Renew Hope and Offer Support During National Recovery Month
September is National Recovery Month. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra describes the purpose of this month in the following statement: “National Recovery Month represents an opportunity to recognize the strength and resilience of individuals who have triumphed over addiction and mental health challenges. Mental health and substance use disorders (SUD) are often misunderstood, stigmatized, and overlooked, but at their heart are people in despair looking for an open door and...
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Re: Mentally Healthy Aging in America
This says it all " Improving mental health equity for mid- and late-life adults requires systemic changes."
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Youth mental health and suicide
We may have heard of the following statistics. Worldwide, half of all mental illnesses begin before the age of 14 and three-quarters begin before young adults reach their mid-20s. In the United States, two of the most diagnosed mental health disorders are anxiety and depression. Suicide is the 2 nd leading cause of death among youth 10-24 years of age. This last one is most concerning. For decades, youth suicide ideation have been increasing and has been exacerbated by the pandemic. The time...
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Celebrating National Coming Out Day
National Coming Out Day is October 11, 2023. How can you celebrate LGBTQ+ people you know, and why does it matter?
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Re: Celebrating National Coming Out Day
Wonderful Article, Courtney! Thank you for gifting extension with your talent!
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Feeling Depleted? Refuel Ahead of the Holidays and Upcoming Stressors
The pandemic and its aftermath have brought about new and intensified stressors for many people. Coping strategies that have worked in the past might not be as effective in the current situation. Self-assessment and self-care are essential in times like these. Here are some steps you can take to address these challenges: Self-Assessment: Take time to reflect on your current state of well-being and baseline resilience. Ask yourself how you're feeling physically, emotionally, and mentally.
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Re: Celebrating National Coming Out Day
Thank you, Kourtney! This is a great article and resource. I'm curious about thoughts on gender-inclusive training in Extension. We have so many opportunities to bring inclusivity into our work, I would think the better trained we are, the better we can serve our communities.
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On Common Ground - Mental Health In Rural New Mexico
Agriculture can be filled with unique stresses, from fluctuating market prices to unpredictable weather events. As a result of these unique stressors, it's no surprise that agricultural communities have experienced increases in mental health challenges and suicide. Here to Help NM is an innovative initiative resulting from a collaborative partnership between the New Mexico Farm and Livestock Bureau, New Mexico State University, and the New Mexico Department of Agriculture to help farmers and...
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Re: On Common Ground - Mental Health In Rural New Mexico
This is an excellent video! Thank you to "Here to Help NM" for such a thoughtful product. I hope we all keep growing our mental health resources for farmers and ranchers.
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How Extension Can Help to Bridge the Mental Health Professional Shortage Gap
I tend to closely monitor the statistics on the number of mental health providers per capital in each state, particularly the Midwest states. According to Mental Health America (Reinert, Fritze, & Nguyen, 2021) most of the Midwestern states tend to fall in the bottom half of this state-by-state ranking. This means the need for mental health care is rapidly overtaking the workforce’s ability to provide it. So how can Extension bridge this gap? To be honest there is little we can do to...
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Understanding and Minimizing the Impact of Mental Health Stigmas
What is mental health stigma? Are there different types of mental health stigmas? Are you aware of the specific type of mental health stigma you experience and its potential impact on you? Kalichman (2019) defines mental health stigma as “the disgrace, social disapproval, or social discrediting of individuals with a mental health problems.” Additionally, research has identified four types of mental health-related stigma (Subu et al., 2021), Self-stigma – Often referred to as internalized...
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Save the date: Taking Action Against Substance Use in Communities (TASC)
We are excited to announce a regionwide train-the-trainer workshop for the new curriculum, Taking Action Against Substance Use in Communities (TASC), funded by the North Central Cooperative Extension Association (NCCEA) and the Great Lakes Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Regional Center (ROTA-RC) . Please forward this announcement to NCR Extension professionals who may be interested in this opportunity! Are you working with communities that are struggling with addiction? Are you tired of...
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Make a Dopamine Menu and Keep Yourself Full(filled)
If you’re like me, you may spend your free time scrolling through social media whether it’s Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Reddit,… There are so many virtual portals that suck us in! That’s not a bad thing, but at some point, between always working and taking care of others, I’ve forgotten what I enjoy doing for fun! I also look for those quick brain boosts that don’t exactly fulfill me. When we are mentally satiated and releasing dopamine due to healthy and meaningful...
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Raising awareness for teen mental wellness
Well darn--I made a mistake scheduling this blog post so we missed the day: March 2nd is World Teen Mental Wellness Day. However, I have been trying to celebrate mistakes and not let good work go to waste over something small like a deadline. And now I know you have to hit "publish" to schedule your upcoming posts! Read on to learn about World Teen Mental Wellness Day...in preparation for next year! World Teen Mental Wellness Day was established in 2020 to bring awareness and attention to...
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A raw and honest account of my therapy journey
Guest pot by Jane Schuchardt, Executive Director (ret.), Extension Committee on Organization and Policy What do you do when your handsome, talented, and accomplished son in his early 20s, one you thought you had a close relationship with, suddenly pulls away, acts in ways that seem out of the ordinary, causes you immense concern? Seek help — someone who will listen without judgment, skillfully take you down a path of discovering insights and ways of coping, and walk beside you to celebrate...
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A Random Inconvenience
I recently had a conversation with an official from an agency that educates, trains, and empowers blind and low vision individuals. We were discussing how to share the impact of two Mental Health First Aid courses that were offered to the staff at this agency. During the dialogue, this official shared that we must understand that most individuals who are blind or are low vision view this disability as a “random inconvenience.” I thought that was a very profound way to describe a disability...
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Words Matter: It’s Time to Reframe our Mental Health Conversations
What does “mental health” mean to you? Is this different from “mental illness”? Some people also use the terms “mental flourishing”, “mental languishing”, “mental wellness”, and the list goes on. One step Extension professionals can use to reduce stigma and put the mental health conversation on the table is to clear up our understanding of terms. First, let’s consider “mental health”. This may make you think about depression, anxiety, or other common mental health struggles. Often when we...
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How Extension Can Address Mental Health in Workplaces
As concerns about mental health and substance use continue to rise, yet the challenges of navigating mental health treatment access persist, many workplaces want new or expanded resources to support their employees’ mental health and well-being. Employers increasingly recognize the impact that mental health and substance use can have on employee productivity, satisfaction, and retention, but also struggle to foster recovery-friendly workplace cultures. In a comprehensive needs assessment...
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Trauma-Informed Conversations in Extension Education
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) defines Individual trauma as resulting from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life-threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual's functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being. (SAMHSA, 2022). Sundborg (2019) describes that the purpose of a trauma-informed care approach is to...
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Time in Nature Improves Mental Health
As temperatures warm and calendars fill, one mental health strategy is to spend time in nature. Research has found that humans are wired to crave time in nature. Connecting with nature has been associated with decreases in perceived stress, decreases in negative emotions, and increases in positive emotions. Spending time in nature has also been shown to increase cognition, memory, creativity, and sleep quality. There are a variety of ways to increase nature time. Exercise is a wonderful...