Northern Lakes Community Mental Health » Be an Advocate

Today Marks 20th Anniversary of ADA

Northern Lakes CMH — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:43:56 +0000

July 26, 2010 marks the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, one of the most important civil rights victories in U.S. history. Some of the pioneers who worked to pass the ADA are featured in compelling videos produced by TASH. TASH is an international association of people with disabilities, their family members, other advocates, and professionals fighting for a society in which inclusion of all people in all aspects of society is the norm.

The official ADA web site has added a video which documents the speech given by President George H. W. Bush when he signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law on July 26, 1990. In the video, President Bush speaks to a huge audience of activists, Congressional supporters, people with disabilities, and their families and friends gathered on the south lawn of the White House.

The 22-minute film, provided to the Department by the George Bush Presidential Library, is being re-released on the Internet to increase awareness of the ADA.

Anti-Stigma Presentation at the State Consumer Conference

Mary Beth Evans, Recovery Coordinator — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 10:50:02 +0000

I had the honor and the privilege to both attend and present at the State Consumer Conference on Thursday, July 22. There were so many wonderful workshops that I had a hard time choosing which ones I wanted to attend. I presented with Steven Batson from the Michigan Recovery Center of Excellence on Anti-Stigma. We showed the documentary that NLCMH just recently released (Look Closer: See Me For Who I Am) and got all great feedback on how well it was created.

I found it rather educating to hear folks answer the question of why they chose to attend our session after Steven had asked them. There were so many different answers to this question and it led to an amazing discussion on what people thought stigma was and how it affected their lives in so many different levels and in so many different ways.

What kinds of stigma do you encounter on a daily basis?
How does it make you feel?
How can you change it as only one voice/person?

All of this consumes me at so many different levels. I’d like to hear your thoughts on these questions. Maybe your thoughts can help someone else. I’m hoping it will help continue to show that even though we might all not know each other, we all face it and deal with it daily and we might even stigmatize others daily without even knowing it. How? Why? When? Think about it and how you can help others. Leave your thoughts and help someone else.

Movie: The Best Way Out is Through

Northern Lakes CMH — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:20:02 +0000

If you are like most of us, there have been many roadblocks, potholes and detours on your journey through life. Sometimes we have to hang on while the storms blow through. That that’s what this little 3-minute movie is about – the amazing power of persistence! Just click below to watch.

The Best Way Out is Through | The Best Way Out is Always Through Movie.

My Recovery, My Toolbox for Wellness

Northern Lakes CMH — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 05:00:18 +0000

A friend recently asked me two questions which have gotten me thinking: #1 Who are you? and #2 What do you want out of life?”

WOW! Can you actually answer those questions? I thought about them most of the night and found it hard to sleep wondering if I knew the answers to those questions – and they were about ME!

So I got out of bed, grabbed my laptop, and began to type. I started out with those two questions as “titles” if you will, and then put a bunch of spaces in between them to enter in the information that flew out of my brain. I should know this stuff! I live my life everyday and no one else does it for me, so why was this so hard to do? After I put the spaces in between the two questions, I went back to trying to get some sleep. But it hankered in my mind so I got back up, grabbed the laptop yet again, and started writing.

Who Am I? Here are just a few things I came up with:

I am Mary Beth Evans. I am the baby of the family.
I am a wonderful mother of four children.
I am an advocate for my own needs.
I am appreciative of small things in life because all small things equal one big thing.
I am overbearing when it comes to getting something done.
I am lazy when I want to be after a long day or even if I’m just emotionally drained. For example, if I’ve had a horrible day, I still come home and make sure the kids are taken care of with dinner, homework and baths, but I might just relax on the couch after and let the dishes go for the night.
I am SUPER afraid to ask for help but yet give my help out freely.

What Do You Want Out Of Life? I had a hard time with this question. I thought it was going to be a task I could never do, but then I just started…

EDUCATION: To go back to college and finish my bachelor’s degree in social work, continue on for my masters degree, and eventually even perhaps become a psychiatrist that has a diagnosis and would be willing to listen, learn and above all, HELP those like myself.

It didn’t seem like much after I looked at it and I knew I wanted WAY more out of life, but I could only think of headings. So I just put down the following knowing that this is MY list and I can add to it at any time:

HOUSING
OCCUPATION
NECESSITIES
TRANSPORTATION
DEBT CONTROL

Your list doesn’t have to include the things mine does. It might be totally different. But my list continues to grow and I keep adding details to it. I’m sharing this because I thought this might be a great way to help folks continue to add to their own toolbox for wellness. I have taken my list, decided that I will revisit it every week when I revisit my WRAP plan, and use it as my goals in life. I’m going to keep this list, but I think I will get a brightly colored marker and start knocking some of them off that I do accomplish.

To me this is like a Person-Centered Plan. It’s my goals in life. It’s also my Recovery. It’s non-linear and it’s a process. I don’t have to go down the list and do everything in the order I have it. It’s a forever changing, living, breathing document. Have fun with this but be realistic that things DO change. Changes occur as we grow. Change can be very good.

SHHH! Just Listen!

Northern Lakes CMH — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 11:24:00 +0000

Listening is a great skill to have in order to be an understanding supporter. Looking back at my own mental health history, I rarely had anyone just stop and listen to me when I needed to get things out. I always had people wanting to give me advice and tell me what to do to get through the rough spots in my life, but I never really had someone just listen to what I had to say without saying a word back before I had a chance to explain everything in detail to them (including my frustrations).

I’ve never been great at asking for help when I needed it because usually I’m the person trying to help others with their problems – that’s why I’m a peer support specialist! But asking for help and/or giving it is different than just listening to someone when they need an ear.

Someone once gave me a quote I remember dearly:

“We were given two ears but only one mouth, because listening is twice as hard as talking.”

In my opinion, this quote should be posted inside our hearts as friends, parents, mentors, sponsors, mothers, daughters, sons, etc. Think before you react; listen before you speak; and be effective as a listener.

Effectiveness happens when you interpret and understand BOTH the message that’s being said and the way it’s being intended. If someone needs a listening ear, make sure and just LISTEN. It helps release the other person’s tension dramatically to have someone as a supporter who won’t judge them without hearing all the facts before lending their hearts.

Mary Beth Evans, NLCMH Recovery Coordinator and CPSS

National Men’s Health Week

Northern Lakes CMH — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 09:00:26 +0000

Men’s Health Week is celebrated each year as the week leading up to and including Father’s Day. This year, it is June 14-20, 2010. The purpose is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys.

To learn more, check out the Men’s Health Week web site. You can also explore topics on men’s health by entering the Northern Lakes CMH interactive Health Education Answers site and choosing Men’s Health.

Unexpected Delivery of Positiveness

Northern Lakes CMH — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 11:07:32 +0000

I reconnected recently with a friend that I hadn’t heard from in years. We talked on the phone for a good hour at least. He asked me how things had been going in my life since we last talked. For the first time in a long time, I realized that I had grown a lot as a person. Usually when a good friend (even from the past) asks me a question like that, I tend to get melodramatic and play the “poor me” scenario and only focus on the bad things – I’m in debt, my physical health isn’t so great, I don’t feel like I’m making a difference at work, etc.

I started talking about how I finally moved into my own house after almost two years with my parents, how I was getting more involved with advocating for myself and others because one of my bosses told me I don’t speak up enough (imagine that, right?), how I had gone to various trainings and become a Master Personal Action Towards Health Facilitator Trainer, how I had slowly paid off a debt because of a few great friends helping me create a budget to live on, and many other things. I didn’t realize that I had accomplished so many things. Those are all positive things created from negative things that happened in my life.

We’ve all been to conferences or trainings where someone has talked about changing negative thoughts into positive ones, but have we actually put that into action in our lives, not just with thoughts but actions? I’m grateful to have had this chance to talk to this person who I still consider a great friend because without him knowing it, he helped me even more with my own personal positive change efforts.

Who am I and what do I want to become? What are my goals and how am I going to get there? And lastly, how can I continue to grow and change? I’m forever grateful to him for making me realize how far I’ve come and I suggest that we all sit down and make some plans to put into action. Change is a hard thing to do, but in the long run, it creates a better us, a better me, and a better culture to live in.

Respectfully yours,

Mary Beth Evans, CPSS and Recovery Coordinator (and just me)

9th Annual Conference By, For & About Consumers Coming June 16, 2010!

Northern Lakes CMH — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:19:15 +0000

The 9th Annual Northwest CMH Affiliation Regional Conference By, For, and About Consumers is planned for Wednesday, June 16 at the Northern Lakes CMH Traverse City Office.

Learn & Lead to Succeed is the theme and the topics will be:

Discover The Leader Within… Inspire, Lead, Succeed
Strategic Sharing and Advocacy
Stepping Out and Sharing Your Gifts as a Volunteer or Employee

If you are receiving services or supports from Northern Lakes CMH, you are invited and encouraged to attend! The conference is free, and includes continental breakfast and lunch. Transportation from Cadillac, Houghton Lake and Grayling will be arranged for those who need it.

The conference runs from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Registration deadline is Friday, June 11, 2010. Here is the Registration Form. If you have trouble downloading the form and printing it out, you may also call Cindy Petersen at 231-935-3099 or Rosemary Rokita at 1-800-337-8598 for more information.

Walk A Mile In My Shoes!

Northern Lakes CMH — Wed, 19 May 2010 11:52:18 +0000

More than 1,500 advocates flooded the state Capitol May 11 for the sixth annual “Walk A Mile In My Shoes” rally promoting mental health and developmental disability awareness. Among these were over 25 people representing the Northern Lakes CMH area, including people who use community mental health services, people who work in the CMH system and other advocates. (Check out the rally photos at: http://northernlakesphotos.shutterfly.com.)

Representatives and flag bearers from each county addressed the group from the capitol steps. The statements made from our counties were:

Crawford – In Crawford County we are very afraid about more budget cuts. We are afraid that there will be longer waiting lists for mental health services in Michigan. We are afraid people won’t be able to recover and get their lives back. We are afraid more people will end up in the emergency room or on the streets instead of getting treatment. We are valuable people – and treatment and support should be a right, not a privilege.

Grand Traverse – I have a mental illness and my recovery was to take my medications and it changed my life. I started to go to clubhouse and they helped me a lot with my illness. I want to keep going to clubhouse and continue to see my doctor. I thank the CMH people for helping me with my illness.

Leelanau – Last year we lost our day program for senior citizens. We are afraid we will lose more if the budget keeps getting cut. We are afraid that some of us may not be able to recover as a result. Mental health matters!

Missaukee – In Missaukee County, we feel that Advance Directives are very important. Where would we be without caring individuals, friends, and family? Without my sister where would I be today?

Roscommon – I’m afraid to meet people or be around groups of people because of my mental illness. It’s bad when someone like me is even afraid to see my regular doctor because they know I have a mental illness and automatically start to stigmatize me and the problems I have, saying it’s because of my mental illness.

Wexford – I have a 7-year-old daughter who is not with me because the judge says I have a mental illness and supposedly not capable to raise her. I also lost my fiancé the first of this year which is still very traumatic for me. I look at life this way – God won’t give you what you can’t handle. If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

Many thanks go out to all who braved the weather and attended the event. Despite near-freezing temperatures and relentless rain, everyone’s dedication and commitment to advocate on behalf of people with mental illness and developmental disabilities and ensure they have a voice is priceless.

National Women’s Health Week: It’s Your Time!

Northern Lakes CMH — Sun, 09 May 2010 13:13:03 +0000

May 9-15, 2010 celebrates the 11th Annual National Women’s Health Week. The theme, “It’s Your Time,” reminds women that even though they are often caregivers for children, spouses, and parents, they must not forget to take time to focus on their own health. This nationwide celebration urges women to make their own health their top priority.

Women are very different from men. While we share many common traits as human beings, we don’t share all of the same health concerns. Some conditions are more common in women. Here are some good sources to learn more – including some practical, easy things you can add into your life right away:

Women’s Mental Health: What It Means To You is a great publication by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Office on Women’s Health. Click womenmentalhealth to access this 22-page booklet which is packed with helpful information of specific interest to women.

Another fantastic resource to support women’s health can be found in the Health Education Answers section of our web site. Click here and then choose “Launch” to access this interactive site!