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Archive for the ‘News Room’ Category
Wednesday, January 11th, 2012
The International Center for Clubhouse Development (ICCD) recently granted first-time accreditation for Traverse House Clubhouse, a program under the auspices of Northern Lakes Community Mental Health (CMH), where people who have had mental illness come to rebuild their lives.
Over 300 Clubhouses are accredited by ICCD worldwide.
“It is our understanding that we are presently the only Michigan Community Mental Health organization with two accredited programs,” according to Greg Paffhouse, Northern Lakes Chief Executive Officer. Club Cadillac was accredited in 2009.
Traverse House Director Signe Ruddy said, “Achieving ICCD Clubhouse Accreditation was a long process that my colleagues and I have shared in. It comes as result of a huge group effort. This recognition is very important to us because it means that we have clearly demonstrated our commitment to excellence. The ICCD program model has just been recognized as ‘Best Practice’ by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA).”
Member Susan said, “ICCD Accreditation is a reward for our efforts and establishes basic points and qualifications we need to meet and continue improving toward. We are a successful Club, which is why we take suggestions for our improvement and growth. This accreditation shows this and that we have come a long way.”
The process began when the Clubhouse colleagues completed a three-week training course at Gateway House in Greenville, South Carolina and Genesis Club in Worcester, Massachusetts, both ICCD training Clubhouses, in 2006, 2009, and 2011. Then the entire Clubhouse conducted a self-study review and produced a written report to submit to the ICCD. Last November, John Hayes, of Carriage House in Indiana, and Larry Marshall, of Pioneer Clubhouse in Peabody, Massachusetts, conducted a three-day site visit at Traverse House on behalf of the ICCD. Their written report of their findings was submitted to ICCD.
Member Vicki said, “Every day we were looking in the mail wanting to know the results of our ICCD consultation visit. I happened to be the one who went to pick up the mail on the day our notice arrived. I was almost wrestled down by my colleagues when I arrived back in Club and announced I had the letter. I called out for our Signe, our Director; we were all laughing at once wanting to open the letter. The long process is over. We got it!”
Like all Clubhouse programs, Traverse House focuses on people’s strengths, not their illness. Members and staff work side by side in decision-making and governance of the program. Through the activities of a work-ordered day, individual members achieve or regain the confidence and skills necessary to lead vocationally productive and socially satisfying lives. Work in the Clubhouse, whether it is clerical, reception, meal preparation or reaching out to their fellow members, provides the core healing process.
One of the most important steps members take toward greater independence is transitional employment, where they work in the community at real jobs. Members also receive support in securing safe and affordable housing, advancing their education, and obtaining good health care. Membership is for life, so members have all the time they need to secure their new life in the community. Every opportunity provided is the result of the efforts of the members and small staff, who work side by side, in a unique partnership.
“Increasing transitional employment was one of the accreditation recommendations and will be a high priority in our continuing quality improvement efforts,” said Ruddy.
Member Gary explained, “Coming to Clubhouse helps members with communication and social skills by participating in the activities that we do. The work ordered day assists members in being motivated when they work in the kitchen preparing and cooking our lunch. Doing all this helps me and my fellow colleagues. Getting our Club accredited will help us to get extra funds, which will allow us to grow. We then can offer more opportunities to those persons who might benefit from the Clubhouse program.”
Established in 1994, ICCD is a non-profit and non-governmental organization which helps communities around the world to create solutions for people with mental illness. ICCD oversees the creation and evolution of standards; facilitates and assures the quality of training, consultation, certification, research and advocacy; and provides effective communication and dissemination of research and information.
“We are extremely pleased that Traverse House has been awarded ICCD certification,” said Paffhouse. “This is a milestone achievement for members and staff.”
Paffhouse said becoming accredited “helps ensure that our programs and services meet current state-of-the-art international standards and serves as a foundation for continual quality improvement efforts.”
For additional information call Signe Ruddy, Traverse House Director, at (231) 922-2060.
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Thursday, May 12th, 2011
Northern Lakes Community Mental Health (NLCMH) and the Crawford County Department of Human Services (DHS) are teaming up to provide a training workshop for foster parents and relative caregivers on caring for children who have experienced trauma. The workshop will be held on Saturday, May 14, 2011, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Crawford County DHS at 230 Huron Street in Grayling. There is no cost to attend but advance registration is required. Lunch will be provided.
The workshop will focus on understanding how trauma affects children. Attendees will improve their ability to communicate with children who have experienced trauma, learn ways to reduce the stress of parenting a traumatized child, and learn skills and techniques to influence children’s behavior and attitudes.
One of the organizers, Kelly Sauter, BSW, Northern Lakes CMH Children’s Case Manager, explained that, “This training stems from a statewide effort to raise the standard of care and increase access to services for traumatized children and their families. Our hope is to create a community of trauma informed foster parents who can serve as a resource to individuals interacting with traumatized youth.”
Another organizer, Donna Van Brocklin, Services Specialist and Licensing Consultant for the Crawford County Department of Human Services, said, “We find that all children who come into the foster care system have experienced some type of trauma, whether it is from the neglect and/or abuse they have experienced or just from being removed from their family and home. It is important for foster parents to have the knowledge and skills to be able to help these children while they are placed in their home. At this time, Crawford County has 23 foster homes that do an excellent job helping foster children deal with the emotions and feelings they are experiencing and sometimes the behaviors that come along with these. This training will help foster parents and relatives that are helping out as caregivers to add more skills to their bag of tools.”
This project is funded by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the US Department of Health and Human Services.
For additional information call Kelly Sauter at Northern Lakes Community Mental Health at (989) 344-3009 or Donna Van Brocklin at Crawford County DHS at (989) 344-5126.
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Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
Cadillac News, May 5, 2011, by Rick Charmoli. Katie Griffin is like many other 15 year olds.
She likes watching movies, loves animals, hanging out with her family and playing on her Nintendo DS. Read the full article.
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Thursday, March 24th, 2011
By Krista Tacey, krista.tacey@houghtonlakeresorter.com
In the time frame of two weeks 1 in 20 people will think about committing suicide and, in most cases, that one person will reach out to another to stop them. There are now 16 people in the area who can say they will be able to notice the warning signs of suicide and try to stop it from happening.
On March 18, health professionals, counselors, educators and concerned citizens from Roscommon, Crawford and Otsego Counties gathered at the AuSable River Center in Roscommon to take part in a SafeTALK suicide alertness training class.
Aaron Cromar of Northern Lakes Community Mental Health and class trainer said people cannot prevent their thoughts of suicide, but the action of suicide can be prevented. He said in most cases the person trying to commit suicide does not really want to go through suicide. He added they want someone to listen to them and deal with the problem that is causing them to think ending their life is a better option.
“There is a part of them that wants to remain alive,” Cromar said.
Cromar explained that in many cases the person who is thinking about committing suicide will often give cues that they are thinking of suicide. He listed some of the cues or “invitations” that people may show like giving items away, not planning for the future, being moody, isolating themselves and saying there is no reason to go on.
In many cases, Cromar said people who should be picking up on the invitations often miss them, dismiss them, or choose to ignore them for fear of becoming involved. He added the purpose of the class was to teach people how to pick up on the cues and know how to get help for the suicidal person.
The class followed the acronym of TALK, which is the way people should try to deal with suicide when they recognize it. First, Cromar said people should try to get the person to tell them they are thinking about committing suicide. He said to get the person to tell them in a non judgmental way as to not make them feel threatened.
The second step is to directly ask them if they are thinking of suicide if they will not give you a straight answer. He said to directly ask, “Are you thinking about suicide?” If they are not, he said, suicide can be ruled out right away and some of the pressure will be off and the focus can be on the issues making them upset.
“Encourage them to tell you in the most direct way,” Cromar said.
He added to let the person know you are there for them and tell them you care about them and their life is worth saving.
The third step in TALK is the “l” step, which stands for listen to the person. Cromar said to listen to why they are feeling like committing suicide and listen to the problems they are having. He said in most cases having a person to listen to them will be enough to make them not take the action of suicide.
The final step is the “keep safe” portion of TALK. In the “keep safe” step Cromar said to find them additional help or keep track of them until you know they are in better care.
Some of the resources Cromar listed as additional help included family or friends, faith-based organizations, counselors and doctors.
After practicing the SafeTALK method with a partner those attending were presented with a certificate of class completion. At the end of the class, emergency room nurse Tammy Petkus said she learned that is it alright to talk about suicide and that it is not a taboo subject.
She added there is a stigma about suicide that makes people not want to talk about it and said she now feels she has a way to open the lines of communication with her patients.
Nicole Ellens, Northern Lakes Community Mental Health youth suicide prevention coordinator said suicide is more common in the area than residents might think.
She added the class, which is part of the Crawford/Roscommon Suicide Prevention Coalition’s prevention plan, is to help people help others with the thoughts of suicide.
“You don’t need to be a trained professional to help,” Ellens said.
She added the only thing that really matters is that there are people in the community who are willing to help others.
For 24-hour service and information on suicide or to seek help contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or Northern Lakes Community Mental Health at 1-800-442-7315.
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Tuesday, February 15th, 2011
Opinion Editorial by Gregory D. Paffhouse, NLCMH CEO in Grand Traverse Insider
http://www.morningstarpublishing.com/articles/2011/02/14/grand_traverse_insider/opinion/doc4d596fbb2a160057249230.txt
January was a month of much public sadness and tragedy. The Tucson shooting and Traverse City murder-suicide are but two events that angered, shocked and saddened us and left us wondering why these things happen and what could have been done to prevent them. Life is precious and these incidents change lives forever.
While few who complete such acts of violence are persons with a mental illness, our tendency is to blame them or think anyone capable of such an act must be mentally ill. Sadly, people commit acts of violence to resolve deeply personal and/or complex problems. Such violence only creates more victims and results in our feeling less secure, angry, and often blaming others when we don’t understand.
What many don’t know is that persons with serious mental illnesses are as likely – or unlikely – to commit acts of violence as anyone else. As a group they are more likely to be victims of violence. One in five has some type of mental health condition. They are family members, friends, neighbors, co-workers, or ourselves.
The one group where research does shows a small link with violence (people with paranoid schizophrenia who abuse substances) can be helped through early intervention and the right services and supports.
President Obama, in his Tucson memorial remarks, said this tragedy should foster national dialogue. He asked: “Are our mental health services adequate?” In advocating for continued funding, Linda Rosenberg, National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare President, stated, “People who need mental health services do not magically disappear when funding is cut.”
Those of us who are privileged to work in mental health must ensure services and supports are not only adequate but demonstrate expected results.
For Northern Lakes CMH, expected outcomes include ensuring people have meaningful and satisfying work; opportunities to volunteer; success in the educational setting; meaningful relationships; a safe living environment of their choice and with whom they want; community membership, inclusion and participation; a reduction in psychiatric symptoms; sobriety; and an enhanced overall quality of life.
Mental health services must be accessible, accountable, welcoming, and include emergency and other early intervention services for those with the most severe and most resistant conditions. This includes assisting persons with signs and symptoms of mental illness to seek treatment in pursuit of their recovery.
Collectively we have a responsibility to address factors that lead people to violence and to assist them to seek nonviolent solutions. We need to provide people with knowledge and skills to take action when they encounter a family member, friend or acquaintance experiencing a mental health problem.
This year Northern Lakes CMH will have Mental Health First Aid training available to help our community members understand signs and symptoms, know how to respond, and what resources are available. This, along with other important community efforts, can support existing and create additional community assets to increase knowledge and skills, eliminate stigma and reduce the underlying factors leading to violence.
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Thursday, February 3rd, 2011
MACMHB Winter 2011 Connections by Ernie Reynolds, Certified Peer Support Specialist, Northern Lakes CMH Authority, and Gregory Paffhouse, CEO, Northern Lakes CMH Authority
Connections is extremely pleased that Ernie and Greg have provided us with a vision of a system that is framed by the characteristics and principles of recovery. These are consumer driven qualities. Acquiring this wisdom has been an arduous journey, fraught with untold suffering. Reading this in tandem with Jim Haveman’s article – which looks at administrative structural challenges and changes we face – provides us with two complementary perspectives to guide us as we move ahead.
Entire Connections Winter 2011 issue here
Excerpt of Ernie's and Greg's article:
What should a community mental health system look like if it is based on recovery? This was a question posed by Mike Head to the Recovery Council. It is a critical question to be answered since while each person has the right and responsibility to direct his or her own recovery it can be helped, or limited, by what and how services and supports are provided.
So what are the characteristics of a recovery oriented system of care? How will we know if the Michigan community mental health system and our own organizations are recovery oriented?
We believe there is not a “one size fits all” model to accomplish this change. We believe all CMHSPs have made efforts to further their recovery orientation and believe the use of the Recovery Enhancing Environment assessment results, as a benchmark and guide, will be very helpful. We say this believing that becoming a recovery oriented system of care is an on-going process and any such social system transformation is difficult to achieve. We believe this continued growth and transformation is best accomplished by focused strategic systems planning.
At Northern Lakes CMH we built our Recovery Blueprint based on the William A. Anthony, M.D., Boston University, Fall 2000 article for the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, “Characteristics of a Recovery Oriented System”. Anthony identified twelve System Dimensions (Design, Evaluation, Leadership, Management, Service Integration, Comprehensiveness, Consumer and Family Involvement, Cultural Relevance, Advocacy, Training, Funding, and Access) and listed System Standards for each dimension.
The public mental health challenge is to make the vision of recovery real in the work we do. It must be more than a concept, words on paper, or changing the sign on the door while doing the same old things inside.
Below we highlight the characteristics, principles, and values of a recovery oriented system. These include choice, self-determination, flexibility, and community membership. You will see that both groups include the foundational importance of engaging, listening to and including persons with lived experience. The Connecticut Practice Guidelines refers to this as “Primacy of Participation.” You will also see how consistent these are with the MDCH Concept Paper and the Application for Renewal and Recommitment.
…
As space limits our presentation, we want to encourage readers to access the following documents. All three are excellent information sources to help in our organizational journeys to be systems promoting and sustaining recovery.
American Association of Community Psychiatrists (AACP) Guidelines for Recovery Oriented Services -
Developing Systems and Services that Support People in Wellness and Recovery: A Primer for Holding Informed Discussion, California Association of Social Rehabilitation Agencies, April 2007
Practice Guidelines for Recovery-Oriented Behavioral Health Care, Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, May 2006
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Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011
by Melissa Smith, http://www.upnorthlive.com/news/story.aspx?list=~\home\lists\search&id=574980
People recovering from a mental illness in some northern Michigan communities can now apply for grants.
That's because Northern Lakes Community Mental Health is now offering mini-grants. The plan is to help transform the public mental health system to one based on recovery principles by strengthening consumer choice and enhancing personal recovery.
Funding for this initiative comes from a "Culture Change To Embrace Recovery" block grant through the Michigan Department of Community Health.
NLCMH is looking to fund up to 10 grants at a maximum of $2,000 each, up to a total of $10,000.
Any person who is recovering from a mental illness who lives in the NLCMH six-county service area of Crawford, Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Missaukee, Roscommon or Wexford Counties is eligible to apply. The projects and activities funded through the mini-grant program must benefit people 18 years and older with the six counties.
The application packet is available here.
The submission deadline March 15th, 2011. Successful applicants will be notified on April 1, 2011.
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Tuesday, February 1st, 2011
Amy Hubbell, http://leelanaunews.com/drupal/index.php?q=node/26441
As a child, Brittany’s eyes sparkled with hope of a great future. Today her eyes are darkened, tired from night after night of couch surfing—wondering which way to go next.
The former Leelanau County woman left home after her 18th birthday and has been in Traverse City for more than a year.
“I told her she’d have to find someplace else to live if she couldn’t follow the rules,” said her mother, whose identity along with that of her daughter are being withheld in this article.
Brittany’s story is that of perhaps the most difficult group of people to treat for mental illness—young adults.
“When she was little, Brittany was bright and sparkled with an outgoing personality,” said her mother, who was a foster mother to the little girl with her husband before adopting her at age 17 months. “But as she got bigger, things began to change.”
Brittany was diagnosed at age 6 with “oppositional defiant disorder”, a mood disorder described as a pattern of negative, hostile and defiant behavior lasting for at least six months. Like others with the same disorder, Brittany’s behavior caused problems socially and academically. People with the disorder don’t see themselves as defiant, but justify their behavior as a response to unreasonable demands or circumstances.
“We saw counselor after counselor and argue. Everything was everyone else’s fault,” his mother said.
At age 16, her parents contacted Northern Family Intervention Services, which over several months made visits to their house and the school in an attempt to keep the family together. Initially, counseling made a bit of a difference with Brittany, but it didn’t last.
“We considered a Christian-based program, but it was in the Dominican Republic and cost $40,000. We just couldn’t do it,” mom said.
In talking with counselors and doing their own research, Brittany was identified as having “histrionic personality disorder.” Often abbreviated as HPD, those affected display a seemingly never-ending pattern of attention-seeking and excessively dramatic behaviors beginning in early adulthood that extends across a broad range of situations. Individuals with HPD are highly emotional, charming, energetic, manipulative, seductive, impulsive, erratic and demanding, according to the Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders.
“She loves to perform … loves to be the center of attention,” her mother said. “I have to be careful not to compliment someone’s hair or outfit, because she gets jealous.”
It was fall of 2009 when Brittany’s parents had all they could take. Their daughter would not get up for school. Efforts to homeschool the troubled young woman fell by the wayside.
“I told her that she needed to follow the house rules or find someplace else to live,” her mother said.
Unfortunately, one of the symptoms of histrionic personality disorder is denial of the diagnosis. Brittany got on the phone and left hours later. She has not lived at home since, at least on a long-term basis. Her parents continue to pay for a cell phone so she can stay in touch with them.
“I worry about her being with people she doesn’t even know,” Brittany’s mother said, adding that she “couch surfs” by staying with different people in a number of different places. Some have taken her in for long periods.
“She puts on a good story. But it doesn’t take long for her to start treating them like she treated us.”
January and February 2010 was not a good time for Brittany. At that point, she had been away from home for five months.
“She called, saying she was cold and hungry. Someone had stolen the coat and boots we had bought for her,” Brittany’s mother said.
After describing where she was — near Northwestern Michigan College — Brittany was directed to a nearby restaurant and told to order something to eat. Her father arrived in time to pay for the meal, but Brittany left the restaurant to continue on her own.
In Brittany’s absence, her mother learned that mental illness runs on both sides of her biological parents’ families.
“We worry about her safety. We try to be supportive and let her know we still love her. But we won’t let her disrupt everyone else’s life,” her mother said. “It’s heart-breaking. She has so much potential. Maybe with age and experience she’ll get better.”
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Tuesday, February 1st, 2011
By Amy Hubbell, http://leelanaunews.com/drupal/node/26440
How and where mentally ill people are treated has changed dramatically during the past generation.
County commissioner David Marshall of Glen Arbor is one of two people representing Leelanau County on a 16-member board that sets policy for the Northern Lakes Community Mental Health (NLCMH) agency.
“In my past life, in Indiana, I worked as a certified counselor and a marriage/family therapist and for many years with adolescents and families,” said Marshall, who is now a shop owner.
From around 1980 to 2000 Marshall worked in an outpatient clinic of Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis, the largest hospital in Indiana and one of the largest private hospitals in the nation. Marshall’s career also included time as a counselor in an outpatient mental health center attached to Butler University.
“At that time, the mental health system was transitioning from a institutional model to an outpatient model,” he said.
A couple of actions triggered the change in tack for treating mental illness. In 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the Community Mental Health Act that for the first time created a role for the federal government in states’ mental health arenas. The legislation called for a 50 percent reduction in state institutional hospitals within the next 10 years. The same year a new Michigan Constitution was adopted that altered the institution-based approach to mental illness, providing for services for the “care, treatment, education and rehabilitation of …inhabitants who are physically, mental or otherwise seriously disabled….”
State legislators followed up in 1974 with adoption of a new Mental Health Code. It enabled the conversion from institutional care to a community-based treatment and support model.
“Another thing that helped out is that the medicines got better,” Marshall said. “The chronically schitzophrenic could be functional if they stay on their medications—that’s a struggle whenever you’re working with the disabled or someone who resists treatment, begins to feel well and stops taking their medication.”
In Michigan, the criteria for involuntary commitment requires that a person be a danger to himself or others, can’t care for themselves, or that based on previous history is in immediate danger of breakdown.
The court and mental health system got some help in 2005 in the form of Kevin’s Law, named for a 24-year-old University of Michigan graduate student who was killed in a Kalamazoo bus station by a mentally ill man who had not taken his medication. The law amended the Michigan Mental Health Code to enhance the definition of a “person requiring mental health treatment.” Kevin’s Law forces involuntary mental commitment to people whose “non-compliance” with treatment over 48 months has been a factor in at least two psychiatric hospitalizations or incarcerations, or one or more acts or threats of serious violent behavior in the last 48 months.
State law treats differently individuals for whom a guardianship is sought and those for whom involuntary mental health treatment is requested. The court can appoint a guardian for a person who lacks the ability to make informed decisions due to mental illness — but not if the person is developmentally disabled. Before mental health treatment may be ordered, the subject has to be a danger to himself or others.
The requirement often pertains to youth age 17-21. “During my last 10 years of practice, 90 percent of my work was with males in this age group referred to me through the court system,” Marshall said. “The problem with this group is that they love high risk activities and act impulsively.”
The issue was also a concern of a state mental health commission formed by Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm. The commission found that early intervention is the hey to effective treatment. In addition, they concluded that a delay in delivering the right care at the right time resulted in “overuse of the juvenile and criminal justice systems as well as increased homelessness.”
Early treatment is something that Helen Stimson stresses. A retired registered nurse from Leland, Stimson sits on the NLCMH board with Marshall.
“There is help out there for those who need it,” Stimson said. “It’s important that the public learn about the signs and symptoms (of mental illness) so that there’s early detection and that people can be funneled to the proper care.”
Mental illness knows no age barriers. The number of mentally ill children in Leelanau County served by the NLCMH agency increased by five from 2009 to 2010, according to statistics from the agency. NLCMH covers a 6-county area that includes Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Missaukee, Roscommon, Wexford and Crawford counties, operating on a $49 million budget for 2009-2010.
Stimson called for parity in health insurance coverage for those with mental illness, saying that 1 in 4 people are affected by mental illness.
“The impact across the board is enormous if people don’t get help,” she said.
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Tuesday, January 18th, 2011
TV 9 & 10: http://www.9and10news.com/Category/Story/?id=279074&cID=1 (See Pat Hess interview)
A federal grant will soon offer affordable and independent living for some in Traverse City.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently awarded a $60,000 grant to the city housing commission. It will be used to offer about 10 vouchers to the non-elderly within 50 miles of Traverse City to get out of a nursing home and into an apartment. These are people who don't have a support system allowing them to have a place of their own.
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