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 Children’s staff at Northern Lakes CMH have been planning for a month for this week to celebrate Children’s Mental Health Awareness.
In Houghton Lake and Grayling, there will be coloring contests and essay contests, with gift card prizes donated by staff. In addition, there will be healthy snacks and water in the lobby, also donated by staff, as giveaways.
In Cadillac, there will also be goodies in the lobby all week, including balloons, stickers, coloring books, pencils, snacks, and children’s activity and coloring sheets.
Staff will also be giving away green ribbons (with flyers explaining the significance of the color green – new life, new growth, new beginnings), positive buttons, and temporary tattoos.
Tomorrow, the Cadillac Wexford Public Library will be having a storytime on “feelings“ for toddlers aged 3 to 5 from 10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
September 1, 2010 – 5:08 am
 As young people move into their teens, parents face seemingly endless challenges to ensure their adolescents’ health and safety – an increasingly difficult and stressful task as teens push for more independence. Parents want to ensure that their teens make the right choices, hang out with the “right” people, and live productive, alcohol- and drug-free lives.
When parents are actively involved in their teens’ lives, teens are more apt to avoid circumstances involving alcohol and drugs. Research shows that teens who are not regularly monitored by their parents are four times more likely to use drugs, compared with regularly-monitored teens.
To help teen parents and families prevent and address teen alcohol and drug abuse, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Health Information Network created Caring for Our Youth Web site. You will find quick links to information, available for quick download or hard-copy mail order, such as these:
 One resource is a publication called Keeping Your Teens Drug Free. This easy-to-read booklet provides ideas and examples of the skills busy parents and caregivers can use to keep their teens away from marijuana and other illicit drugs.
Another resource is a top-quality multimedia CD called The Teen Years: A Road Map for Parents. This CD provides wonderful insights about how teens develop throughout adolescence and offers expert advice for parents on how they can best guide their teens through this transitional time. The CD complements the booklet, Navigating the Teen Years: A Parent’s Handbook for Raising Healthy Teens.
August 26, 2010 – 5:52 pm
 The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) has launched StrengthofUs.org, a new online community where young adults living with mental health concerns can provide mutual support in navigating unique challenges and opportunities during the critical transition years from ages 18 to 25.
Developed by young adults, StrengthofUs.org is a user-driven social networking community where members can connect with peers, share personal stories, creativity and helpful resources by writing and responding to blog entries, engaging in discussion groups and sharing videos, photos and other news.
The site offers resources on issues important to young adults, including:
- Healthy relationships
- Family and friends
- Campus life
- Independent living
- Finances
- Employment
- Housing
- Mental health issues
On Saturday, June 19, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., there will be an inaugural Crawford County Health and Safety Fair located at the AuSable Primary School, at 306 Plum Street in Grayling.
This event has only been possible because of the work and support of several different businesses and organizations in our community in an effort to try to assist residents in knowing the services available in our community and to strengthen our physical, mental and financial health.
Some of the highlights include a FREE spaghetti lunch (from 11:00 to 1:00), Child Car Seat safety inspections, the Yellow Jug Program for safe disposal of unused/unwanted prescription medications, and a mercury thermometer exchange for a new digital one.
Kids will enjoy an “up close and personal” view of several different emergency and rescue vehicles to include fire trucks, ambulances, a rollover simulator and the Michigan State Police Bomb Squad truck and equipment.
Many different organizations will also be there with information about services, including Northern Lakes Community Mental Health!
At the same time, there will be a Household Hazardous Waste collection by the Crawford County Environmental Department in the Courthouse parking lot, located at 200 Michigan Avenue. Details are provided in this Household Hazardous Waste Collection Flyer.
Suicide has been a national issue for decades, yet only in the last few years has there been documentable actions taking place across the country to educate and actively prevent this tragedy.
With funding from the Garrett Lee Smith Youth Suicide Prevention Grant, we are fortunate to be able to address suicide in our own communities!
Crawford and Roscommon Counties were one of eight local grantees awarded funding through September of 2012. During this grant it will be a priority to build a local suicide prevention coalition, write a prevention plan, and move towards educating the community on what to do if they fear someone they love is at risk for suicide.
 Nicole Ellens has been hired as the Youth Suicide Prevention Coordinator to head this effort.
Since March, Ellens has been contacting and meeting people throughout the community to form a suicide prevention coalition to meet regularly and formulate a strategy to combat suicide in Crawford and Roscommon Counties. The coalition met in March and April and has established a monthly meeting schedule for the remainder of 2010.
Agencies represented on the coalition thus far are as follows: Michigan State Police, Houghton Lake Schools, Roscommon Schools, Grayling Schools, Second Chance Academy, Kirtland College, COOR ISD, School Based Health Center, Great Start Collaborative, Mercy Hospital, Mid-Michigan Health Park, Northern Lakes Community Mental Health, Crawford County Family Court, Department of Human Services, Grace Center, Third Level Crisis Center, Good Shepherd United Methodist Church, Commission on Aging, Michigan Youth Opportunities Initiative, and MSU Extension.
Throughout the next few months this new group will begin to compose a suicide prevention plan, outlining goals, activities and desirable outcomes for the community. They will look at current community data on suicide, suicide attempts and self-harmful behavior as a way to assess progress and changes throughout the area.
To ensure that there are key persons throughout the community with suicide intervention skills, about 45 members of the coalition will become trained in the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) in late August of this year. ASIST is a two-day, intensive training on how to confidently and competently intervene on someone’s behalf when they elicit suicidal talk or behaviors. The group will also look at suicide prevention programs to implement in the local schools to educate youth on how to recognize signs of depression, which adults they can go to in times of need, how to stay healthy, and the importance of not keeping secrets about suicide when their friend or family member discloses suicidal intent to them.
Ellens said, “Having only been operational for three months, it is evident that Crawford and Roscommon counties will be taking big steps towards creating a healthier community for its citizens. Through education, awareness and intervention we hope to instill that suicide is preventable and each of us have a role to play.“
For more information on how you might become involved, contact Nicole Ellens at 989-366-1105 or email Nicole.Ellens@NLCMH.org.
 Here is a public education Web site developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to communicate to parents and other caring adults about how they can help promote their child’s mental health and reduce his or her risk for becoming involved with alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs: http://www.family.samhsa.gov.
The Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health declares the first week in May as National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week. The theme for the week of May 3-7, 2010 is “Promoting Positive Mental Health from Birth to Adulthood.”
 To combat stigma, advocates and community members may be seen wearing green ribbons to signify new growth, new life and new beginnings.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders among children. With suicide being the third leading cause of death for youth aged 15-24, it is imperative that children are taught ways to stay mentally healthy as well as being treated for possible mental health concerns.
Along with early intervention, developing coping strategies to help children and teens combat daily stressors is essential to maintaining positive mental health. The following suggestions are ways in which we can take control of stress to develop healthy strategies for staying healthy.
Relax: Relaxation is important. It’s easy to forget to take time for ourselves when things get stressful, but finding healthy activities can help you relax plus they are often easy to do and don’t cost a thing. Put time aside to do some of these activities with your children and see which ones work best for you: go for a walk and take time to point out things around you, go fishing, take a bike ride, play a favorite game or sport, do a puzzle, read books, listen to music they like, paint, color or draw, sit quietly and tell each other about what happened that day.
Help others: Having opportunities for generosity helps so that we don’t focus exclusively on our own problems. Youth can get involved in the community through volunteering at an organization or by helping neighbors, family members or school mates. There are usually no financial benefits to volunteering but often times it is a positive meaningful experience in other ways such as: learning or developing a new skill, providing a sense of achievement, locating possible new interests or hobbies, meeting new people, and possibly boosting future career options.
Positive Peer Support: Teach your child how to form positive relationships by helping them recognize qualities to look for in a good friend. According to SAMHSA, children who feel isolated and want to be accepted are often more prone to succumb to peer pressures by using tobacco, alcohol or illegal drugs. Visit www.family.samhsa.gov/teach/ to find more information on how to help your child choose their friends wisely.
These are just a few ways in which we can help our children develop positive mental health and coping strategies they can take with them from adolescence to adulthood. Explore how your family can build healthy activities into your daily routine and wear a green ribbon this month to remind you of the importance of children’s mental health.
| If you or someone you know is at immediate risk of seriously harming themselves or someone else, call 911. |
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Serving Crawford, Grand Traverse, Leelanau, Missaukee, Roscommon and Wexford Counties in northwest Michigan
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Children’s staff at Northern Lakes CMH have been planning for a month for this week to celebrate Children’s Mental Health Awareness.
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