Surviving and Thriving after Traumatic Events

It has been called the disaster without an anniversary date -- the tornado that hit Harrisburg, Illinois on February 29, 2012. Tomorrow, it's one year later, but is it? Traumatic reactions always occur sporadically after a devastating event like this disaster, but the question of not being able to fully recognize the event because of something like leap year provides a way for us to look at the idea of trauma and the way events like this can affect our children.
I believe the hardest thing in dealing with trauma is not knowing when symptoms will be triggered and when they won't. Because it's hard to even identify it within ourselves, it's twice as hard to see it in our children. The unpredictable responses and not knowing what to do for a child usually leaves adults making the choice to just avoid talking about it. Totally understandable though -- cause we don't want to end up making things worse! We care, but we're scared to mess things up at the same time.
Harrisburg is my hometown and I live only 20 miles from there now. I have family and friends there still and the news of the tornado immediately brought anxiety, fear, and sorrow. The same was true for my children.
Thanks to my colleagues at Egyptian Health Department, I have access to resources that I can utilize and share with others. Dr. Matt Buckman, a psychologist I am thankful to know, immediately began collecting information to share with parents and providers that would help children deal with the after effects of the tornado. Dr. Buckman presented his info to three schools and some parent groups. The info included things like:
Normal Childhood Responses & Resiliency
How to Help All Children Cope
The Signs of Traumatic Stress
Managing Survivor Guilt
Compassion Fatigue
Personal Stress and Post Trauma Growth
If you are interested in the information from Dr. Buckman, please contact me at greenribbonadvocate@gmail.com or Dr. Buckman at mattbuckman@egyptian.org
Trauma reactions can come and go, just like an anniversary date -- or sometimes it may seem like it never existed at all. But, no matter what, we have a responsibility to help our children sort through and learn great coping skills. Not only that, but helping others is always personally beneficial to our own mental health too! Let's get to work :)

2013 Stigma, Discrimination & Disparities Conference

The Family & Youth Roundtable, serving San Diego's children and families with mental health challenges, provides an excellent opportunity every year to consult with colleagues and learn from leaders in the field regarding stigma, discrimination and disparities in services. I was fortunate to be able to attend this conference last week and bring the very best of information back to my community.

There were many highlights but I'd like to touch on a few that were at the top of my list. The conference opened with a keynote address from Dr. Arun Gandhi, who spoke of continuing his grandfather's teachings of non-violence. He spoke of living for a period of time with his grandfather and of how his family practiced disciplining children in a non-violent, non-intimidating way. He continues his teachings through an organization called Gandhi Worldwide Education Institute and I consider it a true honor to have had the opportunity to meet him.

 I also had the opportunity to hear about Dr. Ross Greene's work in the field of collaborative problem solving. His non-profit organization is called Lives in the Balance and it's described best on his website saying:

 Lives in the Balance is the non-profit organization founded by child psychologist Dr. Ross Greene, author of The Explosive Child and Lost at School, and originator of the Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) approach. His model is highly effective with kids often described as challenging, angry, defiant, and oppositional. This website contains a ton of resources -- streaming video, an extensive Listening Library, and lots more -- to help you learn about and implement Dr. Greene's research-based model and provide you with the strategies and support you need to help these kids in ways that are compassionate and effective.

I was very impressed by Dr. Greene's work and the fact that he is offering such great resources for free. This website provides parents another option for helping their children with mental health challenges to have more success in the classroom. It's definitely worth taking a look at!

One of my most favorite presenters was also there too. Eddie Peterson presented a session about the stigma related to the sexual abuse of males. I always gain great insight when I hear him speaking. Not only is he my friend, but a wonderful colleague that helps keep me motivated in doing the work that is so close to my heart. If you are needing a dynamic speaker for your next event that can talk about stigma reduction and many other mental health topics, Eddie is the one to call! You can become familiar with all of the great things Eddie is involved in by visiting his website at www.youdontknowmylife.org
This conference was a great experience and a regeneration of my passion to fight stigma and continue to educate our communities about how common mental health challenges are in all of our lives. I am grateful that I got to share this conference with Eddie and my other great friend and colleague, April. I think that together, we are an unstoppable team in the world of eliminating stigma, discrimination, and disparities for children with mental health challenges.

Friend of MHINDS (Mental Health Interest Needs Dedicated Students)

As our core team at Project Connect have looked for ways to engage more youth in education and awareness of mental health, we always hit one stumbling block -- how do we get them to come to the events? An age old question that requires an age old answer... meet them where they are. I envisioned an opportunity that would be convenient to high school students, offer them something they might be in need of, and create a situation that would open up a much needed discussion about mental health issues. The answer was Friend of MHINDS.

Just like anything we attempt to do at Project Connect, it's a collaborative effort in which myself and my colleagues are moving full speed ahead to implement. We plan to go into our area high schools once a month at lunch time, bringing lunch and mental health education to those students who are interested. The only requirement is to let us know ahead of time that you are coming (so we have enough food) and be committed to learning about issues like stigma, bullying prevention, suicide prevention, and drug-abuse prevention.

Our first meeting of sorts was a "meet and greet" information table at Eldorado High School today at lunch time. Our team, comprised of a diverse group of individuals were all there in order to show students that as adults with different backgrounds, ages, and ethnicities, we are all committed to growing a generation that accepts mental health ideas and embraces the differences of others. In a small rural school, where everyone knows everyone's business whether you like it or not, we were amazed at the interest that these students showed! Over 75 students signed up for our first lunch meeting on February 28th. Wow! I am so very excited to meet with these students as we will be talking about stigma and the upcoming National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day in May.

We hope to establish a Friend of MHINDS group in each high school in our three county service area of White, Gallatin, and Saline. I believe the possibilities for outreach are endless with this project and I can even see the possibility of sustaining the program in the future by involving other community organizations for support with providing lunches and education opportunities. I guess my biggest hope besides the success of this within our schools, is the possibility of making it a replicable activity that system of care groups can do all over the United States. If you are interested in learning more about Friend of MHINDS, you can contact me at greenribbonadvocate@gmail.com or visit the Eldorado Friend of MHINDS Facebook page. I'll be back with more information after the first meeting on February 28th!