Leaders Advancing & Helping Communities (LAHC) has deep roots in supporting young people — especially through rich social opportunities found in sports. The organization was founded in Dearborn in 1982 around a shared love of soccer in the immigrant refugee community of Wayne County.
LAHC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit social services agency dedicated to providing essential human services. Founded four decades ago by immigrants with the original aim of offering social and recreational opportunities for local youth, particularly through the sport of soccer, it has evolved today into a dynamic and highly sought after social services agency that has adapted to the changing needs of the community.
LAHC remains unwavering in its dedication to its mission of empowering communities, one family at a time, by enhancing the educational, social, health and economic well-being of residents in southeast Michigan.
“Soccer was huge for youth and the immigrant community from Lebanon and the Middle East. The organization was tapping into what youth were passionate about, and the social opportunities that lead them in positive directions were available, including life skills and leadership, all woven into the sport of soccer,” says Marci Mahfouz, director of behavioral health at LAHC. The therapeutic aspects of sport and movement continue to be a foundation for mental health services at LAHC.
Through the 1980s and into the 1990s, LAHC grew and became well-known for a robust scholarship program that gave youth access to higher education. LAHC has awarded more than $2 million in scholarships to local high school students, Mahfouz says.
In the 1990s and 2000s, needs assessments indicated LAHC needed to serve the community in new ways. It evolved to provide direct program services, including food access, utility and housing assistance and emergency relief. In 2023 LAHC’s programs collectively served more than 56,000 income eligible individuals in southeast Michigan region.
Throughout its history, LAHC has remained focused on youth, but the organization now serves all age ranges, from infants through seniors. Through its education department, there are youth leadership opportunities, training programs and scholarships. In workforce development, LAHC offers ESL, digital literacy and provides targeted skill training to develop essential job-related competencies. In the health division, clients receive wellness support, including obesity prevention, nutrition, cooking and mindfulness instruction.
“This all goes to those who are cycling in to receive behavioral health services, and they have the opportunity to experience our other departments to get so much more. We pride ourselves on the wraparound services we offer. Our substance misuse and behavioral health services are so vital to our community,” says Mahfouz.
LAHC stands firmly on the belief that everyone has the right to access “wonderful and comprehensive mental health supports,” Mahfouz says, adding that “sensitivity to personal experiences matter when you deliver services, and you need to be responsive to that.”
Trust is something that Mahfouz and her colleagues work hard to gain, especially with the youth they serve. “Youth tend to have mistrust in the system and authorities. They need to feel that they are in a comfortable space to express themselves and share what’s hard to talk about. That trust factor is so vital,” she says.
With its headquarters in a predominantly residential area of East Dearborn, LAHC’s goal is to be part of the neighborhood and this accessibility boosts trust in those they serve. “We are located in the middle of homes and I love that,” Mahfouz says, adding that community members are able to walk in to the headquarters to receive services, helping to alleviate transportation barriers.
Accessibility and trust help reduce the generational stigma that still surrounds mental health needs in this community, due perhaps to cultural and religious beliefs and other factors. Youth are the change agents in so many ways, including formal youth leadership programs at LAHC and in smaller everyday moments.
The supportive approach used by behavioral health professionals at LAHC engages youth and, as a result, they often share with their families the stress relief and calming strategies they learned.
LAHC’s Blooming Minds therapeutic program uses evidence-based interventions through a dynamic recreational therapy program that addresses stress, depression, anxiety, anger management and other struggles.
Programming is facilitated by a certified therapeutic recreation specialist. Interventions include creative expression, exercise and games, gardening, arts and music and more.
“We have had a lot of requests from communities and school districts related to youth depression, anxiety, grief and loss. Some family members are back home experiencing war, so there’s a lot going on for them,” says Mahfouz, adding that some families are separated and grief and loss is significant in the community. LAHC created the recreational therapy program with the intention to support youth struggling with mental health challenges, but specifically for what these youth are coping with.
“The interventions look to improve physical aspects, but also cognitive, social-emotional functioning and whole wellness,” she explains. “We have small group intervention in a safe, supportive environment. Youth can have art therapy, music, drumming, movement, mindfulness, martial arts and all kinds of sports built in. There are cognitive game-based activities offered in all of the interventions.”
Recreational therapy offers a welcoming and non-intimidating approach for youth and their parents seeking mental health support for the first time, particularly for communities that may have reservations about seeking help due to fear of stigmatization.
Through these interventions, participants say they feel supported — not just by the facilitator, but by their peers in their small cohort. “In their home environment or in the community, they aren’t always able to openly express their feelings, but in a small group, it’s a safe space and a platform to finally share where no one will shut them down,” Mahfouz says.
And, participants learn tools they can use moving forward. “They are told they are not just going to throw all their problems on the table, but work through them with a toolkit, and that it might be hard,” she says. This approach is often contrary to how they have learned to address their mental health challenges within their families and communities.
“They have been told to snap out of it or that they will grow out of it. The small cohorts allow youth to breathe a little and express themselves, and that’s the biggest thing they like about it. They didn’t know that creating art or drumming is a form of therapy,” she says. Knowing that change happens holistically, LAHC has a whole-family component to every service offered. “We can’t just get in front of youth and expect change, but we have to engage the whole family,” she explains. “There’s more buy-in when everyone is at the table.”
Knowing that not everyone across metro Detroit can access LAHC, the organization pushes out to different neighborhood pockets to create “mental health hubs,” partnering with local school districts, faith-based organizations and parks and recreation centers as well as federally qualified health centers and local libraries.
While the hubs are overseen by trained mental health professionals, they are youth led and employ a peer-to-peer mentor model to drive community activities around mental health.
Mahfouz says she wants youth to know LAHC is available and ready to help. “We are here for you. We are in your neighborhoods. We are always willing to work with you whatever your starting point is,” she says.
“It’s our responsibility to provide equitable care and show respect for diversity. When you show that all voices matter, you have trust and buy-in.”
Learn more about Leaders Advancing & Helping Communities at lahc.org.
Individuals experiencing a mental health crisis now have a place to receive direct specialized care. Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN) officially opened the doors to the 707 Crisis Care Center at 707 W. Milwaukee Ave., Detroit.
The 707 Crisis Care Center is among the first certified crisis stabilization units in Michigan — and it has a completely new approach to providing support, says Grace Wolf, vice president of crisis services at DWIHN.
“The 707 Crisis Care Center is open 24/7/365 and really focuses on accessibility,” explains Wolf. She compares the concept of needing a referral from a primary care physician to see, for example, a foot doctor. A referral can be a barrier to those in need of mental health support. “For us, there is no formal referral process to go through. This brings down the threshold of accessibility.”
There are no residency requirements, no required socioeconomic status. Individuals do not need medical clearance from a hospital. Nursing care is provided at the center, and if an individual needs medical care that requires more intensive support, they receive a referral, Wolf explains.
And, visitors to the center are guests, not clients or patients.
The first two floors of the building are dedicated to the Crisis Care Center and have 32 beds in total. There are 12 adult crisis stabilization beds, 14 children and family beds for guests ages 5-17 years old, and six transitional program beds that are dedicated to guests in the Building Empowered Support Transition (BEST) program — a peer-run pilot program that gives space for guests to develop self-sufficiency and wellbeing skills before discharge.
The child and family crisis unit is the first of its kind in Wayne County, says Wolf. Established guidelines for adults don’t necessarily apply to children. “This is a new process, so we will operate as a pre-admission screening unit. This means guests can walk in with no formal referral and bring their child or adolescent for a complete intake process and to determine the best next steps,” says Wolf. This could be outpatient or inpatient care or residential services.
What’s unique about this process is that children and adolescent guests can stay at the crisis center while they wait for a residential or inpatient bed to become available, if that is the appropriate next step for the guest. “While they are with us, they can receive one-on-one counseling and peer support,” she explains. “It’s the hope and goal that we can provide stabilization and discharge, but if it’s not the case, we can provide a warm transfer to the residential or inpatient facility.”
Kids need never sit in a hospital emergency department, which isn’t equipped to provide specialized support. Additionally, the 707 Crisis Center provides for natural support involvement for the family.
“When an individual receives services, we require a parent or natural guardian to stay with them. This breaks the cycle of the child going somewhere, receiving support, then going back to the environment,” says Wolf. By engaging them in the treatment process, parents can continue to support their child at home.
The 707 Crisis Care Center was an existing DWIHN building that was renovated specifically for its purpose. Because the physical environment impacts mood and behavior, the design is trauma-informed and provides a safe and secure environment for guests and staff.
The center also utilizes the unique Ukeru system, an effective approach to crisis management that is the only restraint- and isolation-free program in the industry, according to DWIHN.
“We’re excited about this program,” says Wolf, who served as a trainer for Ukeru — Japanese for “to receive” — in a previous role. With a no-force-first philosophy, Ukeru utilizes blocking pads rather than physical management in the case a guest expresses violence.
“Engaging in a restraint is traumatic for staff and for guests, and this is a better way to interact and reduce trauma,” she says. The pads are fully integrated into the units and the system explained during intake, building trust and rapport with guests.
Additional design features of the 707 Crisis Care Center include a calming environment that utilizes light, cool colors, an open layout that fosters clear sightlines, seamless flooring, impact-resistant walls and ligature-free fixtures and finishes that prevent self-harm or loss of life.
From her experience across the states of North Carolina, Maine, Virginia and Ohio, Wolf says what Michigan is developing is unique — and supportive of the needs of people here in Michigan.
“We took standards from across all the different states and added components that work best for Michiganders and built brand-new programming,” she says. “Michigan is on the forefront of crisis development.”
The 707 Crisis Center helps provide a culture shift for mental health support, Wolf adds. Crisis itself is a deeply individual status and its threshold can’t necessarily be determined by anyone but the person who is experiencing it — and the prerequisites for getting help that can often exist in the health care system are not always appropriate and valid.
“There’s a shift in thinking that there is a threshold or definition for what is considered a crisis,” she says. “Come to me and say I’m in crisis and we will help. That’s valid to you and to us. I love to see this culture shift in behavioral health services. It’s never a bad thing to ask for help.”
Learn more about Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network’s 707 Crisis Care Center. Anyone needing services or a referral can call 313-989-9444. Or walk in and be assisted by staff. Visit dwihn.org.
The Early Childhood Support Clinic (ECSC) is a newly created space for families that transforms lives by pioneering an integrated care approach for children from birth to age 5. The clinic is a collaboration between the Wayne State University School of Social Work, Wayne Pediatrics and the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute, and has been gradually opening over the past year.
Unlike typical pediatric clinics, which often focus solely on the physical health of the young child, the ECSC adopts a holistic perspective, emphasizing the interplay between mental health and family dynamics.
“The way young children learn and grow and develop in healthy ways is through healthy relationships with their parents and caretakers,” says Carolyn Dayton, Ph.D., associate director of the Infant Mental Health Program of the Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute for Child & Family Development at Wayne State University. “What that means is that to have healthy young children, you have to have healthy parents and caretakers.”
Wayne State University was first in the country to offer an Infant Mental Health Dual Title Degree. The program trains research-informed infant mental health (IMH) clinicians — and provides unique internal IMH expertise.
Parents who are experiencing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders can receive support at the ECSC — as well as parents who are struggling to care for babies and young children who have a challenging temperament.
“You have to serve the whole family and pay attention to those early relationships and how the parents are doing and how their kids are doing,” Dayton explains, adding that early intervention can make a big difference for families.
By putting IMH clinicians right where parents are — children visit their pediatrician nine times in the first 18 months of life — the ECSC provides an integrated model that provides pediatric medical care plus specialized mental health support.
Additionally, the integrated care model means these disciplines can learn from each other.
“We’re learning about medical issues that may well be affecting the relationship quality between the parent and baby, like early infant reflux when a mom says her baby cries all the time and won’t sleep,” says Dayton. Through a social work or psychology lens, the behaviors could point to loss or trauma. “But the pediatrician might say, you know what? I think it’s reflux.”
Conversely, a trauma-informed approach from IMH specialists could help medical staff recognize past trauma that is affecting a father’s ability to sensitively care for his baby, for instance. Rather than asking a busy parent to go to a different location to see a specialist on a different day, “we have the chance to do this all in the same place. It’s a one-stop-shop for the family,” Dayton says.
As the ECSC works its way to full capacity and support for every family that visits the practice, Dayton and her colleagues are also working to create a billing model — a challenge in a model that provides two-generation services. They’re working to pull in national infant mental health organization Zero to Three, which has helped states like California develop a billing model. Michigan’s laws are different enough that simply applying another state’s model won’t work, Dayton says.
“You need to be providing services and having funding to do that, while you also have funding to bring in the experts to help you figure out what the billing model looks like. And once we figure this out, please, everyone in Michigan, take (the model) and do the same thing,” Dayton says.
“Every kid from birth to 5 and their family should have this integrated care system,” she adds. “If you can just give a little bit of support, we can forestall or cut off the possibility of later problems.”
And, Detroit is the perfect place to launch this program, she says, thanks in part to the personal commitment in IMH by Herman Gray, M.D., chair of the Wayne State University Department of Pediatrics and his wife, Shirley Mann Gray, MSW, director of community outreach with the Detroit Health Department.
“He has a soft spot in his heart for social work, for infant mental health — and the importance of social determinants of health on early development and the stressors parents are facing,” she says.
“We need to support parents in their efforts to raise happy, healthy children,” Dayton says. “All parents want to do a good job. Almost always when parents are struggling, it’s because they’re dealing with other stressors in their lives. There’s no reason not to provide these kinds of integrated care services for young children and their families. This can make a huge difference.”
Learn more about the Early Childhood Support Clinic at www.wayne.edu.
The Ethel and James Flinn Foundation is pleased to announce that we are accepting proposals from non-profit organizations that deliver mental health care and services in southeast Michigan (Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw).
All applications must be submitted through our Online Grant Application Process which is accessible directly from our website
A tutorial is available to help familiarize you with the process
The deadline for all applications was Thursday, June 27, 2024 – before 4:00PM
Please click on the following Request for Proposals (RFPs) links for details:
EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES – ADULTS
EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES – CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE
CAPACITY BUILDING OPPORTUNITIES
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS, EDUCATION AND OUTREACH MINI-GRANTS PROGRAM
Leonard Smith was a knowledgeable and respected foundation leader, dedicated steward, and mentor to many over his career. “I will be forever thankful for Leonard’s guidance and incredible mentorship over the years,” said Andrea Cole, President and CEO. His legacy in philanthropy is a lasting impact of dedication and service that the Flinn Foundation will honor and celebrate.
Leonard was involved in philanthropy most of his career, first as the attorney for the Skillman Foundation (1968-1983) and manager of the Ethel and James Flinn Foundation (1974-1983). He retired from law practice at Clark Hill to become President and Chairman of the Skillman Foundation (1983-1999). He guided the Foundation from its formative years with endowed assets of $180 million through the 1990’s as it became a recognized leader in dedicating resources to improving the lives of children in Metropolitan Detroit. At the time he retired from the Skillman Foundation, grantmaking had grown to $25 million per year and assets to over $620 million.
Leonard then devoted himself fulltime to the Flinn Foundation as Board Chairman (2000-2018), President (2000-2007), Chief Investment Officer (2008-2021) and Trustee (2000-2024). He fostered a more collaborative relationship between philanthropy and state government that led to significant improvements in mental health delivery and treatment outcomes in Michigan.
“Leonard’s leadership was a wonderful example of how to facilitate the delivery of mental health services for so many people throughout Michigan. He will be sorely missed,” said Board Chairman, the Honorable Freddie G. Burton, Jr.
Over the years, Leonard served and assisted many nonprofit and philanthropic organizations including the Council of Michigan Foundations as Trustee and Chair, Michigan’s Children as Founding Trustee and Officer, Youth Sports and Recreation Commission of Detroit, Hamtramck and Highland Park, as Founding Commissioner and Officer, the Grosse Pointe Park Foundation as founding Trustee and President, the Schools of the 21st Century Corporation as Founding Board Member and Officer, the City of Detroit as member of the Youth Commission, Wayne State University Skillman Center for Children as Executive Committee member, New Detroit, Inc. as Trustee and Youth and Education Committee member. He was also a member of the Board of Directors of Communities in Schools, the Community Leadership Council of United Way Community Services and the Investment Committee of the Wayne State University Foundation.
A remembrance reception will be held for Leonard Smith on Saturday, February 17, 2024 from 4:00pm to 6:00pm at the Country Club of Detroit, 220 Country Club Drive, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI.
Donations may be made to the East Side Youth Sports Foundation (formerly Grosse Pointe Hockey Association), the Thompson L. Smith Book Fund at the Taft School, or a charity of your choice.
East Side Youth Sports Foundation
4831 Canyon Street
Detroit, MI 48236
The Thompson L. Smith Book Fund
The Taft School
110 Woodbury Road Watertown, CT 06795-2100
Kevin Fischer says finding the National Alliance on Mental Illness was “lifesaving” at a time he was struggling with grief and guilt after losing his son, Dominique, to suicide in 2010. He joined NAMI as a volunteer in 2011 and became executive director of NAMI Michigan in 2014.
“I love NAMI. I would not be here if I didn’t feel as strongly as I do,” Fischer says.
At a time when he felt anger over not being the “protector and provider,” he says NAMI helped him understand that he couldn’t know or predict everything — and that Dominique’s mental health challenges were beyond his control.
“So there’s a great sense of lived experience, understanding and awareness at NAMI. NAMI’s strength is our lived experience,” he says. The organization focuses on advocacy, education, support and awareness — and more than 75% of members have lived experience.
The benefits of this “four-pronged stool” come at no cost to individuals. While NAMI does not provide behavioral health care, it does serve as an access point to connecting people to these resources.
Like many nonprofit organizations in the mental health space, what NAMI needs more of is funding, says Fischer.
NAMI’s organizational structure is unique. There is a national office and state offices. In Michigan, there are 15 affiliates, each of which is independent with its own fiscal responsibility.
“We’re not federally funded. We don’t have a big bag of money. So funding is an issue,” Fischer explains. So, whenever NAMI can support an individual, and that individual recognizes the value of giving back and stays to support the organization, that’s a desired result.
“We need more people to do that,” he says.
During Mental Health Awareness Month each May, Fischer says he gets requests from organizations to present and he always encourages participants to volunteer. “I’m not asking for money and sponsorships, I’m asking you to encourage your employees to join. Volunteer an hour a month. It’s not a big ask,” he says.
Every local affiliate can use the skills people are willing to volunteer — even young people with social media and computer skills.
“Our leadership at NAMI is aging out because we’re not getting enough new people in. And, I can tell you communities would miss NAMI if it wasn’t there. They really will. So my biggest ask is how can you support NAMI? Join. Volunteer.”
The organization’s largest fundraising event is the NAMI Walk, which is important because each affiliate retains 90% of the money raised, more than the typical nonprofit, Fischer says.
“For many affiliates, it’s the largest fundraiser they may have each year. Fundraising is significant. You can’t keep providing no cost programs and community, because there’s always a cost. It’s not free, but it’s no cost to the participants,” he explains.
But even above fundraising, Fischer encourages people to volunteer and help keep NAMI open and available to help people in the community.
NAMI’s strength is rooted in its grassroots advocacy. What differentiates it from other behavioral health advocacy organizations is the lived experiences within. “We are embedded and invested in the communities because they are our communities,” Fischer says. He adds that he personally recognizes the value of NAMI and he wants to give back.
“I tell people I want to be the resource that I didn’t have or wasn’t aware of when I was dealing with my son’s mental health challenges,” he says. “So that separates us, I think, from everybody else that’s out there, is that lived experience and grass roots.”
Fischer speaks from personal experience when he highlights another benefit of NAMI: the deep education that’s available for families who want to learn more about what their loved one is experiencing. And this is especially valuable to families of young adults who are diagnosed with a mental health challenge.
“We are a great complement to your behavioral health care providers, your social workers, because we live in a world now where there’s this big mysterious thing called HIPPA out there,” he says. When health care providers are prevented from disclosing personal information to family members, concerned parents feel helpless in the face of their adult child’s mental illness — not to mention the landscape of the behavioral health care world.
Fischer advocates for providers referring family members to NAMI so they can learn what the diagnosis means — because education can help “lower the temperature in your house where it’s not so combative.”
When a loved one hears teams like anxiety, bipolar I, bipolar II or schizophrenia but don’t know exactly what they mean, they wonder how they can be a better caregiver for everyone involved, including themselves.
“I had no idea until I found myself in that role and I look back and say how could I have been a better caregiver and how could I have taken better care of myself so I could be better prepared for him? NAMI gives you that through education and support,” says Fischer, adding that evidence-based programs and lived experiences can help you navigate.
Kevin Fischer serves as executive director of NAMI Michigan. He encourages everyone to join their local NAMI affiliate and volunteer their time. Learn more about NAMI at namimi.org.
In July 2022, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan (BGCSM) launched a new program in partnership with Wayne State University’s Department of Psychology called Mentally Fit. Embedded into BGCSM programming at all four locations, Mentally Fit provides real-time behavioral health support, social-emotional learning and personal development provided by a 13-person team from Wayne State that includes doctoral and social work students.
Mentally Fit also offers individual, group and family therapy, plus staff support and consultations and psychological testing. “The Flinn Foundation helped us launch our psychological testing programming and we are currently applying to become an autism specialty center so we can test for autism and do evaluations,” says BGCSM’s Executive Director of Behavioral Health Tiffany Abrego, Ph.D.
Mentally Fit is part of the broader BEST (behavioral health, edutainment, sports, talent and innovation) model, which focuses on providing a well-rounded experience for club members. The club implements this model across all its locations, ensuring that every child has daily access to social and emotional learning opportunities.
One innovative aspect of the program is its focus on addressing toxic sports culture. By incorporating affirmations, goal-setting and positive reinforcement with coaches, parents and children team members aim to promote sportsmanship and reduce the “win-at-all-costs” mentality often associated with youth sports, Abrego says.
BGCSM recently received a grant from the Boys and Girls Club of America to support teen internships who will help expand the program’s reach through group activities and by participating in social justice projects. “We don’t want to just be providing services here,” says Abrego. “We want to be able to make systemic changes in the city of Detroit. That is our big goal, to be embedded in every single thing we do, so that the terminology and mental health is an ongoing, open discussion.”
Abrego says she and her colleagues are seeing real change when kids — particularly boys — embrace mental health support and seek out therapists to talk with. The program also actively addresses cultural stigmas, particularly among Black and Hispanic/Latino boys, where expressing vulnerability is often viewed as a sign of weakness. BGCSM aims to create a safe space where boys can build relationships with trusted adults and engage in therapy without judgment.
At BGCSM, kids are also learning about social media. “We’re starting to engage the kids in education on things like critical algorithmic literacy and the ways that algorithms target kids so that certain ads show up so they’re getting certain messages from the media,” Abrego says. They’re also talking about social media aggression. “It’s becoming this place that can be very toxic, and we want to make sure that we’re addressing those issues.”
By being present and available to talk with kids about what they’re seeing online, the behavioral health team offers a safe, judgment-free space individually and in groups. “A lot of the kids are struggling with the same things so we just want to offer open communication,” she says, adding that this is a healthier alternative to internalizing messages as truth.
By the end of 2023, Mentally Fit had served 731 kids. In just the first two months of 2024, the program served 431 kids, showing exponential growth. By taking part in all of the programming kids can experience at BGCSM, the team reduces stigma and barriers to support and normalizes discussions around mental health issues.
“We’re able to really interact with the kids. We’re not just like this elite mental health team off to the side that comes in and saves the day. We’re staff. We go to programming. We serve food. We are there when there are accidents, for Band-Aids. We’re there in the day-to-day,” Abrego says.
Because they’re working alongside other staff at BGCSM, there’s organizational benefit because the Mentally Fit team models mental health support and provides self-care help when any staff member just needs a break — especially in the dedicated on-site rooms that anyone in the organization can access as a safe space.
“We’re able to help with behavior management and model that for the staff so they do learn positive reinforcement and we definitely have seen a change,” Abrego says. “And the staff, too, appreciate us coming through when we do conflict resolution with the staff and in front of the staff. We’re also working on training some of the staff members to be behavioral health advocates so that they can help run our programming as well, even if the behavioral health team isn’t there.”
A further program in partnership with a trauma team from St. John’s University allows the Wayne State behavioral health team to learn coping skill techniques — which they, in turn, can teach other staff throughout the organization.
For such a young program that is expanding quickly, Abrego says the key to success is how the behavioral health team is embedded — and how it works to build lifelong skills for strong mental health through adulthood.
“We’re not just looking at an afterschool program where we help with homework and play. This is a building of character. It’s a building of how to function and become an adult. We’re giving skills that will translate through adulthood. We’re addressing emotional competence,” she says.
Preliminary findings show improvements among the kids in conflict resolution, expressing emotions, managing emotions and using coping skills. And, Abrego says, the team is working to support families and further break down stigma.
“One area we really want to expand on is working with parents. I think we have so much generational trauma that has occurred through families and our parents are stressed to the max,” she says. “A lot of them work multiple jobs, have community violence, domestic violence, a lot of stressors.” While parents may still worry about what they share with Abrego’s team, there is confidentiality in place and never judgment on parenting or cultural practices.
“Each family has their own special ways of interacting, and that is totally fine with us. We are not here to tell you how to parent. We are here to help you in whatever ways you find useful. And we really want to do that,” she says. “We just want to help.”
Learn more about Mentally Fit at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Southeastern Michigan. Visit bgcsm.org.
Charita Cole Brown was in college when she received her diagnosis of bipolar disorder, and even then, she knew that to live well, she would need a plan.
After accepting her diagnosis, she engaged in therapy for two and one-half years. During that time, she took agency over her illness. With therapeutic support, she devised a wellness plan that she relies on to help her defy the verdict of her bipolar diagnosis and live a strong, meaningful life.
“One of the things that is different from some others I know with mental health diagnoses is that I am not waiting for the other proverbial shoe to drop,” says Brown. “I don’t live like that because I follow my wellness plan.”
In her wellness plan, Brown prioritizes habits we all need for great mental and physical health. And she has added some personal must-haves, too. When she needs to make a change or add a priority, she adjusts her plan to accommodate that need.
“I have been living well for 30 years,” she says. Apart from one little “blip” involving surgery and too much anesthesia which conflicted with her medical therapy for bipolar disease, Brown says her wellness plan has remained something she can rely on to live her best life.
Here, she shares what works for her.
Sleep. “I sleep well. The most important thing to do is get sleep when you have a mental health challenge. Your brain needs to rest,” says Brown.
Good nutrition. Brown eats well. She even consults with a nutritionist to make sure she’s getting all the nutrients her mind and her body need.
Medication. “I have a psychiatrist because I can’t prescribe my own medication,” she says. “I take my medication.”
Pause and breathe. These are two interrelated things Brown assures people everyone can do. “Take deep, cleansing breaths, not shallow chest breathing. It calms your system,” she says.
Meditate. “My faith determines who I am,” Brown says. “I meditate on scriptures. I will choose and repeat a scripture that applies to my situation until it floods my heart and my mind.”
Accountability partners. “An accountability partner is someone who walks alongside you and watches with you for symptoms as you manage your illness. Everyone can benefit from someone coming alongside them to make sure they are OK,” she says. Brown’s original accountability partner was her sister Valerie. “Valerie was my chief accountability partner until May 2020 when she died suddenly from a stroke. The day after she died, I felt in my spirit that I would live by the lessons she taught me and I would be fine.” Those Brown knows who are living well with mental health challenges have at least one person who supports them emotionally.
Boundaries. This is a relatively recent part of Brown’s wellness plan, added after she read the book Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud and John Townsend in 2019, she says. Surrounding her, she imagines a fence with a gate and she decides who comes in and who goes out. “If I need you to go out, I can send you out through the gate. If I want you to stay, you can stay,” she says, adding that this helps her understand that she is in charge of her life — and that the word ‘No’ is a complete sentence. “It’s so empowering,” she says.
Learning your triggers. “If you have a mental health challenge, you have to watch your stressors. It’s sometimes difficult, yet doable. You can walk away. You have to learn to prioritize yourself. As my sister Valerie would say, ‘You can’t control anyone but yourself.’” According to Brown, Val also lived by the adages, “Not my circus, not my monkeys,” and “I don’t have a nickel in that quarter.”
Faith. “I’m a Christian and my faith in God is the reason I am living as well as I am,” says Brown. “Many people that I have met who are managing mental health challenges well, have confessed a belief in God. Not in a denomination, but in God. That’s quite interesting to me.”
Brown admits that not everyone with mental health challenges is living at the level she is. She presents life as not up and down, but circular. “We’re all at different points around the circle,” she says. She credits her ability to survive her sister’s death — and the death of her husband very early in their marriage — to the fact that she was living with a wellness plan.
Learn more about Charita Cole Brown and purchase her book, Defying the Verdict: My Bipolar Life at chartiacolebrown.com. Read the first article in this series about Charita Cole Brown on the Ethel and James Flinn Foundation website.