Mental Wellbeing: Finding Hope through Community Supports
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, which gives us a chance to reflect on how we can support our own mental wellbeing as well as supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our community. This year, FamilyWise’s Family Wellbeing Index looked at statistics surrounding mental health along with looking at how factors such as healthcare costs and provider availability affect how Minnesotans receive care.
Tasha Moulton, The REACH Resource Center
“The issue is that there aren’t enough mental health practitioners for the need,” said Tasha Moulton of The REACH Resource Center in Mankato. The REACH was named a FamilyWise Pinwheel for Prevention Awardee earlier this year – you can learn more here. “The particular youth we work with are homeless—they can’t wait three to six months to talk to someone — they’re in crisis. This is very difficult on our youth.” With long waiting lists and high costs, mental health services are inaccessible to many youth and adults who need services immediately.
These factors are a reality for many of the families that FamilyWise partners with. Our Wraparound Program in particular focuses on youth mental health case management, bringing service providers and family supports together to ensure youth receive meaningful and timely support. Before joining the Wraparound program, Danielle reported similar struggles accessing resources her family needed: “Some of the biggest challenges that I’ve faced over the years are the amount of time I had to take off work to deal with things and the limited availability for some of these resources — some are only open a few days of week. I have no idea how we would have survived if I didn’t work from home.”
Often state resources weren’t available quickly enough to meet the needs of Danielle’s family, and the financial burden of medical expenses was overwhelming. When she was referred to FamilyWise through a case worker at her son’s school, she was grateful for the immediate support that Wraparound provided. Danielle and her Wraparound facilitator worked together through whatever challenges emerged to find options and resources that opened doors for her family and made their lives more manageable.
The support she received allowed her to understand how to ask for help and create a community of support around her. Danielle has more time to herself, and her son is connected to more resources that allow him to thrive. “I did reach out to my friends more. I did vent more. I built a workbench in my basement because I was like I need a space not on the main floor that is for me,” she said of her time after the Wrap program.
Danielle’s story highlights how there is a way to find help and hope even when things seem hopeless. “It’s almost like I was drowning. The easiest way not to drown is to walk up the dock out of the lake onto the shore. And you know that’s a hard climb sometimes,” shared Danielle. “It’s not that [my Wraparound facilitator] was holding my hand the whole way, but he was walking with me…. Having guidance and someone else there with you throughout that process, it was huge.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please reach out for support. Talk to your doctor, tell a friend, and/or check out the resources below.
Connect with Help
Get Help Now – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Minnesota Mental Health Information and Resources – NAMI MN
Suicide Prevention, Information and Awareness – SAVE
Child and Adolescent Mental Health — National Institute of Mental Health
Resources for Learning and Healing
Caring for Your Mental Health – National Institute of Mental Health
Strategies for Relieving Stress – Mayo Clinic
Self-Care Starter Kit – Homewood Health
10 Best Restorative Mental Health Day Activities for Kids – Parents with Confidence