Empowerment Magazine

WINTER 2011

Top Three Ways to Promote Wellness 3

Finding Happiness and Contentment during the Holidays 4, 5

Q & A on Co-Occurring Disorders 6, 7, 20

Reaching Across Stockton 8, 9

How to Pick a Counselor or Therapist 10

We Advocate For You! 11

New Direction 12

Inside this issue:

Sacramento Launches Mental Health Promotion Project to Reduce Stigma and Discrimination

14

Managing Seasonal Affective Disorder 15

Interview with Dianne Ross, RN, Founder and CEO of AHMI 16, 17

What You Can Do To Speed Up Your Disability Application 18

Minestrone Soup and Mary Jo‘s Revised French Chocolate Cake 19

Resource Page 23

Back Cover Page 24

Marilyn Washington

Terry Zick, M.A.

Melanie Martinez

Anne Adams

Chelsea Bagias, Psy.D.

Cindy Tuttle

Dianne Ross, RN

Office of Patients' Rights

Phommasone Griffith

Gail Erlandson, MA

Rosario M. Ramirez, (Social Secu-rity Administration)

Tammy Dyer. M.S.W.

Ron Risley, M.D.

Lynn Keune, LMFT (LaFamilia)

David Kiesz

Mary Jo

Randall Stenson M.D.

Hisham Soliman, MD,MPH

Thomas Hushen

Barbara N. Dawson

Cynthia Wakefield

The Infinite Life Project

Chris Woodyard

Sacramento County Division of Behavioral

Health Services (DBHS)

Pat Hubbert

Special Thanks to

We continue to thank the Wellness Recovery Center North (WRC) for allowing us to use the facility!

Empowerment Magazine does not necessarily endorse the views, services or products advertised in this magazine. The opinions expressed in the articles are solely of the author (s). We are not responsible for omissions or errors.

Reproduction in whole or in part for reasons other than personal use, is strictly prohibited without prior written permis-sion from the author or publisher. If you have a question, please e-mail us at contact@empowermentmagazine.org

Happy Holidays and Welcome to the Winter Issue of the Empowerment

We welcome your feedback! If you have any questions or comments about our publications, please feel free to share them. We want to hear from you. You can also send your inspiring story, poem, artwork or photo-graphs. To contact us, send an email to contact@empowermentmagazine.org or call us at 916 222-7541.

Our mailing address is: PO Box 214864, Sacramento, CA 95821

Sincerely,

1. Follow a Healthy Lifestyle.

• Don’t smoke or use addictive substances.

• Limit alcohol intake.

• Eat healthy foods and exercise regularly.

• Monitor your weight, blood pressure, sleep patterns, and other important health indicators.

2. Work with a Primary Care Doctor.

• Communication between people with mental health problems, mental health professionals, and primary care providers is essential.

• See a primary care physician regularly (at least twice a year).

3. Ask Questions!

• Know about medications or alternative treatments.

• Review and act on results of check-ups and health screenings.

• Monitor existing and/or new symptoms.

• Speak up about ANY concerns or doubts.

A recent report has found that people with mental ill-

nesses die decades earlier than the general population

You can change this!

TOP THREE WAYS TO PROMOTE WELLNESS SAMHSA 10x10 Wellness Campaign

Eric Zuniga, Wellness and Recovery Center -

Program Coordinator and founder of MCT Health

to prevent and reduce early mortality by 10 years over the next 10 years for people with mental illnesses

To find out more about the 10x10 Wellness Campaign please visit http://www.10x10.samhsa.gov

by joining the 10x10 Wellness Campaign's to take action

Will you find contentment and joy throughout the holi-day season? Some people may think it would be im-possible to experience happiness or contentment through the holidays. Here‘s encouraging news…when you focus on some new perspectives and strategies, you will become more uplifted and more at peace.

It is important to recognize that much of our unhappi-ness can come from thinking about unpleasant past memories over and over. And, due to that influence, we end up with a ―programmed‖ dread of the holidays, sometimes starting the upset as early as September or October. We get locked into disempowering self talk such as, ―I ALWAYS get depressed through the holidays‖, ―My family always makes me upset, but I have no choice—I have to be with them‖.

In cognitive-behavioral therapy, we learn about the cognitive distortion of ‗all-or-nothing thinking‘. This thinking means that we believe that the holidays are either going to be: all bad; all sad; all unloving; all challenging. When people say they dread the holi-days, this sounds like all-or-nothing thinking.

Additionally, we become unhappy by putting our at-tention on all the aspects that are missing, and there-fore feeling empty and sad. The truth is, that the way we think about the season can be limited, unrealistic and very misguided.

Let this be the year we change those peace destroy-

ing patterns! I would encourage you to rethink your

old patterns of thought and misbelief about the holi-

days. Here are some of the many strategies for find-

ing rejuvenating appreciation of the season:

1. Release unfair/unrealistic expectations of others and of our self. Be nonjudgmental, accept ―what is‖.

2. Take more responsibility for creating your own peace instead of expecting other people to act in a way that brings you peace.

3. Live more in the present moment with something you enjoy or are grateful for, instead of focusing on the past.

4. Recognize that the past DOES NOT predict the future, so you are empowered to change your ex-perience.

6. Stay optimistic that things will go well, and de-velop confidence that you will find a way to man-age/reduce any stressors.

7. Plan ways to nurture yourself through the experi-ence.

8. Only agree to what you want to do, rather than what others want you to do. Give yourself per-mission to follow your truth and your wisdom.

9. Notice beauty and sweetness in every day. Con-nect in the heart more and more often. For ex-ample, mindfully appreciate the rich assortment of sights, smells, sounds, textures and tastes.

10. Shop within your budget. Give only when your heart feels giving, instead of giving out of obliga-tion.

11. Set limits, stand up for your boundaries, let other people know it is important to respect your posi-tion when setting a boundary.

12. Ignore the drama, breath in peace and loving-kindness, breath out the same.

13. Take responsibility for making yourself happy in-stead of trying so hard to make sure others are happy.

14. Validate your sadness, fear and anger in non-judgmental, healthy ways. Set a timeframe to feel those feelings, and then move on to some other activity to shift the energy.

15. Focus on what brings you joy and pleasure such as play the music you enjoy, fix the food you like, see your kind of movie.

16. Make allowances for the mistakes and insensitiv-ity of others who may have had the best inten-tions.

17. When people who are typically hurtful to you con-tinue to be hurtful, consider releasing the drama and blessing them on their journey.

18. Keep your personal power with those who cause harm or hurt.

19. Practice the liberating, calming, balancing power of deep belly breathing.

20. Be encouraged that experience is transformed by discerning attention to our thoughts, and -

5. Respond to each moment with calm, wisdom and appropriate behavior, rather than react with anger, fear, anxiety.

Finding Happiness and Contentment

During the Holidays by Terry Zick, M.A.

connecting with our heart and spirit. Keep in mind, that every season has its beauty and its joyful aspects—if we are willing to pay attention to it. The holiday season is rich with happy moments being offered to you--no matter what your spiritual/religious path is (or even if you don‘t have one.)

This is the time of year that much of the world is focused on the values of connection, love, joy and peace and everyday miracles. These messages are like important Post-it notes to remind us of what brings life purpose, meaning and connection. Even as people engage in the hustle bustle of the season, we are reminded of ―peace on earth, goodwill toward men‖ and ―let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me‖. When we

hear those messages, we have an opportunity to let them touch our heart and spirit.

And, of course, the lights are so symbolic. They can prompt us to allow the light to radiate through our heart, providing healing and nurturing. The light represents the thought that even when darkness appears to prevail, as we light a candle the darkness is transformed. The light is always more powerful than the dark.

The light can remind us of the flame that burns continuously within ready to reveal our precious essence—and connect us to its powerful beacon of hope, faith and possibilities. And how do we know the light is within? We know this because when we become quiet, when we become still, when we connect with the beautiful transformative power of the relaxed breath, we discover something already within. And, with that

breath we come home to what is highest, and merge with our most sacred self.

Terry Zick has a Master of Arts Degree in Counseling from University of Colorado-Denver. She has 30 years experience working with adults, children and family preservation. She has worked in settings such as: non-profits, schools, justice system, alcohol/drug programs. Her role as counselor, consultant and trainer main-tains a focus on spirituality, health and wellness. Terry currently facilitates groups and supports individualized mentoring at the Wellness and Recovery Center North .

Challenges stand in our way as we start climbing the mountain of dreams

We find many boulders blocking our path making progress difficult

We wonder- can we make it? But as we proceed we see a small trail which will make the trip easier

We notice the wild flowers and hear the birds singing their sweet tune

Look! There is a fellow traveler! Perhaps he would like to join us

Yes, the mountain is still steep but now the journey is less difficult with a companion to share the load

We will keep climbing this mountain step by step with faith

Author’s Bio

Cindy Tuttle provides spiritual retreats for family members of adults with mental illness and consumers. These non-denominational retreats provide a time and space to reflect on our purpose in life, our holiness, and how love is with us each day. You can contact Cindy at cindytuttle08@comcast.net or visit

her website www.cindytuttletheauthor.com

Continued on page 7

INTERVIEWER: What would you consider the greatest risk in the life of the patient with co-occurring addiction and mental health challenges?

DR. STENSON: Such individuals face a number of challenges but perhaps the greatest risk would be a preventable, premature death. When diagnosis is delayed and treatment not provided, risk factors such as suicide, accidental death, and illness devel-opment significantly increases. An individual‘s quality of life can be significantly improved with proper diagnosis and treatment.

INTERVIEWER: What things would you consider as most important to add to the patient‘s lives to increase resiliency?

DR. STENSON: Becoming a partner and meaningful participant in the individual‘s treatment can greatly add to an individual‘s resiliency. Knowing that their treatment team understands the many challenges they face can be internalized and applied to the day-to-day coping skills and resiliency.

INTERVIEWER: If you were to ask a patient further down the line in recovery what had the most impact on their success, what information would you pass on to individuals still in more difficulty stages of recovery?

DR. STENSON: Learning to accept and cope with discouragement and demoralization is often a key element in moving through the stages of recovery. Recognizing that one is not alone with these feelings and experiences is very important. It is interesting how often acceptance breeds hope and optimism. Realizing that such symptoms as low energy are part of an ill-ness and not part of the moral weakness can assist a great deal in making gradual improvement.

INTERVIEWER: What might be some of the main ways the media and society at large misjudge individuals with co-occurring disorders?

DR. STENSON: First of all, painting such individuals with the same brush is a common misjudgment. Lumping individuals to-gether and drawing simplistic conclusions is common. Each individual is unique and deserves access to an individualized treat-ment plan. Demonizing or vilifying such individuals is a sale‘s or scare tactic used by the media who might have other agendas. Viewing individuals on Social Security disability as lazy, manipulative, and a risk to the Federal budget would be such an exam-ple.

INTERVIEWER: What kind of information may be helpful to the families of individuals experiencing co-occurring disorders?

DR. STENSON: Organizations such as the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) can provide a wealth of support and information to such families. Programs such as Al-Anon can be very helpful when codependency issues are central themes. It is important to understand that each of these organizations may not have a complete understanding of individuals with co-occurring disorders and that incorporating components of each may be necessary. Information at the SAMHSA website is more specifically tailored for families dealing with co-occurring disorders. At C.O.R.E., we either attempt to manage both the sub-stance abuse and mental health needs of our clients or assure that they have access to the required community resources.

INTERVIEWER: What has been your personal background in dealing with addiction and mental health issues among loved ones?

DR. STENSON: One advantage of society‘s more open information exchange is the realization that most families are touched in some way by individuals with substance abuse, mental illness, and co-occurring disorders. When close friends or family members have requests for help or are in need of an intervention, I do my best to assure that appropriate direction is provided.

INTERVIEWER: What local services can you identify that would be beneficial for family members or patients dealing with co-occurring challenges?

DR. STENSON: At C.O.R.E., an individual must first suffer from opioid addiction to be eligible for services. We work hard to treat each patient with respect and to help them deal with this very serious illness and co-occurring disorders. The third Wednesday of each month at 11 a.m., I conduct a workshop open to anyone interested in opioid addiction and related prob-lems. Patients, family members, friends, staff and community members provide very positive feedback of the utility of this work-shop. The historical and scientific background to our treatment model is explained and patients are encouraged to hold their heads high and to become strong advocates for their treatment to hopefully improve future access. In achieving our goals, we often are in close communication and cooperation with county ACCESS, community hospitals, and many other community based organizations and resources.

Interview conducted by Chris Woodyard and Dr. Chelsea Bagias

www.coremedicalclinic.com

from co-occurring issues?

INTERVIEWER: What roles do medication, psychotherapy/counseling, holistic treatment and spirituality play in recovery

poor quality control and related factors can lead to scams. It is important that treating staff stress the importance of good communication about various products that are promoted as holistic, organic, herbal, etc as some have no foundation in science and are financial scams. Wellness oriented life-style changes that include nutrition, exercise, and stress man-agement are very positive and important.

INTERVIEWER: Do you feel additional supports such as AA, MA or other meeting groups are helpful in aiding recovery?

DR. STENSON: These programs are incredibly important and sadly, too often, under-utilized. Frequently, patients on

normalizing doses of methadone or buprenorphine report unpleasant experiences at AA/NA when their treatment was

shared. This is gradually changing as more AAs and NAs gain awareness of the highly effective, non-conscious altering

effects of proper dosing of methadone and buprenorphine. We encourage our patients to become familiar with brochures

such as, ―The AA Member-Medications and Other Drugs‖ (page 5, point 3 states ―No AA Member Plays Doctor‖) and

NA‘s ―In Times of Illness.‖ In that all our patients have doctor directed, highly researched and effective treatment, they

can meaningfully work the steps and participate as sponsors, sponsees, secretaries, treasures, greeters, coffee moni-

tors, birthday chip presenters, etc. Hopefully more participation will occur in the future as these points are more generally

understood and accepted.

INTERVIEWER: Is it always necessary to completely cut out contact with triggers for either relapse or increased self-criticism?

DR. STENSON: A good offense is often related to having a good defense. It is important to take a careful inventory of

triggers and have an active plan to eliminate or avoid as many as possible. It is also important to understand that triggers

can be unexpected or even subconscious at times (a TV scene, an odor, a sound, etc) so impossible to completely cut

out. I work to help individuals anticipate these likelihoods and have a craving coping strategy in place. This often in-

cludes the reality that intense craving usually lasts about 10 minutes. By building a time frame, not only does craving

often fade but the individual then acquires more impulse control skills and ability to think through the entire conse-

quences should one give into craving. This becomes part of a process of re-sensitizing oneself to the enormous conse-

quences of relapse, including the real possibility of accidental death.

INTERVIEWER: What role does adding positive activities to your daily life play in recovery and increasing long-term rein-tegration into life?

DR. STENSON: This important because the benefits are is often overlooked in treatment planning. With opioid addiction and mental illness, the reward mechanisms of the brain are often impaired, either as a consequence of the drugs of abuse or underlying genetically determined causes. Developing or rekindling hobbies, interests, and related positive pur-suits assists the treatment therapeutic talk and medication interventions. Initially, the reward of mending a hold in a pair of pants or reading an article may not compare with the high of a drug, but over time, such positive activities grow in pleasure and become much more meaningfully integrated into long-term success.

INTERVIEWER: With all the talk about the biological nature of addiction and mental health, can people still recover even if a LOT of family members have long histories with addiction, mental health concerns, or both?

DR. STENSON: Absolutely, especially if you define ‗recover‘ in a broader sense. A paraplegic may not ―recover‘ the abil-ity to walk but they certainly can ‗recover‘ a deeper appreciation of life, themselves, and lead a full life. The same anal-ogy can be applied to co-occurring disorders. Many times over the years, I have had patients who have come from the worse of genetic and social backgrounds share that they feel these have heightened their sense of meaning and appre-ciation of life. Sometimes overcoming or coping with the biggest adversities has the greatest rewards. A number of staff -

persons over the years have emphasized this point and many become highly effective counselors.

Continued on page 20

DR. STENSON: This question underscores the importance of an individualized treat-ment plan and approach. Patients at C.O.R.E. are encouraged to see themselves as the ultimate expert in their disorders and treatment. Excellent care requires that the treatment staff maintain an open mind regarding the treatment needs of each patient. In the field of opioid addiction, our field forefathers suspected that patients suffered more from a deficiency than from a toxicity. Subsequent research and experience has largely supported this concept. Methadone and buprenorphine have proven to be excellent medications to treat this deficiency and are often life-saving, life-altering medications. The medications effectiveness must be supported by quality interven-tions addressing the therapy, counseling, spirituality, and other needs brought to the table. Each individual‘s ―story‖ must be told and needs addressed. Holistic concepts are great, can be very helpful and meaningful, but too often hype, misrepresentation,

INTERVIEWER: If you were going to recommend a family member for treatment

Take a walk along Stockton Boulevard. Head south from U Street, and on the right you'll pass 2250 Stockton Blvd: the

Sacramento County Mental Health Treatment Center (affectionately known as SCMHTC). Keep heading south, past the Coca Cola bottling plant, and you'll reach the UC Davis Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science. It's an attrac-tive but low-key building, also on the west side, nestled between a telephone company switching station and a La Bou fast food restaurant.

Now look east across Stockton and behold the monument to modern medicine that is the University of California, Davis Medical Center. The sprawling campus has it all: lush lawns, a rose garden, hospital towers, clinic buildings, parking structures, water fountains, the emergency room. Gurneys, elevators, operating rooms, MRIs. There's radiology, burn management, and surgery for everything from your eyes to your toenails. There's internal medicine and family practice. You can get care for you liver, kidneys, stomach, intestines, colon, skin, lungs, heart, bones, muscles, nervous system, ears, nose, neck, spine, and reproductive organs. Oncology, neurology, nephrology, urology, pathology, cardiology, pul-monology, surgery, dermatology, ophthalmology, gynecology... it seems there's a clinic and hospital beds for every imaginable medical problem... except mental health. For that, you have to cross Stockton. Psychiatrists are fully trained and licensed medical doctors. They go to the same medical schools as other doctors, take the same medical board ex-ams. Yet, somehow, a year or two after graduating from medical school they pack up their MD degrees and cross Stock-ton to the mental health ghetto.

The gulf between mental health and the rest of medicine might not always be as tangible as Stockton Boulevard, but that gulf is there wherever health care is practiced. Insurance companies offer different benefits, limits, and co-payments for mental health. Where the law prohibits that practice, they often farm out the "mental health benefit" to a different com-pany to manage it in a separate (but equal?) fashion. Imagine if your health insurance required you to use an entirely different set of telephone numbers, forms, utilization reviewers, diagnostic codes, and procedures for a lung problem like asthma than for a broken bone... and heaven help you if you get a rib fracture that affects your breathing! If you're a fam-ily physician, an internist, a radiologist, or a dermatologist you might practice in a fancy building with your name, creden-tials, and specialty emblazoned on a sign over your door.

If you're a psychiatrist, you're more likely to be practicing in a nondescript office suite with discreet parking and minimal signage. People hide their psychiatric medications and fear that, should they have the misfortune of having to go to the ER for a medical emergency, they will get labeled a "psych case" and won't have their symptoms taken seriously. You might be "a schizophrenic" or "a borderline," but you'll likely never be called "a colon cancer" or "a multiple sclerosis." So what's wrong with Stockton Boulevard? Is it really so bad to separate mental health from "real" medicine? Yes, it is. The combination of stigmatization and separate (but equal?) Jim Crow funding of mental health care makes it all too easy to single out a group whose public face is shunned by society. Use Google to search for "cancer care cuts" and you get about two million hits. Perform the same search for "mental care cuts" and the figure climbs to over twenty-five million.

The Stockton Boulevards of health care also directly affect the quality of care. Patients with psychiatric illness are usually seen many times by primary care physicians before being referred to a psychiatrist. Their diagnosis is often delayed be-cause primary care physicians -- who have trained and practiced east of Stockton -- don't always have ready familiarity with the signs and symptoms of psychiatric disease. They might have a low threshold for consulting with or referring to the cardiologist or orthopedist they had lunch with last week, but when they have to refer across Stockton they are con-fronted with an unfamiliar system of care and doctors whom they have never met. Psychiatrists often prescribe medica-tions with profound side effects such as weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Yet most psy-chiatrists can't easily reach across Stockton to ask a primary care or specialist colleague how to screen for, identify, and treat those side effects. They often aren't able to do much more than say "see your primary care doctor." Yet the primary care doctor (if the patient has one) might not be aware of the implications of the medication. Would the consequences of stopping the medication be worse than the consequences of high cholesterol? Those kinds of decisions require an inter-disciplinary approach that's hard to maintain across a busy four-lane street.

Diabetes is a particularly telling case: psychiatrists often have greater access to patients, more time and experience communicating with them, and a lot of insight into how the patient perceives their chronic illness and their own role in managing it. The psychiatrist might also have a much better understanding of the role that psychotropic medications play in causing or exacerbating diabetes, and what other options might be available. Yet it is left to the primary care physician to do blood tests, prescribe medications, and educate a patient who might be seen as difficult or even frightening.

Continued on page 9

Reaching Across Stockton by Ron Risley, MD

Beyond diabetes there are psychiatric aspects of stroke, pain, substance abuse (particularly nicotine), asthma, heart disease, reproductive health, gastrointestinal illness, infectious disease, cancer, migraine... the list is huge.

What can be done? Asking patients to cross Stockton Boulevard whenever they have a symptom or disease that affects both the mind and body will surely result in more than the occasional traf-fic accident. We need to move mental health out of the ghetto, re-establish good communication between mental health providers and the rest of the medical community, abolish insurance sys-tems that isolate and stigmatize mental health care, and integrate mind health into medical school and residency programs (and I don't mean the oh-god-I-have-to-do-a-psych-rotation system cur-rently in place). We have to reject the Cartesian fallacy that says that mind and body are separate: good medical care means treat-ing the whole person. It's time to abandon the boulevard.

Dr. Risley is the first graduate of the combined residency program in family medicine and psychiatry at UC Davis. He is a former assistant clinical professor and physician diplomat at UCD. In addition to practicing psy-

chiatry at TCORE, he integrates family medicine and psychiatry at Sacramento Medical Oasis, Inc (www.sacmedoasis.com). He lived for seven years on Sherman Way, just across the boulevard from UCDMC.

Teenagers who call themselves Teens United "Teens for Teens by Teens" from Araven Holistic Mind Institute (AHMI). See page 16 for a special interview with

Dianne Ross, founder and CEO of AHMI.

Chelsea Bagias is a doctor of psychology currently collecting hours as a psychological assistant (PSB 36064 and PSB 36074). She is supervised in a local private practice by Rosa Di Lorenzo Psy.D. (PSY 24148) and at C.O.R.E. Medical Clinic by Randall Stenson M.D. (G-25548). Chelsea has a passion for working with people ex-periencing intense challenges and believes all situations can find more peace and joy in life.

How to Pick a Counselor or Therapist

By Chelsea Bagias, Psy.D. The most important thing about choosing a counselor or therapist is to find a situation where you feel comfortable, safe, and where there is potential for trust. Consistently the most important criteria for successful therapy is the fit between the therapist and client. When you meet with someone that you ―click with‖ you are more able to be honest with yourself and it‘s much easier to talk about any topic.

Finding the right fit involves two separate parts. One is looking for characteristics in the therapist that you feel will be a good match for you. The second is looking at yourself and how you want to go about treatment at this moment in your life. Characteristics in the counselor or therapist You should feel comfortable asking the counselor about things that are important to you in working on your goals. These can include:

Does the therapist have experience dealing with issues similar to the ones for which you want to enter treatment (diagnosis, ethnicity, financial)

What does the counselor believe about potential out-comes of your current situation (i.e. cure, recovery, hap-pier life, medication forever).

What other areas of life does the therapist think may help to improve things? • Does the counselor offer any infor-mation on local resources (i.e. free relaxation classes, helpful self-improvement ideas, nutrition referrals).

Does your therapist give homework or other tools to use between sessions?

Does the counselor focus on happiness and increasing joy as well as the negative topics?

Some views on psychological treatment believe it is a mis-take for the therapist to share personal information with a client. But you as a client can always judge the therapist by how they explain this to you and whether in your gut you get a good feeling from the therapist. The thing to re-member is that even if the counselor does not answer your question completely, you learn a lot about the person by the way they respond to you.

What do you want out of treatment? Most people start therapy because they want to feel better about something

in their life. So knowing how you want your counselor to treat you may be the last thing on your mind.

Recognize how much you want to be listened to and how much you want the counselor to engage in the talking.

Ask yourself if you want the therapist to be like a caring parent or more direct and blunt.

Would you feel ignored if the counselor didn‘t suggest ways of solving your problem?

Do you want a therapist who talks about their own involve-ment with similar experience as yours or who keeps those things out of the talk so they give you all of their attention?

Most importantly- If you find a counselor who doesn‘t meet your interests, could they still help you if you stick it out a little longer?

Always recognize that you can change topics, goals, or therapists as your life changes too. While it does take a while to build trust and feel comfortable talking about your life to someone, remember that therapy and counseling ex-ists to help you with what you want to work on.

Overall remember that you are paying for a service. Whether you pay out of pocket or your insurance covers your bill, you deserve to be treated with the utmost respect, and to be fully involved in your treatment. If you feel that this is not happen-ing please bring it up with your therapist. First it may help seeing the problem from a different angle, second it might resolve the problem all together, and third why not get some extra practice working out problems with people. Remember that you are choosing someone to be in your life for a while to help you get where you want to be.

The therapist or counselor is trained to help point out certain things about your personality and life situation, but you are always the ultimate expert on you. No matter what has hap-pened in your life and no matter what will come, you deserve to have the best treatment you can find. So be involved and get ready to do some work so you can start enjoying life again.

Author’s Bio

But the more you think about this idea the more you will start to see how it reflects the way you want others to treat you in general. Some ideas include:

We Advocate For You!

You may have heard of the Sacra-mento County Office of Patients’ Rights (SAC OPR) in some conver-sation or from a friend. You might have used our services to help with a hospitalization hearing or other issue. It is also possible that you‘ve never heard of the SAC OPR. If that‘s the case, or you are unclear about what we do and the services we offer, keep reading and it will become clear.

It is a part of Consumers Self-Help and is contracted with Sacramento and Yolo Counties to provide advo-cacy services to mental health clients. The advocates perform four primary services.

1. They represent patients‘ ―expressed‖ wishes at Certification Review Hearings for patients invol-untarily held at psychiatric hospitals.

2. They investigate com-plaints/concerns about inpatient and outpatient mental health treatment.

3. They monitor psychiatric and resi-dential facilities for state law compli-ance.

4. They provide trainings of Pa-tients‘ Rights to staff and consum-ers of mental health services.

If you‘re like most people, you‘re probably wondering what, if anything, all that has to do with you. The an-swer is surprising simple. Everything! Advocates can teach staff how pa-tients have a right to be treated. They can observe and report to Community Care Licensing how well a board and care facility is being run. Helping peo-ple solve problems with providers by providing information and resources about their rights is another way advo-cates make sure that consumers are treated fairly.

The service that advocates spend the most time on takes place in psychiat-ric hospitals when patients are at their most vulnerable.

Advocates protect the rights of and represent the wishes of the patient who has been placed on a 5250 or a

5270 hold.

These are involuntary detainments that mental health patients can be placed on because the doctor feels that they could benefit from more inpatient treat-ment after a 5150 (72 hours) hold is up.

The 5250 is a 14 day hold. The 5270 is a 30 day hold. There are only three reasons that a person could be put on a 14 day hold (5250). The person has to be an active danger to others, dan-ger to themselves or gravely disabled due to a mental disorder. Grave dis-ability legally means not being able to care for one’s basic needs such as food, clothing or shelter.

A person might have access to these items but is unable to use them to take care of themselves. This condition is the only one that can be used for a 30 day hold (5270). Patients have a legal right to have a hearing within the first four days of either hold being written. The hearing officer determines if there is probable cause or good reason for the hold to continue. Your advocate‘s roll in the hearing process:

Should you find yourself in a hospital, on a hold, you will receive a copy of the 5250 or the 5270 hold you have been placed on. Hospital staff may also tell you what day your hearing is scheduled for. Each hearing takes about 15 to 20 minutes. These are held in a conference or meeting room at the hospital

Your advocate will meet with you prior

to the hearing and discuss if you want

to stay for more treatment or attempt to

be discharged through the hearing

process. If you want to stay and con-

tinue to work with your doctor, you

need to do nothing else. You would

not be contesting the hold.

If you want to leave against the doc-

tor‘s advice, you would contest the

hold and discuss with your advocate

why you feel you are ready to leave.

Commonly, the advocate will want to

know how you have been doing over

the past three days in the hospital.

Questions asked could include:

Have you want to or tried to hurt yourself or someone else? Have you been taking your pre-scribed medications? Have you been sleeping and eating? How has your hygiene been? Have you been attending groups on the unit?

In short, they will want to know what has changed for you since you first came to the hospital. All of this infor-mation along with the doctors, nurses, and social workers notes in your chart will help the hearing officer decided whether or not to release you from the hold. During the hearing, your advo-cate remains with you and shares the information you provided when he/she interviewed you.

If you are kept on the hold and remain at the hospital, your advocate can ar-range a writ hearing for you. This is the second hearing you are legally entitled to and is an appeal of the first hearing. The public defender then has about 2-3 business days to come and discuss your case with you. Shortly after that, the second hearing is held with a judge, the public defender and your-self. The advocates do not attend those hearings.

> Karen – likes cats and enjoys play-ing the violin

> George – likes birds and astronomy

> Marsha – a social worker with a great sense of humor

> Lisa – mother of two grown sons with Bi Polar Disorder

> Rae – a therapist in training who en-joys helping people

> Angelina – enjoys volunteering and science fiction

Feel free to call us if you need help with a problem you may have in the mental health system. 916-333-3800 in Sacramento County 877-965-6772 in Yolo County

Sacramento County Office of Patients’ Rights

www.consumersselfhelp.org

Meet Your Advocates:

Hospital Holds

New Directions by Thomas Hushen

A new year is upon us, and people are making New Years resolutions‖, however, they lose sight of them as they fade away after about a month or so! Is it possible to truly move in new directions that will lead us to the very life that we only dream of? Yes it is! The secret is having a vision for your life and keeping that vision alive on a daily basis. Think positively and ask yourself, ―What is it that I really want my life to be‖? Often we get so caught up in the search for ―wellness‖ that we never really focus on our direction in life. We live in the past, robbing ourselves of the present moment, which is all we really have. Often times, life stressors cause us to experi-ence increased depression, worry, anxiety, fear and many other symptoms that only serve to hold us back and keep us where we already are. By spending most of our time focusing on our problems, we lose ―sight‖ of our vision and direction in life. As a result, we end up merely ―existing‖ rather than ―living‖.

The good news is that we can make a positive change in our lives! The key to this process is to ―take action‖. It means be-ing honest and real with your self and being willing to em-brace the changes that need to happen and view them as an ―opportunity‖ rather than a ―challenge‖. In doing so, you can and will create the reality you desire! There is an project that can easily be done that will help you to go in new directions to create your life vision. It is an effec-tive tool that many people have used to help facilitate the process of change in their lives. It‘s called a ―Vision Board‖. It is a creative, fun and inspiring way to help you get to where you want to go! Here‘s how… Create a “Vision Board” What is a Vision Board? A vision board (also called a Treas-ure Map) is typically poster boards on which you paste or col-lage images that you‘ve torn out from various magazines. It‘s fun, simple and very inexpensive to make! The idea behind this is project is to surround yourself with images of who you want to become, what you want to have and where you want to go in life. This project redirects your mind from the past, and puts before you, a blank slate on which you can begin to redesign your life. I highly recom-mend getting a group together to do this project, it‘s fun to clip, cut, glue, paste and laugh, and yes, look at all the cata-logs and fun things in them! Take your time and enjoy the process.

Supplies you’ll need for creating a Vision Board: - Poster board. (The Dollar Tree has a really nice variety of poster board in matte finish poster board) - A big stack of magazines. Ask friends, family and others to supply you with magazines, catalogs etc. (Make sure you find lots of different types. If you limit your options, you‘ll lose in-terest after a while. - scissors to cut out your chosen pictures (you can also tear them out, giving your masterpiece more texture). - Glue. Not Elmer‘s. (It makes the pages ripple.)

I like using a glue stick, Glue or Rubber cement.

Before you begin your vision board: Make a little ritual before you begin your vision board. Sit quietly and set the intention of what direction in life you want to go. With lots of kindness and openness, ask yourself what it is you really want. Images may come, words, emotions may come up. Just take a moment to be with those. This process makes it a deeper experience. Now that you‘re ready…here are the ―directions‖

Selectively flip through your magazines and tear images and phrases and words from pages, things that represent the new direction you wish to go in. Next cut them and place them into a pile. No gluing yet! Just let yourself have lots of fun looking through magazines! Have fun with it.

Go through the images and begin to lay your favorites on the board. Eliminate any images that no longer feel are right. This step is where your intuition comes in. As you lay the pictures on the board, you‘ll get a sense how the board should be laid out. For instance, you might assign a theme for different parts of the board (Health, Financial, Job, Sobri-ety, Spirituality, Relationships, for example).

Now, glue everything onto the board. Add writing if you want. You can paint on it, or write words with markers. Be creative and as wild as you want it to be! Enjoy yourself!

This next step is optional, but powerful: Leave space in the very center of the vision board for a good photo of yourself. Paste your self in the center of your board.

Finally and most importantly, hang your finished vision board in a place where you will see it everyday, perhaps in the kitchen, bathroom or on the back of your front door. Look at it frequently. Keep the vision alive daily! Each time you look at your vision board, it will remind you of the direction you want to go. And as ―your thoughts create your world‖, you will undoubtedly see your new life vision begin to manifest in your life!

Happy New Year, Happy New You! ~

Thomas Hushen is a Service Coordinator and

SacPort Instructor at Human Resource Consultants

(HRC) www.hrcrst.org

"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to em-brace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and ex-citing, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power." ~K'jerrel Smith, PhD

Service Coordinator-HRC

THE INFINITE LIFE PROJECT LLC Provides culturally diverse and culturally relevant psychotherapy for adolescents, adults, indi-viduals, couples and groups (Breast cancer support) dealing with depression, stress, domestic violence, trauma, and grief and loss.

As an effort to educate the community about the ever changing behaviors of the adolescent, The Infinite Life Project travels throughout California and other states presenting educational workshops. Our workshops are beneficial to families, students and especially school faculties. The workshops will pro-vide families and school faculty with valuable infor-mation and ways to communicate and resolve ado-lescent issues before they have escalated.

For companies we offer cultural diversity workshops for people of different backgrounds in the workplace who will participate in open and direct conversation. Participants will learn the importance of being conscious of those different from them ver-sus being ‗color-blind.‘ This workshop is for anyone in the workforce and other social settings. We also offer alcohol, tobacco and other drugs workshop for companies as well.

As a Continuing Education Provider-PCE #4980 we offer the following workshops:

* Cultural Diversity

* Alcohol Tobacco and Other Drugs

* School Community and Crisis

* Managing Oppositional Defiance

* The Pathways Training Program (Enhanced thinking and de-cision-making for young men of color)

* Adolescent Development in the 21st Century

For additional information or to schedule an appointment contact Carmen Crenshaw at (916) 544-0502 or you can fax your

request to (916) 688-8603. Office hours by appointment only.

Email: theinfinitelifeproject@yahoo.com

Website: www.theinfinitelifeproject.com

Mailing address: P.O. Box 2758 Elk Grove Blvd, Elk Grove CA 95759. Physical address: 9008 Elk Grove Blvd #23 Elk Grove CA 95624

www.sacpros.org is devoted to breaking

down the barriers which prevent access

to mental health services by providing

easy access to available services in the

community. www.sacpros.org

Sacramento Launches Mental Health Promotion Project to Reduce Stigma and Discrimination

When the issues of discrimination and stigma are discussed, it is generally in the context of race, gender, sex or age. Rarely is there a correlation to mental health. The numbers tell a different story. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, in any given year, roughly one in every four adults will experience a diagnosable mental health disorder, and nearly one out of every five children will ex-perience some degree of an emotional or behavioral difficulty. Even though it‘s a common occurrence, stigma and dis-crimination against persons living with mental illness and emotional disturbance are widespread and reach all facets of society. Mental illness affects every ethnic, racial, cultural, economic and religious group and impacts individuals of all ages and genders. In Sacramento County alone, it is estimated that nearly 355,000 residents are living with a mental illness, but research shows that only one-third of those individuals will seek professional help because of the stigma and discrimina-tion surrounding mental illness. According to a report by the California State Department of Mental Health, the “California Strategic Plan on Reducing Mental Health Stigma and Discrimination,” stigma is defined as: ―attitudes and beliefs that lead people to reject, avoid, or fear those they perceive as being different. Discrimination occurs when people and entities act upon these attitudes and beliefs in ways that can deprive others of their rights and life opportunities.‖ People living with mental illness and emotional disturbance can experience discrimination in employment, education and housing. Common misconceptions about mental illness range from perceiving all individuals with mental illness to be dangerous or violent to labeling mental illness as untreatable. And too often, representations of mental illness in the me-dia can be hurtful and inaccurate, and feed rather than fight the stigma surrounding mental illness. The discrimination that surrounds mental illness and emotional disturbance can result in despair, prejudice and hope-lessness. Just as harmful as societal stigma, self-stigma is estimated to deter between 50 and 60 percent of individuals living with mental illness from seeking treatment, which can lead to serious consequences. According to a landmark 1999 United States Surgeon General Report, ―Stigma is the most formidable obstacle to pro-gress in the arena of mental illness and health.‖ People with mental health challenges often remark how stigma and discrimination against them can be even worse than their mental health condition. As part of its Mental Health Services Act initiative, the Sacramento County Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services will launch countywide efforts, with tailored messaging, to fundamentally alter negative attitudes and perceptions about mental illness and emotional disturbance. This work will underscore that men-tal health issues are not taboo and will promote resources and community supports available throughout the County to foster hope and recovery. We are working with a comprehensive group of area stakeholders and an array of multicultural communities to help tell the real-life stories of individuals and families living with a mental illness or serious emotional disturbance. By promoting positive beliefs and attitudes about living with mental illness or serious emotional disturbance, the campaign will dispel harmful myths and stereotypes as it fosters hope, resiliency and recovery. Through the campaign we‘ll work to facilitate an ongoing discussion with the community regarding their thoughts, concerns, questions and messages of hope related to mental health issues. By changing attitudes and beliefs toward persons living with mental illnesses, we want to eliminate barriers to achieving full inclusion in society, promote help-seeking behavior, and increase access to services to support individuals and fami-lies. If successful, not only will we have helped prevent future discrimination against those with mental health issues, but also created an environment where families aren‘t afraid to discuss mood or anxiety disorders, and more than one third of individuals will make the phone call or walk through the clinic door to explore treatment. For more information about resources and services available in Sacramento County please call 2-1-1, TTY, (916) 446-1434.

Mary Ann Bennett, Deputy Director Sacramento County

Division of Behavioral Health Services

Managing Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) by Gail Erlandson, M.A.

Does your mood change with the seasons? Does the gloomy fog of Sacramento coincide with gloomy thoughts and low en-ergy?

There are two types of Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) to be aware of: fall/winter onset S.A.D. and spring/summer onset S.A.D. The fall/winter type, sometimes known as ―winter de-pression,‖ is the most common. The reduced level of sunlight in the winter can disrupt our body‘s internal clock. Reduced sunlight can cause a drop in serotonin that may cause depression. The loss of light can also disrupt the balance of the natural hormone melatonin, which aids with sleep and stability of mood. Winter-onset seasonal affective disorder symptoms may include: feelings of hopelessness, social withdrawal, weight gain, over-sleeping, difficulty concentrating, anxiety, and sometimes the craving of foods high in carbohydrates. It is normal to have some days when we feel the winter blues, but if we are experiencing some of the above symptoms for an extended time, if we feel low and lethargic for three or more weeks, if we aren‘t enjoying the activities that we typically enjoy, we may need to see a professional. If we are turning to alcohol or drugs to cope, it is especially important to see a doctor. Seasonal affective disorder is more common among folks who live far north or south of the equator. This is due to short days during the winter and long days in the summer months that dis-rupt the biological clock. Here in Sacramento, we also have our share of foggy, dark days.

Treatment for S.A.D. winter depression, is varied and can in-clude: psychotherapy, group therapy, light therapy and/or medi-cation Here are some practical suggestions to keep us healthy:

*Experience the Outdoors: Even on cloudy, foggy days, out-door natural light does make a big difference. Take a walk in a park, walk your dog, sit outside on a bench for lunch, meet a friend and walk, go to the river and walk, or walk before break-fast. If you are in an office, step outside for your morning and afternoon breaks. There are many possibilities for us to say hello to the Sun, even if it is hidden. Take an umbrella if it is raining. Please, no excuses. During persistent spans of valley fog, take a trip up to apple hill or other foothill destination to search out some sun. * Create a Light-Filled Environment: open your drapes,open the blinds, trim tree branches that block sunlight. Place yourself near windows and light when sitting. * Get Regular Exercise: There is strong evidence that exercise changes our brain chemistry and helps us feel better. Try exer-cising with a friend. Try something new like Tai Chi or Gentle Yoga. Have you ever Cross Country Skied? All you need to know is how to walk and you can cross-country ski.

Try Zumba for $3 at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Oak Park (very fun), go swimming at your local YMCA, visit a gym, or take a hike at one of our local nature preserves. So you get my drift? There are endless options to naturally elevate our sero-tonin.

* Connect with People who are Kind: Isolation can fuel de-pression. Find people in your life who help you feel good about yourself and life. Invite a friend to tea or find a group that you enjoy. There are many therapeutic groups in the community to explore, some at no cost. Try the Art of Happiness group at the Wellness and Recovery Center North and find ways to work with your thoughts to stay healthy.

There are a variety of mind-body therapies that can provide relief from depression symptoms. I benefit from Gentle Yoga, some peo-ple really enjoy Massage, some folks find help through Meditation. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Self-Help Groups of many varie-ties can be very beneficial to lifting our mood.

Groups that provide creative outlets in the arts are valuable to stay-ing well when days are short or dim. Writing, drawing, painting, singing, dancing, poetry, and the performing arts are all possibili-ties.

Visit Chic for Change, a Community Thrift Boutique at 2633 El Camino Ave. in Sacramento that offers open mic for the Arts on the 1

st and 3

rd Wed. of the month from 6 – 8 p.m. Enjoy the compan-

ionship of fellow artists and the opportunity to share a song, poem , or whatever creative, artistic expression you desire. Finding a venue for our creative energy is healing and fun and can get us out of our winter funk.

Some people try exposure to artificial light as a method of treating S.A.D. The process involves sitting or working near a ―light ther-apy box.‖ There may be some mild side effects, it is important to talk to a medical professional before starting light therapy. Re-member, tanning beds are not a form of light therapy. It is also important to remember to select a light therapy box that emits as little UV light as possible. Visit www.sltbr.org, produced by the society for light therapy, to find an interesting discussion on the benefits of light therapy and the range of options.

If symptoms are severe, some people with S.A.D benefit from anti-depressant medication. It is best to consult your psychiatrist for an explanation of such options. There are several herbal remedies you may want to consider, but consult your doctor on these to make sure they don‘t interfere with any other medications. Omega-3 fatty acid supplements found in fish oil may help. Ac-cording to the Mayo Clinic website, ―Omega-3 fatty acid supple-ments may help relieve depression symptoms and have other health benefits.‖ Omega-3s are found in certain nuts and grains. Personally, I eat a sardine sandwich for my omega-3s ---- on rye with onion, leaf lettuce and good mustard. (My Scandinavian heri-tage is showing).

Making a conscious effort to take good care of ourselves is key to mental health maintenance. It takes personal willingness and par-ticipation. Let‘s keep in the light and our thoughts clear! For further reading see: www.mayoclinic.com/health/seasonal-affective-disorder

Gail Erlandson has a Master of Arts De-gree in Pastoral Min-istry from the Univer-sity of San Francisco and a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Portland in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Gail taught at Loretto High School for eleven years and has served on staff at Loaves and Fishes. Gail is a mentor at the Wellness and Recov-ery Center North.

Interview with Dianne Ross, RN

Founder and CEO of Araven Holistic Mind Institute (AHMI)

Interviewer: What are the percentages in terms of Afri-can-Americans being afflicted by mental illnesses being able to receive mental health services?

Ms. Ross: I have not been able to find any current sta-tistics regarding how many African-Americans there are with diagnosed mental illnesses. Suicide rates and the like exist. According to NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the suicide rate compared between Afri-can-Americans and Caucasian teens shows that African-American suicide is more than twice as frequent as that with Caucasian teens.

As a result of the lack of statistical information on mental illnesses in the African-American or Black community, Araven Holistic Mind Institute (AHMI) surveys people during all of our functions to get ethnicity, age, gender, anecdotal, diagnosed and suspected information on inci-dences of mental illnesses in our community.

Interviewer: How did you get involved in helping people with mental health challenges? Ms. Ross: My own personal experience. In 1992, I was diagnosed with Bipolar I disorder I was a charge nurse at Kaiser (South) Hospital in Sacramento, Ca. I could not sleep and experienced odd behavior. I was hospital-ized and declared 5150, a danger to myself and others.

I was referred to support groups but I could not identify with them because there were no African-Americans peers in my groups. Blacks sometimes appeared in hos-pital group settings but not in significant numbers. NAMI offered peer-to-peer, but no long term groups material-ized. So, I was in a cycle: hospitalized, released, doing well, going to support groups and feeling uncomfortable, relapsing, and starting over. I learned how to recognize triggers but not how to manage my illness and be pro-ductively functional in society. These events inspired me to start AHMI in January, 2009 Araven is a non-profit IRS 501(c) (3) public benefit, tax donation Deductible Corporation.

Interviewer: What are some of the holistic approaches that you have used to help people in the process of re-covery and wellness?

Ms. Ross: I believe in traditional and non-traditional methods of addressing mental health issues? I also be-lieve that if you need and have been prescribed medica-tion you should take it! I take medication so I am a strong advocate for taking ―meds‖. If someone has stopped taking their medication, I try to find out why and address this situation.

One of AHMI‘s programs is the Focus Believing Individ-ual Model (FBIM). Here, participants actively learn about their particular mental illness and receive one-on-one education and input. We want them to focus on the causes of their illness and understand their role in resolving the issue.

At the core of the FBIM program is a holistic and bi-holistic approaches. Holistic means that the program touches the five aspects of a person‘s life to get at how mental illness has dis-rupted them emotionally, spiritually, physically, financially, and mentally. Bi-holistic means that one‘s life (―bio‖) must be steered towards healthy inputs: good diet, good nutrition, good exercise, good financial pursuits, and so on because a short-age in any area will hurt the other four life aspects.

I believe that small, incremental steps to health-ness in each area are vital. Encouragement is vital too because ―backsliding‖ is the mental health problem that is human na-ture and inevitable. The focus aspect of this program is de-signed to get the person to examine their role in the crisis that recently afflicted them.

Also, I instruct participants on how their brains function, espe-cially how the chemicals in the brain affect their feelings, moods, thoughts, actions, physically and so forth. Learning about establishing good brain chemistry behaviors is a very important aspect of the FBIM program.

I teach about how sleep cycles, fight or flight syndrome, dopa-mine a brain chemical or hormone ―neuron‖ transmission activ-ity and its effects on various mental illnesses. Lastly, I‘ve been teaching about how important it is for a person experiencing mental health challenges to ask for help from a loved one in addition to professional help from a therapist or psychiatrist who is a medical doctor trained to deal with and prescribe medications.

As you can tell from the above, teachings active participation is vital to our program. I believe healing is a personal state of mind a person must reach as much as outside inputs (medication, therapy and information) in bringing about recov-ery.

Interviewer: So what I hear you saying is that the difference with Araven is that you offer long-term support groups?

Ms. Ross: No. We do not do support groups. We focus on educating the individual on the mental illness and on the things that triggered it: internal and external. The thing that came out of my experiences is that personal education at least for me is the key to personal change and illness management. At Araven, we provide brochures, PowerPoint presentations via a Speakers and conferences once a year. Araven hosts a concert where teens are involved. The teens also put on skits where they act out mental illness behaviors to educate the audience. We call it ―edutainment‖ because it does both: edu-cate and entertain.

Interviewer: Do you refer people to support groups? How are people referred to your agency?

Ms. Ross: We are listed in the telephone book and we work with community and faith-based leaders. We get referrals from pastors; we advertise and attend functions dealing with mental illnesses and learning disabilities and by the word of mouth method.

Interviewer: What is the criterion to receive services from Araven?

Interview was conducted by Ann Adams for the Empowerment Magazine.

Anne is currently working part time as a volunteer receptionist at the Wellness and Recover Center on

Marconi Avenue. She has served as a board member and residential leader for the Sacramento Mu-

tual Housing Association. She has worked for 15 years in Law Enforcement agencies at the state and

county levels and also has 4 years of working with children with learning disabilities.

In our community, it is my experience that our people generally will go to their preacher first when a mental health issue arises before presenting to a doctor or other specialist with special training to deal with it. As I said, I believe in a holistic approach to treating mental illness, so while going to the preacher is fine, it is finnier if the person sees a mental health person, too. If a person is considering suicide, church prayer is great, but a global outreach, medication, one-on-one, other professional help puts the person in the best po-sition to be helped.

When others become involved they will become edu-cated on how to identify possible mental health symp-toms. AHMI can help as the person gets spiritual help from the pastor, church and congregation. AHMI will help with the mental health issue and organize a holis-tic approach to education and healing. This approach has been utilized in the midst of the AIDs crisis in the 80‘s – 2000‘s so we can use it in the mental health field.

Knowledge is power. Applied knowledge is power in action. The more we help our people who are mentally challenged (and not just regard some behaviors as ―just weird‖ or ―Dianne being Dianne‖) the healthier and higher functioning our community will be. Then, people with mental illnesses will not just be on SSI for the rest of their lives, unproductive, just statistics, numbers, and not just uncounted folks with mental disorders. They will be helping feed the homeless and do other benefi-cial works.

We are all in this together. We believe a holistic ap-proach is best for addressing our issue that negatively affects people – mental illness – in a holistic way: emo-tionally, spiritually, physically, financially and mentally. Our goal is for people to live healthy, holistic lives so their whole lives reflect good health. Accordingly, we address mental health challenges and learning disabili-ties with all the holistic tools we have available.

also leads by example as she also positively manages her own mental illness.

Please visit www.ahmi4u.org for more information on the Araven Holistic Mind Institute.

Ms. Ross: A person must be 13 years of age or older. I provide services to teens and adults. I do an intake assessment ses-sion. I do not diagnose but I ascertain what the needs of the person, I provide information on how a participant can get a diagnosis. I work with the African-American Mental Health Pro-viders and other mental health providers such as Western Si-erra Psychiatric Associates. Essentially, we believe that knowledge is power. Participants receive homework assignments because active participation involves them in their recovery which is good for their mental health. We educate their families as well as a case-by-case basis.

Interviewer: How many families are being assisted by your agency at this time? Ms. Ross: We have educated over 2,000 people directly through our ―edu-tainment‖ programs. In this way we reach the community on a broad scale to increase awareness of mental illness in the community to remove the resistance many have against it as a health problem.

Interviewer: Your website mentions your interaction with teens. How do you specifically engage the teen population?

Ms. Ross: We work with about 15 teens and have formed a 6 or 7 member board. We also have teen volunteers and they come up with unique ways of reaching other teens. We receive referrals from teens. The board has its own mission statement with is ―You Are Not Alone.‖ They participate in community out-reach and fundraisers such as car washes. They also have ―peer-to-peer‖ meeting‘s where they are paired up with other teens, not as counselors, but as mutual sharing partners who have experienced similar issues so they discuss issues like depression, school challenges, family stress, dating and so forth. They are encouraged to do their homework, develop positive goals, attend social events together and [touch base with me if an issue is of seriousness concern to them]. We cur-rently have teens who attend three major high schools in Sac-ramento and Elk Grove, Kennedy High, Sacramento High, and Valley High. All of their activities are overseen by adults. We are really proud of what our teens are doing.

Interviewer: What would you like the community to know most about AHMI? Ms. Ross: Number 1, that we are here to help. We would like for more business and community professionals to get involved in helping us get the word out. [Mental health issues are real health matters like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer is and it is time we address them openly and with-out shame.]

We would like for more community involvement to become part of our mission to educate, enlighten, enrich, and inform the general population. We serve everyone however, my life and experience as an African-American and my similar life experi-ence with other African-Americans makes me uniquely qualified to work with similarly situated persons.

Dianne Ross, RN

Ms. Dianne Ross, RN, is the founder and CEO of AHMI. While she teaches and in-spires others on how to successfully man-age their mental ill-nesses, Ms. Ross

About one in five adults (ages 18 and older) has a

diagnosable mental disorder. (National Institute

of Mental Health) www.samhsa.gov

DID YOU KNOW THAT?

If your disabling condition is preventing you from continuing to work, you may want to apply for disability benefits through Social Security. In most cases, doing so involves a thorough process of determining your eligibility, medical condition, and ability to work. Because we look so carefully at so many cases — more than three million each year — it can take us three to five months to determine whether you are eligible. Processing times on that initial claim can vary depending on several factors, but primarily on: the nature of your disabil-ity; how quickly we obtain medical evidence from your doctor or other medical sources; and whether we need to send you for a medical examination in order to obtain evidence to support your claim. There are things you can do to help speed up the process. The more information you provide up front, the less time it will take us to obtain the evidence we need — and the faster your claim can be processed. What type of information do we need? Any medical records or documentation you have is helpful. We can make copies of the records you have and return your originals; the names, addresses, and phone numbers for any doctors, medical facilities, treatment centers, or providers related to your disabling condition; The names, addresses, and phone numbers for previous employers and the dates worked for each employer; workers‘ compensation information, including the settlement agreement, date of injury, claim number, and proof of other disability benefits awarded; Names and dates of birth of your minor children and your spouse; Dates of marriages and divorces (if any); Checking or savings account number, and the bank‘s 9-digit routing number, so we can deposit your payment electronically; Name, address, and phone number of a person we can contact if we are unable to get in touch with you. If this disability application is for a child, we need the name, address, phone number of the schools attended and any school records you can provide. We also ask you to sign release forms that give us permission to obtain the information needed from third parties to make a decision on your claim. The best place to start is online at www.socialsecurity.gov/disability. Select ―Disability Starter Kit‖ in the left column. There, you‘ll find more information and starter kits for both adults and children. You can apply online for disability benefits (the easiest method), or you can make an appointment by phone or in a So-cial Security office. The choice is yours. (For Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability benefits, you cannot apply online, but you still can complete the Disability Starter Kit to prepare for the interview and speed-up the processing time.) If you‘re considering an application for disability benefits, the place to go is www.socialsecurity.gov/disability.

What You Can Do To Speed Up Your Disability Application By Rosario M

Ramirez Social Security Public Affairs Specialist for the Northern Area

Fall 2011 19

Prep time 25 mins. Cook time 45 mins. Minestrone soup

1 ½ cups diced carrot 1 ½ cups sliced celery 1 ½ cup chopped onion 2 cloves garlic crushed 3 tablespoons Olive oil 1 (28 ounce) can of diced tomatoes, not drained 1 ½ tablespoons of Italian blend seasoning (marjoram, thyme, rosemary, savory sage, oregano, and basil) 3 teaspoons kosher salt 2 teaspoons of seasoned black pepper 3 (14 ounce) cans of beef broth or 1 ½ (32 ounce) stock ½ pound of ground turkey brown 1 (15 ounce) can of navy beans rinsed & drained 1 (15 ounce) can of red kidney beans rinsed & drained 1 cup of uncooked elbow macaroni ½ cup of chopped fresh parsley or fresh basil Freshly grated parmesan cheese (optional)

Sauté ground turkey with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, season with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of seasoned black pepper until crumble and brown drain and set aside.

Sauté first 4 ingredients in Dutch oven over medium-high heat 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp tender.

Add tomatoes, Italian seasoning blend, remaining salt and pepper, bring to boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 min-utes stirring occasionally.

Stir in beef stock, turkey, beans and macaroni. Bring to a boil, cover, simmer 15 minutes or until macaroni is tender, serve with chopped parsley or fresh chopped basil and grated parmesan cheese. Yields: 14 cups

Minestrone Soup by Chris Woodyard

Chris Woodyard graduated from the school of Health

Sciences in 1981 in Wichita Falls Texas on Sheppard

AFB, as a Psychiatric Technician. He worked as a Crisis

Counselor & Crisis Case Manager at Solano County

Mental Health for 13 years. Shortly thereafter, Chris

moved to Sacramento and worked with adults with Co-

Occurring disorders in Private and Non-Profit agencies

for the past 13 years. He attended The Breining Institute

in 2004 and graduated as a Certified Alcohol & Drug

Counselor. Chris is presently working at CORE Medical

clinic as a Mental Health Counselor and Buprenorphine

Program Supervisor. Eventually Chris would like to open

his own restaurant and provide healthy, tasty nutritional

meals such as Chris‘s Minestrone Soup. Enjoy!

Mary Jo’s Revised French Chocolate Cake

1 cup organic unsalted butter (or) ½ cup with ¼ cup Wonderslim (fat substitute)

5 large organic eggs (or) 1 ¼ cup egg substitute

1 ¼ cups Xylodal; sugar - available in bulk in health food stores

5 Tbsp‘s of flour (or) 5 Tbsp‘s of almond flour

1 ½ tsp balking power

8 to 10 oz‘s of bittersweet 85% chocolate

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Butter and flour 10 inch spring form pan.

Stir chocolate and butter in heavy medium sauce pan over low heat till melted and smooth.

Beat eggs/substitute and sugar until blended and begins to thicken.

Sift flour and baking power over eggs and fold in. Gradu-ally fold in chocolate mixture.

Transfer into pan.

Bake 20 minutes - - - then cover pan with foil. Bake until tester inserted into center comes out with moist crumbs still attached; approximately 45 minutes longer, depend-ing on pan size.

Uncover, cool in pan on rack. Cake will fall. Can be pre-

pared a day before. Dust with powder sugar. Serve with

a dollop of low sugar whipped cream. ENJOY!

Now you can have your cake and eat it too!

DR. STENSON: A simplistic answer would be to start with the most urgent issues (i.e. suicide or homicide risk) and move to other symptoms or behaviors that are creating distress, serious problems, or role functioning interference. It is important to have a sense of the individual‘s insight, motivation, and exposure to previous treatment. Substance abuse often includes a high degree of denial and may require an intervention with loved ones or persons most involved and affected by the family member‘s disorder.

INTERVIEWER: If someone has no insurance or lacks adequate coverage will that rule them out of successful recovery?

DR. STENSON: The ingredients to ―successful recovery‖ are sometimes mysterious and hard to define. Many timers over the years, I have recommended to a patient, friend, family member, etc to attend 7 to 14 meetings a week for AA or NA, which costs nothing. With mental illness, participation in local NAMI meetings is open and free. Being in the pres-ence of others who are dealing with similar problems who are motivated to help themselves and others often leads to successful recovery.

INTERVIEWER: What is the most influential character trait among individuals who maintain long-term recovery while also having happy lives?

DR. STENSON: Perseverance and an ability to stick with a tough challenge certainly help when one is dealing with the difficulty illness of addiction. I also like to remind patients that channeling or redirecting their inner rebelliousness can also be very helpful. Often times, this characteristic relates to a sense of not being heard or understood. In the presence of others that do listen and understand, this characteristic can become a positive energy used to achieve long-term re-covery and living a rewarding, happy life

INTERVIEWER: If I‘ve had multiple relapses, will I ever be able to find the right combination that will work for me?

Some of the patients who have had the most meaningful and rich recoveries were our most difficult patients, with many

relapses or persistence of drug abuse patterns. I preach often to not make prognostications as one never knows when

the light will go on and the right combination occurs that facilitates recovery. Many, many individuals with long-term suc-

cessful recovery had many relapses prior to their more lasting recovery.

DR. STENSON: Ignorance and lack of good knowledge is the biggest danger. Often the most impaired individuals know

at some level that they need help and are not completely hopeless. They often are very sensitive to insincerity or lack of

knowledge and can easily be turned off when being helped by someone not knowledgeable of the unique challenges of

substance abuse and mental illness.

INTERVIEWER: What are good ways to prepare for the changes that may occur after I have made needed changes to

support my recovery?

DR. STENSON: Change is hard for human beings, including all the people that are connected to the individual. One

must prepare for the reality that others may want to, need to or unconsciously stress the recovering individual by having

a hard time adjusting to a new, recovering person. One may find out who their real friend are. It can be a lonely journey

at times, especially if not connected with healthy supports. Sometimes a person who is viewed as a ―black sheep,‖ may

continue to be treated that way even though they are working hard, making positive changes, and doing well in their re-

covery. Many humans feel better about themselves when someone close to them is the identified problem. When the

person with the identified problem improves, others may be forced to look more honestly with themselves an have a hard

time doing that. Have a toolkit of stress reducers or stress coping devices. Such things as relaxation breathing exercises,

physical exercise, hobbies, special interests, trustworthy and supportive friends, etc all become important considerations

in preparing for the changes.

Continued from page 7 what are some of the things you would want to assess or identify before you start?

Dr. Stenson graduated from the first class of the UC Davis school of medicine. After being awarded a Re-gent‘s Scholarship as both a UCD undergraduate and medical student, he completed his residency training in psychiatry at the UC program affiliated with the Sacramento Medical Center, where he was also the chief resi-dent. He served 2 years in the Air Force under the Berry Plan, directing both an outpatient and alcohol pro-gram at Sheppard AFB. His subsequent professional career has been primarily related to community mental health and substance abuse. He was the medical director of San Joaquin County Mental Health between 1984-2006. He is the owner and medical director of C.O.R.E. Medical Clinic, located at 2100 Capitol Ave in Sacramento, which treats individuals suffering from opioid addiction. Dr. Stenson conducts a monthly work-shop on opioid addiction the third Wednesday of each month at 11:00 a.m. at the clinic which is open to any-one interested in learning more about opioid addiction and treatment.

,

Chelsea Bagias is a doctor of psychology currently collecting hours as a psychological as-sistant (PSB 36064 and PSB 36074). She is supervised in a local private practice by Rosa Di Lorenzo Psy.D. (PSY 24148) and at C.O.R.E. Medical Clinic by Randall Stenson M.D. (G-25548). Chelsea has a passion for working with people experiencing intense challenges and believes all situations can find more peace and joy in life.

Chris Woodyard graduated from the school of Health Sciences in 1981 in Wichita Falls Texas on Sheppard AFB, as a Psychiatric Technician. He worked as a Crisis Counselor & Crisis Case Manager at Solano County Mental Health for 13 years. Shortly thereafter, Chris moved to Sacramento and worked with adults with Co-Occurring disorders in Private and Non-Profit agencies for the past 13 years. He attended The Breining Institute in 2004 and graduated as a Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor. Chris is presently working at CORE Medical clinic as a Mental Health Counselor and Buprenorphine Program Supervisor. Even-tually Chris would like to open his own restaurant and provide healthy, tasty nutritional meals such as Chris‘s Minestrone Soup.

Continued from page

NewUSimmigrants.com is a comprehensive,

easy-to-use immigration web site that provides an

extensive directory of resources to help connect new immigrants with available services and

resources in their communities.

If you, or someone you know,

experiencing disrupting symp-toms of mental health, please call

Adult Access Team:

at (916) 875-1055 or Children's

Access Team at (916)8759980

Sacramento Suicide Prevention Crisis Line: (916) 368 -3111

Sacramento Mental Health Crisis 24-hour Line: (916) 732-3637

Poison Control:(800) 876 - 4766

National Suicide Prevention Life-line 1(800) 273-TALK (8255)

WEAVE Crisis Line 916 920 2952

Youth Crisis Line 1(800)339-7177

REPORT ADULT/CHILD

ABUSE

SACRAMENTO EMERGENCY SHELTERS Mary House Women/Children

(Day Shelter) 1321 North C St. Tel (916) 446-4961

St John's (Women/Children)

4410 Power Inn Tel (916) 453-1482

Family Shelter (SAEHC)

4516 Parker Ave. 60 Day Stay-Family / Children Tel (916) 455-2160

Union Gospel Mission

400 Bannon St. Bed Sign Ups 6:30 P.M. (Men) 7 Day Max. W/ 2 Meals A Day Tel (916) 447-3268

Voa "A" Shelter

(Men Only) Moon. A St. Building B

Tel (916) 448-5507

Womens' Refuge (SAEHC)

(Single Women) Parker Ave

SACRAMENTO EMERGENCY ROOM SERVICES

Mercy General Hospital

4001 J Street. Sacramento, CA 95819

Tel. (916) 453-4545

Mercy Hospital Of Folsom

1650 Creekside Dr . Folsom, CA 95630

Tel. (916) 983-7400

Mercy San Juan Hospital

6501 Coyle Avenue . Carmichael, CA

95608 Tel. (916) 537-5000

Methodist Hospital Sacramento

7500 Hospital Drive. Sacramento, CA

95823 Tel. (916) 423-3000

Sutter Memorial Hospital

52nd St And F Street. Sacramento, CA 95819

Tel. (916) 454-3333

UD Davis Medical Center

2315 Stockton Blvd. Sacramento, CA 95817 Tel.

(916) 734-3252 / 734-2011

Kaiser Permanente Hospital South

6600 Bruceville Road Sacramento, CA 95823

Tel. (916) 688-2000

Kaiser Permanente Hospital Morse

2025 Morse Avenue. Sacramento, CA 95825

Tel. (916) 973-5000

Find Out if you qualify for Medi-Cal Insurance

Contact Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance

Medi-Cal District Offices . Downtown Sac . (916)874-2256

. East Sacramento (916) 874-3800

. South Sacramento (916) 875-8100 . Del Paso (916) 648-0894

. Rancho Cordova (916) 875-8600

If you know about a

resource that could be

useful for this section, please e-mail us at

contact@empowermentmagazine.org

Or Call 916 - 222-7541

8581 Folsom Bld Ste A Sacramento,CA 95826 (800) 772-1213

2444 Marconi Avenue Sacramento, CA 95821 (916) 979-2019

910 Cirby Way ROSEVILLE, CA 95661 (800) 772-1213

Social Security

Administration Offices

RESOURCES 24-HOUR CRISIS LINES

Suicide Prevention Crisis Line

Phone Number: (916) 368—3111

PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALS

Sacramento County Mental Health

Treat ment Center (SCMHTC)

2150 Stockton Boulevard

Sacramento, Tel (916) 875.1000

Heritage Oaks Hospital

4250 Auburn Blvd. Sact. Tel (916) 489-3336

Crestwood Center 2600 Stockton Blvd .

Sacto, Tel (916) 452-1431

Sutter Center for Psychiatry

7700 Folsom Blvd. Sacramento

Tel (916)386– 3000

Sierra Vista Hospital

8001 Bruceville Rd., Sacramento,

Tel (916) 423-2000

Crestwood Carmichael ARBHC

4741 Engle Road, Carmichael

Tel (916) 483-8424

PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY For psychiatric emergency, please

call 911 as soon as possible or go to nearest emergency room

Child Abuse 24-hour Hotline:

(916) 875-KIDS/ (916) 875-5437

Report Senior or Dependent

Adult Abuse: (916) 874-9377

Safely Surrendered Baby 24-Hour

Information Line:

Need to Apply For

Food Stamps?

SACRAMENTO (916) 874-2072

SOUTH SACRAMENTO

(916) 875-8100 (916)875-9980

GALT (209) 745-3484