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S r̂riON 2- PAGE 5- PLAINDEALER WEDNESDAY. AUGUST 17. 1977 Emphasizing Mental Health ...To Avoid Mental Illness The key word is "cope." That is why the Community Services and Mental Health center is in operation-to help give people the ability to cope with things that arise in daily lives, and to teach how stress situations can be coped with better. In a recent interview, Bob Martens, executive director of the center, and Mary Plocher, head of the Community Education program, discussed the center, explaining why it is and where it is going. "The philosophy of the agency has changed in the last eighteen months," Martens said. "Previously, it was very much like a doctor's office. Now, it's changed to where we are going out to the people. We have more of an 'open door' policy. It's a 'center' rather than a 'clinic.'" In an effort to reach the people of the county, the agency has started a speaker's bureau, an explanation of which can be found elsewhere on this page. Also, in story below, there is a detailed explanation of each of the programs conducted by the health center. "Mental health affects everybody," Mrs. Plocher explained. "The people must be educated to the fact that they don't have to be in a crisis to come here." What people should come to the center for is assistance in any problem which the individual can't seem to get a grip on. "There are people who can identify problefris, and can make the necessary changes to cope with the problem," Mrs. Plocher said. "It takes courage to ask for help, and we're always here. "If you can recognize the fact that you Can go to the dentist for a toothache, you should also recognize that you have the ability to come here for mental pain." Unfortunately, a great majority of the public, while always recognizing physical discomfort, will not readily recognize mental anguish. And, if he they do, the unwarranted stigma of going to a mental health center for aid keeps far too many persons away. The Family Services and Community Mental Health center is trying to eliminate that stigma. That is why they are going into the community, attempting to educate the public on the fact that mental health is just as important as physical health. And, if something is disturbing a person mentally, then it should be handled the same way as a physical ailment To that end, the center has been conducting seminars with various other "care givers", educating them on the importance of mental health. Sessions have been held with police departments, school teachers, nursery school instructors, etc., any group which gives care to others. A brochure from the center possibly best explains its reason for existence. "Where do you go for help... -if you need a drink before you get going in the morning? -if you can't seem to get over the death of a close family member? -if your teenaged child won't come home on time; or even stays out all night? -if you or a family member has a problem with drugs? -if you have trouble making or keeping friends? -if you're having trouble adjusting to retirement? -if a divorce has left you emotionally depressed? -if you feel as if you have no self confidence?. -if there are changes in you life that you don't seem able to cope with? 1toe answer to all of the above is the center. Being a not-for-profit organization, the center is funded through the Illinois Department of Mental Health, the county Mental Health board, the United Way of Crystal Lake, private contributions, service fees, the county Mental Health Resource league, and association dues. Although a fee is charged on a sliding scale, no one is turned away because of an inability to pay. ̂ The center is operated by a board of directors, which will have its annual association dinner meeting in September. From the association, the board of directors is elected. The most important thing to remember is that mental health is just as important, if not more so, than physical health. Everyone has problems one in a while-a time when a person needs someone to talk to. / Somebody who cares is always just a dial of the telephone (385- 6400) away. The Family Services and Community Mental Health center--They CARE. \ / The Family Service and Community Mental Health center for McHenry county offers a wide variety of comprehensive community mental health services to children, adolescents, and adults, including: individual, family, marital, and group therapy; psychiatric evaluations and chemotherapy; crisis intervention and twenty-four hour emergency services; community education and consulting services; and a community referral service. The center is a not-for-profit corporation which is funded by grants from the Illinois Department of Mental Health, the McHenry county Mental Health board, the United Way of Crystal Lake, the Mental Health Resource league for McHenry county, and contributions and client fees which are charged on a sliding scale. The services of the center are available to any resident of McHenry county. The agency utilizes a multi-disciplinary team approach in the delivery of services throughout its six offices in McHenry county. Specifically, the center offers the following programs: SUSTAINING CARE The primary goal of this program is to provide mental health services to individuals in McHenry county who are discharged from institutional settings back to the community in an effort to facilitate re-entry, maintain and enhance the individual's level of functioning, and to avoid the need for further extrusion from the community. The program also intervenes in high risk situations to prevent individuals at a high risk level from being extruded from the community due to acute psychiatric difficulties. Services provided include: supportive counseling and psychotherapy on an individual, group, marital and-or family basis, chemotherapy, crisis intervention, home visitation, follow-up, and community referral services. In other words, this program is geared toward people who run a program is mat it is better to nave we person family. The program works with the entire family, not Just the individual who needs the sustaining care. v FAMILY COUNSELING The primary goal of this program is to prevent mildly or moderately disturbed individuals, couples, or families from becoming more seriously disturbed to the point of becoming a high risk of decompensating or becoming non-functional in his or her community. The basic premise upon which this program operates is the enhancement of, and the prevention of breakdown, of the family unit due to emotional difficulties. This program offers: active short-term therapeutic intervention services consisting of family and network therapy, pre-marital and marital counseling, group and individual counseling, and active crisis intervention services. In short, this program is geared toward working with those individuals and families which are a lower risk to becoming serious emotional problems. Problems such as marital difficulties and child-parent relationships are dealt with in this program. CRIS8 CARE EMERGENCY This program offers crisis care-emergency services through five basic means: 1) emergency evaluation, treatment and-or referral for all mental health-psychiatric emergencies and crises occurring in McHenry county. This includes twenty-four hour per day, seven- days week oil-call and on-site services. (On-site services provided to all McHenry county Police, McHenry county hospitals, and other designated social agencies.) 2) Consultation to all professionals and lay persons in the county encountering mental health-psychiatric emergencies. 3) Out-patient walk-in emergency services. 4) Crisis care beds (proposed). 5) In-service education training to all persons and agencies ie county involved in emergency and crisis work. This is a program which handles all emergency mental health problems. Workers will make on-site visits, and workers cooperate with police and hospitals. COMMUNITY DAY TREATMENT Uiis program is based upon the philosophy that there is a need for a non-hospital based treatment for the rehabilitation of the chronically ill to prevent the necessity for, and frequency of, further multiple hospitalizations. The goal is to rehabilitate the mentally ill from a role of chronic disfuncHoning, asocial behavior increased and increased productivity in the community through the model of the therapeutic milieu community, which is an intensive, highly structured, treatment modality, employing individual, family, group, and occupational therapy, and chemotherapy. In essence, this program is again geared toward persons who run a high risk of hospitalization due to emotional an psychiatric problems. The center cannot emphasise enough the need to help these people function in the community environment. OUTPATIENT ALCOHOLISM The overall objective of this program is to encourage and help maintain the alcoholic's sobriety and to support his efforts to abstain from further alcohol consumption through a variety of therapeutic modalities including; 1) Outnatient direct servicea. i.e., evaluation, psychotherapeutic counseling services; chemotherapy, including antabuse; emergency and crisis intervention services to McHenry county hospitals, police departments, and other service providers encountering the alcoholic and his family. 2) Community services, such as community education and preventive mentil health services regarding alcoholism; in-service training regarding alcoholism to other community service providers. 3) Adjunctive services, such as medical detoxification for the alcoholic are arranged through facilities offering such services such as Elgin Mental Health center, Lutheran General hospital, etc. Close local contacts are also maintained with AA groups. ̂ This is not an Alcoholics Anonymous program. This service includes working with the issue beyond the drinking, but rather trying to solve the problem which is causing the drinking. The program involves the entire family, aiding others in handling the alcoholic. V CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS This program offers comprehensive professional mental health services to the child ynd hk family. Treatment available include for an Individual, family, parents and appropriate other direct behSViflffM management and parents' groups. In service • - 9 •*". , - ---• • % - - -•--r=r--- --;7T --r : - Speakers Bureau is Freef The Family Service and Community Mental Health center has made available a Speakers bureau, free of charge to any group or organization in the county. Upon request, a staff member will give a presentation on various topics, which sre listed bfelow. KNOWING MYSELF BETTER Presentations in this category include talks on improving your interpersonal relationships; developing a positive self-image, joy-the highs of life; loss-what it is snd how to cope; becoming assertive; self evaluation-knowing yourself better; role conflicts; the rational approach to living; needs and wants-is there a difference?; death and dying; and aging. , WOMEN AND MEN Presentations in this category include talks on roles women play-how they are changing; effects of the women's movement of men and on the family; marriage as a partnership; effective communications in marriage; marriage and intimacy; and marital therapy. PARENTING AND FAMILIES Presentations in this category include talks on deciding on parenthood; mothers and fathers-how to survive; fsmOy systems; family therapy; the changing American family; disciplining children; the psychological aspects of pregnancy ; your child's emotions and-or feelings; divorce and the family: me single parent; the hyperactive child; sibling rivalry; child development; adolescent devaopment; child and parent communications; and child abuse. SEXUALITY Presentations in this category include talks on sexual dysfunction; accepting your sexuality; and adolescent sexuality. MENTAL HEALTH Presentations in this category include talks on anxiety; depression-the most common emotional stress; suicide; mental illness-what is it and how is it treated?; group process and group dynamics; therapy-what is it?; csreers in mental health; coping with stress; and services provided by your community mental health center. ALCOHOLISM Presentations in this category include talks on prevention of alcoholism; teenage alcoholism; treatment of alcoholism; alcoholism as a disease; alcoholic abuse in our sodety-a general overview; alcoholism and the family; and the development of alcoholism and its stages. STAFF PHOTOS BY tf AM 8AYL0RD i- iî moos noes therapy for children and members, play therapy, for parents, adolescents ednffttfon consultation services are provided to other agencies and care givers, inckxfing •nli n Ala SCI100A8, staffed 1 certified child psychiatrist. Simply, this program involves the treatment of a child who has as naving problems with his family. Schools may refer children to the program, and it deals with children who are a higher risk that those involved in family counseling. i, that encounter the child and his family. The program is 1 by professional mental health clinicians, including a board Bd child psychiatrist. SOCIAL SERVICES This program offers non-clinical services 'community referral service for McHenry including the ing the HI which is a comprehensive telephone-based resource referral service (280- 6400). Also, provided is the publication and continued revision of the directory and referral guide for sodal agencies and organisations, serving McHenry county. A further objective iwfkyW development of a budget wwMMHwg program to be available to those individuals in the county in need of training in pw«wt«l huAqm* atirf wwMy r ̂ Essentially, this program offers two services. One is the referral scr>lcc telephone number, the second will be the budget counseHngr which should start in mid-winter. COMMUNITY EDUCATION This program offers a wide variety of preventive mental health services to the residents of McHenry county. Included in the program are: a speaker's bureau which provides speaking engagements, radio interviews, and seminsrs and workshops to the public and other community agencies and care givers. The mass media is utilized whenever possible as well ss other existing educational organizations in the continuing effort to educate and inform the community of mental health related issues and ssrvicss. Weekly newspaper articles are also published as a service of this program regarding related mental health issues. One of the major goals of the program is to expand the inservke training seminars to other care givers in the community (see rdated story). -,,'1 ' <£§ ! ; ,