SAMHSA: Webinar; ‘It Takes a Community: Learning Together about Tools and Strategies to Support People through Emotional Distress’

When:

Thursday, May 29, 2014

3 p.m.– 4:30 p.m. ET
(2 p.m. CT; 12 p.m. PT)

Presenters:

Leah Harris, M.A., Director of Communications and Development at the National Empowerment Center and an Emotional CPR facilitator

Lisbeth Riis Cooper, Founder, Vice Chair, and visionary behind CooperRiis Healing Community and Founding Partner of “Families Healing Together”

Tom Murray, Ph.D., LMFT, LPC-S, Director of Counseling and Testing Services at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and a certified trainer and facilitator of the Partners in Change Outcome Management System and Emotional CPR

Teleconference Overview: 

There are many ways that community members can be equipped to provide an informed and compassionate approach to assist individuals facing mental health issues and to prevent potential crises. While most people want to be helpful, they often don’t know how to offer effective assistance to others. We all struggle at times, whether due to depression, anxiety, other mental health challenges, or simply the stresses and challenges of daily life. In these situations, the support of others can make a significant and meaningful difference. Having a supportive community and people to turn to can prevent unnecessary tragedies.

The White House has recognized this important priority and launched a series of community dialogues about mental health, currently underway in cities across the Nation. Participation in these dialogues has demonstrated the high level of community interest in learning more about mental health and addictions and how to foster a supportive and inclusive community. There are many successful programs and initiatives that help people feel that they belong and that they have a safe place in the community so when they need support or resources they get them. Common sense tells us that when people have support and appropriate outlets for their distress or rage they are less likely to act out in desperation—harming themselves or others. 

Understandably, tragedies such as the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, the Washington Navy Yard shootings, and others have left many members of the community feeling vulnerable, fearful, and perhaps even a bit powerless to effect change as a community. This training teleconference is an effort to address these situations and share tools and resources that anyone can use at any time to support someone through an emotional crisis or to prevent an escalation to an emotional crisis. Individuals no longer need to struggle in isolation. This training offers help that helps.

Recognizing the importance of equipping all community members to assist and support someone who is experiencing emotional distress, people who have experienced mental health challenges have collaborated with leaders in behavioral health to develop innovative approaches to prepare friends, family members, teachers, administrators, and others to reach out to people they believe may be facing distress. The goal of this webinar is to provide participants with information about these tools and available supports, both for themselves and to help others.

During this webinar, the first of a two-part series focused on mental health promotion and early intervention, you will hear three speakers describe how each of us can work to better our community‘s health and wellness through supportive actions. You’ll learn about Emotional CPR, a simple yet powerful community-building tool that teaches people how to support someone through emotional distress or crisis. You’ll learn about “Families Healing Together,” an organization that believes in “the healing power of community and [is] dedicated to helping families recover from mental health challenges” and works to support families through recovery-focused online educational tools and support programs.  And finally, you’ll learn how one university is adopting new practices that encourage and equip both teachers and students to support members of their community experiencing mental health challenges. 

We invite you to join us in learning how all of us can make a difference.

Learning Objectives: 

• To provide participants with information about tools and supports available, both for themselves and to support others before they reach crisis mode. Use of these tools and supports is the most cost-effective approach, in both financial and human terms, for preventing crises. 
• To learn about recovery education and support for families and how these can help individuals and families to cope with distress and promote mutual support and family healing.
• To learn how innovative practices on one university campus are promoting a more supportive campus community and how these practices can be adapted for use in other university settings.

 Target Audiences:

• Community members
• Individuals in recovery, their family members, and their friends
• People experiencing mental health, substance use, and trauma-related challenges 
• Leaders of community- and faith-based organizations
• Mental health and substance use treatment service providers
• Healthcare providers
• Parent-teacher associations and school officials for grades K-12
• Higher education administrators, faculty, members of student organizations, and service providers
• Employers, employee assistance program staff, and human resource professionals 
• Federal, State, and local staff, policymakers, and community leaders

Questions: 
If you have any questions, please contact the SAMHSA ADS Center at 1-800-540-0320 or by e-mail at promoteacceptance@esi-dc.com.