Mental illness causes great suffering for individuals and families, striking one in four families in our country. Rev. Susan Gregg-Schroeder will use the video, "Mental Illness and Families of Faith," to share how faith communities can support family members. Families do not cause mental illness, yet they are burdened by the great social stigma that surrounds mental illness. This workshop gives guidance and encouragement to families and shows how families can contribute to their loved one's recovery.
Mental Illness in Children - Three Perspectives
This presentation will begin with Dr. Jean Rosmarin discussing the signs of mental illness in children. She will give an overview of treatment options and talk about ways to support families in seeking out help. Next, Harriet Austin will talk about her personal experiences as the mother of a son with a brain disorder. Fifteen-year-old Chelsea Vigorita will round out the panel, describing how bi-polar disorder affects her life.
Jean Rosmarin, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist, graduated from the University of Colorado in 1992 and has been working with children, adolescents and families ever since. She is the team leader of the Boulder Child, Adolescent and Family Team as well as the School based Services Team at The Mental Health Center serving Boulder and Broomfield Counties. She also has a private practice treating children, adolescents and families and leading parenting groups.
Harriet Austin, PhD, is a mother to three sons, one of whom has both bipolar disorder and Asperger's Syndrome. She holds a doctorate in biology from CU-Boulder, and currently teaches Anatomy and Physiology at Front Range Community College. In 2002, Harriet started the non-profit organization, Invisible Child, which has put on two national conferences about pediatric brain disorders.
Chelsea Vigorita is 15 years old and has bipolar disorder. She lives in Longmont with her family and is home-schooled.
Addiction and Mental Illness - Inspiring hope and recovery in communities, families and individuals
This workshop will address the unique characteristics of individuals who struggle with both mental health and addiction problems, and how this may present to your communities. We will then discuss the fundamentals of a hope-inspiring, recovery-oriented community system, and provide a brief sharing time for challenges and solutions that participants may have experienced while assisting this population.
Monica Rotner, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., C.A.C.III , has worked in community mental health for more than fifteen years. She worked in school settings as a therapist and supervisor for a collaborative program that provided substance abuse and mental health prevention and crisis services for two school districts in Colorado. Monica is a Director for Outpatient and Community Services. Monica has a special interest in advocating for disempowered populations by assisting with creative system change to support individuals, families and communities with social and mental health challenges.
Ann C. Noonan, MA, CAC III, LPC, has worked in the field of addictions and mental health for more than 20 years. She is currently the manager of the Addiction Recovery Centers. Ann has provided training to clinical staff throughout Boulder County including “treating co-occurring disorders” (mental health and substance abuse). She is passionate about the importance of identifying and addressing substance abuse issues with mentally ill clients, as this is a major roadblock for many in establishing a successful recovery plan, and fully participating in the life of their community.
Panel: What Works/What Doesn’t -- How faith communities can open the door to people with mental illness and their families
Each presenter will share his or her experiences, followed by prepared questions from the moderator, then the floor will be opened for participant questions and discussion.
Mimi Farley-Hansen, LPC, ATR-BC, art therapy volunteer and advisory board member of Soft Voices Drop-In Center, and a member of the First Congregational Church, Longmont. Mimi has worked in the art therapy field for 25 yrs, serving a wide variety of clients. She is founder, former director and faculty member of the graduate art therapy program at Naropa University, and author of Spirituality and Art Therapy: Living the Connection.
Mike Holdaway, Ph.D., volunteer and founding advisory board member of Soft Voices Drop-In Center. Mike is a retired geology professor from SMU in Dallas. He is the current moderator of the First Congregational Church, Longmont, and is active in peace with justice and environmental issues.
Cathy Howe, minister, associate pastor at Boulder Valley Christian Church. Previously worked in probation and parole (juvenile and adult); mother to four, foster parent to 25 children.
Gil Maston, BA, director, has been with Soft Voices Drop-in Center for more than four years. He brings to the job a degree in general business and finance plus a work history in sales, support, and customer service. Gil’s own experience with depression makes him an especially empathic peer support specialist.
Gordon Ward, retired minister, retired Lutheran University Chaplain, mental health advocate, and father of an adult daughter with severe mental illness
This interactive presentation will focus on de-escalation techniques that can be used with children, adolescents and adults. The utilization of verbal and non-verbal communication, behavior management techniques and debriefing tools will be presented. These are concrete tools that can be easily remembered and accessed during a crisis.
Jennifer Leoz, LCSW, has 16 years of experience working with children, adolescents and families in settings such as group homes, day treatment programs, psychiatric hospitals and residential facilities. She has been the Director of Child and Family Intensive Services at the Mental Health Center for the past three years, and has been a certified therapeutic crisis intervention trainer for the past six years.
Cynthia Couch, M.S. , has 25 years experience in community mental health working with adults, children, adolescents, and families- 12 of those years specializing with in mental health crisis interventions. Cynthia is currently the Mental Health Disaster Response Coordinator.
Older Adults and Mental Health Issues
This workshop will examine some of the special concerns regarding mental health issues of older adults. We will explore our own attitudes about aging and discuss the demographics and scope of the issues. Some commonly held myths will be dispelled and ideas about interventions and resources will be shared.
Helen Balis, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker who has worked for the Mental Health Center Serving Boulder and Broomfield Counties for 24 years. She has worked with older adults as a clinician, team leader of Geriatric Services, program coordinator and supervisor. Since 1990, she has coordinated the Peer Counseling Program of Boulder County.
Rhonda Racicot, M.A. Gerontology, M.S.W., LCSW, is a clinical social worker who has worked in the field of Aging for over 35 years- the past 27 with the Geriatric Team of the Mental Health Center Serving Boulder and Broomfield Counties and the Senior Reach project. She has worked as a clinician, team leader, program coordinator and clinical supervisor. She is continually amazed and inspired by the resilience and strengths of elders she encounters.
Teenage Depression and Suicide Prevention
Depression among teens is on the upswing; adolescent suicides are increasing at an alarming rate. This presentation will discuss adolescent depression and identifying characteristics. Participants will learn how to be helpful to depressed adolescents and their families. Suicide among teens will be discussed. Participants will learn how to assess risk and what to do next.
Carol Tierney, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist, graduated from the University of Colorado in 1983 where she specialized in children, adolescents and families. Carol was the founding director of the Boulder County Adolescent Treatment Program, a tri-agency sponsored day treatment and residential program for high-risk adolescents. She has supervised graduate students in Clinical Psychology at the University of Colorado, as well as consulted with local area schools.
Pastoral Counseling for People with Mental Illness
Two experienced counselors/ministers will share insights on pastoral counseling with persons with mental illness: identifying signs, creating a supportive and non-threatening environment, building trust, recognizing when it's "over my head," making responsible referrals, mobilizing appropriate congregational support.
Dick Miller (M.A., M.Div.) is a licensed counselor in private practice for 17 years. In addition to pastoral experience, he is an active deacon in the Anglican Church. He will celebrate with his wife Debbie, 35 years of marriage at the end of the month.
Gordon Ward, retired Lutheran University Chaplain, mental health advocate, and father of an adult daughter with severe mental illness
