During Mental Health Awareness Month each May, The Kennedy Forum encourages communities to take part in conversations surrounding mental health. This year, La Rabida’s Behavioral Health Department and Chicago Child Trauma Center (CCTC) are working to ensure that our patients, families, and staff all have the mental health resources they need to face a number of unprecedented challenges.
Providing Resources to Our Staff
While we are always advocating for our patients and families, it’s also important to make sure that the staff who provide that care have the resources and tools they need to manage stress and uncertainty. “A lot of folks are struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic with anxiety, loneliness, a change in their sense of purpose, a shift in roles in their household or family, and they may think they’re alone or they aren’t sure what they can do about it,” shared Dr. Arianna Timko, Clinical Psychologist and Trauma Therapist at La Rabida. “We want people to know their stress is valid, even in the midst of communities suffering directly with COVID-19 illness and death, and that there are things that can help.”
As a part of The Kennedy Forum’s A Seat at the Table for Mental Health initiative, La Rabida’s Behavioral Health department hosted a virtual discussion for staff in an effort to reduce the stigma and advance the conversation about mental health.
“All of our mental health has taken a toll in one form or another. Having a sense of community where others feel the way you do or understand what you’re going through can make the feelings more manageable,” shared Teresa Bernard, Behavioral Health Therapist at La Rabida. “Being open and connecting with others regarding mental health is a way to continue to decrease the stigma of something that is prevalent in all of our lives, especially now.”
This event served as a resource for staff to learn how to stay socially connected to one another, better understand the emotions they may be feeling, and allowed for attendees to share their own experiences during the pandemic. “Normalizing stress and anxiety are always a focus for our department but having the opportunity to connect with colleagues is a great way for us to continue to shed light on the importance of taking care of one another and ourselves,” shared Teresa.
Supporting our Community
This month, La Rabida’s Chicago Child Trauma Center (CCTC) hosted a virtual discussion with service providers on Chicago’s South Side to discuss the impact that trauma can have on an individual and their communities.
The event discussed how violence and trauma are impacting the community and provided attendees with solutions and support that can help reduce the effects, especially for children. “We believe that by bringing people together to engage in a conversation about an important topic, we increase the amount of collective wisdom and work towards learning, creating change, and helping find a solution,” shared Theresa Valach, Clinical Director of the CCTC.
“We hear about the direct impact of violence on an individual, but for entire communities who are regularly exposed to violence, the impact on the families and children is huge,” shared Theresa. “Trauma can impact healthy social and emotional growth. It can impact one’s ability to focus and learn. It can impact one’s ability to feel safe in the world and therefore impact their ability to engage in the world in a healthy way.”
By providing these resources to service providers in the community, the CCTC is able to extend the reach of their services and ensure these individuals have what they need to keep themselves healthy, how they can support their organizations, and how to better assist children and families in the community.
This story was featured in the May 2020 issue of eCurrents, La Rabida's monthly newsletter. To view the May issue of eCurrents, click here.
