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03/15/2018 12:01 AMMental health and wellness is the focus of a new free expo at the Henry Carter Hull Library on Sunday, March 18 from 1 to 4 p.m. The event will features 11 organizations dedicated to mental health and wellness, and is sponsored by Changing Minds Advocacy Group of Killingworth.
“Changing Minds did do a mental health forum in partnership with the St. Lawrence Church Healing Ministry last year where we had six providers as panelists. They presented what services they or their agency offers and we had a Q&A time after,” said Melisa Ferrara of Changing Minds Advocacy Group. “We decided to try an expo this year with more providers and a wider range of services.”
While mental health is back on the front pages on the national news following the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, this event had been planned long before the tragic events of that day.
“Each September, Changing Minds Advocacy Group meets and sets goals for the next year. We identify what programs we would like to repeat and what new programs we would like to offer. We knew that the forum was well received, but decided to offer it in an expo fashion instead,” said Ferrara.
“One of our members partners with the Carter Hull Memorial Library in Clinton to do some of her programs and approached Sarah [Borgnis-Tobin] and she agreed to provide the space and publicity for the expo. We then contacted providers in the area and all readily agreed to participate.”
Borgnis-Tobin, the Henry Carter Hull Library adult programming coordinator, said the expo is for community members of all ages to seek answers to any questions they have about their mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
“I hope it will help to eliminate the negative stigma that often surrounds seeking support, because mental health is essential health,” she said.
The following local organizations will feature at the Expo: Collaborative Problem Solving with Divinna Schmitt M. Ed., CPS certified; NAMI Shoreline with Elizabeth Dock Early; Licensed Clinical Psychology with Cathleen Adams, Ph.D.; Mobile Crisis Unit with River Valley Services; Project Courage Substance Abuse Treatment with Jason McArthur; Shoreline Psychological Services with Katharine Bernstein, Ph.D.; Bridges on Elm with Julia Tucker Wood, LMFT; Physical Therapy & Certified Yoga with Susan Schuster, DPT; The Mind and Movement Project with Kathy Laskowski, M.Ed, RCYT; Up Vibrations, LLC with Debbie Sodergren, RMT, CMI, IPCT; and Psychotherapy with Heidi Hugart, LLC, LPC, NCC.
“We hope that the community will come and see all of the available options that are available for mental health and wellness right here in our shoreline area. Whether they are looking for a child, teen, adult or senior, we have an outstanding group of providers that offer traditional and non-traditional options for mental wellness,” said Ferrara.
“Changing Minds Advocacy Group’s mission is to provide mental health education and awareness to our Town of Killingworth as well as the surrounding towns and works diligently to help to eradicate the stigma about mental health issues. Our hope is that people with talk as openly about mental health issues as they do other medical conditions such as heart disease and cancer. There is so much misinformation circulating about mental health issues, mostly by the media, and we want to be able to help dispel the myths and provide the truths. We also want to inform people about the many wonderful services available to help themselves or a loved one so that they can lead a healthy, productive life.”
The Henry Carter Hull Library is at 10 Killingworth Turnpike, Clinton. For more information, call 860-669-2342 or visit hchlibrary.org.