2-1-1 Big Bend and ASIST Training By Alex Mikulka, Inpatient Admissions Supervisor On a daily basis, Apalachee Center and 2-1-1 work together to ensure that individuals in the Big Bend can get the resources and services they need. However, many folks at Apalachee are unaware of the history and scope of 2-1-1. For the better…
Caring for Individuals With Alzheimer ’s Disease Judy Goreau, RN In September I had the pleasure of attending a “Brainstorming” meeting with the North Florida Senior Citizens Network. This is a foundation entity of the Area Agency on Aging for North Florida, Inc. The meeting included people from all over North Florida involved in…
Reducing Burnout in the Mental Health Field Andrea Beaulieu, MSW, RCSWI Social Services Supervisor What is burnout? Many people in the mental health field talk about having “burnout”, or other people being “burned out”, but there is rarely a lot of time spent defining the causes and cures. Burnout can actually be a normal response…
Finding Acceptance Through Mindfulness Whether you think you can, or think you can’t–you’re right. –Henry Ford How do you cope with stressful or troublesome situations? Some may face it head on, solving the problem, thus making the unpleasant feeling subside. Others may avoid the problem, constantly pushing it aside and hoping it will disappear. We…
STRESSING MENTAL HEALTH Jay Reeve, PhD, Chief Executive Officer Stress is a fact of life. Everyone experiences it, and no one handles it perfectly every time. But the causes, and consequences, of stress are more complicated than most people realize. This month, the Health Council of the United Way of the Big Bend is presenting…
TIME Jon Williams, MA Clinical Supervision Specialist Time is a paradox. Time is a great thief, as it robs us of our youth with every moment that passes. Conversely, time gives us a foundation for everything that we experience. In the “hard” sciences such as math, chemistry, biology, and physics, time is accounted as an…
Rural Mental Health and ACI’s Efforts to Serve By James Kwasneski, MSW Case Manager Supervisor Gadsden County Outpatient The provision of outpatient services to rural populations is a significant challenge and area of opportunity for Apalachee Center. Since the passage of the Community Mental Health Act of 1963 (CMHA), federal funds have been allocated for…
Levels of Mental Health Care By Mark Reeves, Ph.D. In the mental health field you will often hear professionals refer to the “recovery process.” The term implies that people experiencing either a temporary mental health crisis or chronic mental illness have as a goal to recover as much of their ability to function in life,…
Service dogs have been a great contribution to individuals with disabilities, physical health problems, and illnesses that limit participation in daily life. Often, we observe service dogs in public settings that act as seeing-eye dogs for the blind or providing assistance to those with hearing and/or speech impairments. In addition to these contributions, service dogs…
Volunteerism By Jon Williams, MA Like many people, I was taught from childhood that while my toy trucks and action figures were mine, I should allow others to play with them if I was not using them. We have all been taught to share what we have and what we can from an early age.…