May is recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month, a time for communities to unite in the fight to break the stigma surrounding mental health. At Four Corners Community Behavioral Health, this month includes events aimed at getting the community involved in this fight.
Amanda McIntosh, FCCBH’s Suicide Prevention Liaison, joined the KOAL newsroom to discuss some of the organization’s upcoming events and provide tips on how to promote better mental health both individually and community-wide.
Opening the discussion, McIntosh spoke on the FCCBH third annual kickball event, which is scheduled for play from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 15. “It’s a free event for the whole community, Carbon and Emery. You don’t have to be a client or anything like that, so we’re inviting everybody up to the fairgrounds to play.” She continued, “We’re gonna have food and hopefully some law enforcement presence just for some fun and to throw some spice on to the field.”
Examining the deeper purpose for the event, McIntosh shared,” connection is what it’s all about. When we have community events like this where we’re inviting the whole community to partake, you’re getting buy-in from the community, which is a protective factor for anybody who is struggling with their mental health. When they have resources or a community surrounding them, the more likely it is that they will engage in self-help-seeking behaviors, reach out to counselors or even just confide in a friend. And then you add in the physical component, which is also great for your mental health.”
Switching gears, McIntosh walked through some of the many mental health resources in the Castle Country. “First and foremost, we have Four Corners Community Behavioral Health, which is our local mental health authority. They have counselors who are willing to help clients with whatever challenges they are facing, but we also have other great partners with Carbon Medical Services and Life Balance Recovery. But then we have a plethora of private insurance counselors around our area as well. People can go to psychologytoday.com to find who’s in network and who’s in our area. But of course, I always lean on the HOPE Squad of Carbon, Emery and Grand counties if you need help bridging that gap of getting into service.”
McIntosh added a few more resources people can lean on,” We have the Utah State Suicide Prevention campaign liveonUtah.org, which is also a one-stop shop for all the resources across the state. We have the American Foundation for suicide prevention that has myriad resources and information that can help somebody through a suicidal crisis and their mental health challenges. One thing that is super important in Carbon County is the men’s mental health workshop that Zac Robinson and Amy Stevens-Jones puts on the second Wednesday of every month at Castleview Hospital.”
McIntosh also shared some knowledge on how to promote mental health in our personal lives,” We should make sure that we are leaning on the resources that are already established within our circle. So many more people are aware and willing to have those meaningful conversations to ensure their loved ones are being taken care of. This old adage that talking about mental health is weak or it’s perceived as not the thing to do, that is changing. People are talking about mental health, and they want to help their loved ones. And it’s a back-and-forth. You have to reach out, and somebody will be willing to be there. But if you’re also concerned about somebody, you need to reach out to them to make sure that they’re OK. So it’s a back-and-forth type situation.”
She continued,” Other ways that you can work on your mental health is making sure that you’re eating and hydrating as we are coming into the summer months and the days are getting warmer. Ensuring our water intake is where it should be is extremely important to our mental health. Other things that you can focus on are exercise and that kickball event, again, going back to the beginning, is a great way to get out there, taking that vitamin D from the sun to make a connection and do physical activity while hydrating and taking in nourishing food.”
Looking ahead to awareness activities coming to the Castle Country, McIntosh spotlighted a Social Media and Marketing Summer Workshop for youth aged 12 to 18. “It’s a pilot thing that we’re trying this summer where we’re trying to engage our youth 12 to 18 in social media Campaigns, but more specifically a mental health Targeted social media campaign, you know, our kids have a voice and I attended a conference recently where they’re like, why are we creating social media campaigns and marketing for our youth without consulting with our youth on what subject matters matter to them.”
“The incentive of participating is that you can win $2,000 and that social media campaign getting launched By the HOPE Squad of Carbon Emery and Grand counties come September for suicide prevention and awareness month. Second prize is $1,000 and third prize is $750, and we might be throwing in some really cool swag with that. So if they’re interested in that, they can go to the HOPE Squad of Carbon, Emery and Grand counties Facebook page to see the flyer and click on that QR code to get registered. We are launching that on July 9 at 6 p.m.”
In closing, McIntosh stated,” We need to take care of our mental health. Our physical health is just as important as our mental health; our mental health is just as important as our physical health. So we need to make sure that we are taking care of both. Just as you would nurse sore muscles, we need to nurse our sore mental health. Our brain is a muscle. So the more we practice those self-care strategies and attend to our mental health, the healthier we’ll be overall.”
To keep up with the HOPE Squad and other mental health groups across the Castle Country, visit the organization’s Facebook page.
