Mental Health Task Force – Communities that Care

Although this mental health initiative is happening in Newfoundland & Labrador, the resources I’m introducing today can benefit all.

That title seems rather obvious, don’t you think?

But until recent years, I rarely heard talk of mental health – prevention, treatment and crisis care.

I was in my twenties before I was even aware of mental health issues.

In 1992, I was living & teaching in the Czech Republic. I came home from a weekend away to find my housemate in a full-blown mental health crisis. I hadn’t known she was on medication, which she stopped when her boyfriends broke off the relationship.

I was eventually able to get medical & family help for her. Once relatives arrived and took over, however, I basically ran away, finding a new home with a teacher from my school. I was left shaken by her delusions, threats, and violent outbursts and was ill-equipped to stay friends under those circumstances.

In the decades that followed, I met and loved beautiful souls who struggled with various forms of mental illnesses & challenges. My understanding and compassion grew.

I’m no expert in the field. I’ll be up front with that.

I’m very aware of what self-care measures help me deal with stress before it gets out of hand. My art, connection through Nature, and my relationship with & trust in my intuition are key. But I’m not dealing with an illness.

Witnessing those I care about deal with the mental health system made it evident that it needed to be even more supportive and supported.

These days, there seems to be greater awareness about mental health in general and also of the power of compassionate, holistic and accessible support for those who are either suffering or want to prevent mental health issues.

That’s why I was thrilled to hear about the Mental Health Task Force (MHTF) here in Newfoundland & Labrador.

Keep reading even if you’re not in this province – the online resources may bring you peace of mind and inspiration on what avenues may be open to you in your area.

“The purpose of the task force is to create and maintain a municipality-driven initiative with the primary goal of making mental health everyone’s business and ending stigma in the sector. “

In May 2022, a friend and colleague, Gary Summers (left in photo)  entered into partnership with the MHTF to develop and share audio and video resources, development of a monthly webinar, and support in developing an annual mental health summit.

The MHTF’s new webpage provides an introduction to modalities and experts in various wellness fields related to mental health.

The collection of interviews, presentations, and other resources is growing and available to all.

You can access these online via the icons under the video half-way down the MHTF webpage.

You’ll find a few of my meditations under the “Therapy” icon, and a recent presentation on intuition under “Presentations”.

More so, you may be introduced to new modalities, ideas and experts who can enrich your mental wellness or that of loved ones.

Peace & wellness be with you and with all… May it be so!