Cassandra Sheets

Since 1949, Mental Health America and affiliates across the country have observed May as Mental Health Month. A theme is selected each year and 2021’s theme is Tool’s 2 Thrive which will provide practical tools that everyone can use to improve their mental health and increase their resiliency regardless of their personal situation.

According to Mental Health America, 13.84% of youth aged 12-17 years old report at least one major depressive episode (MDE) in the last year and if left untreated, issues like this can persist into adulthood. New York is the second highest state in the country in this category. 9.7% of youth in the US have severe major depression, which is on the rise over last year.

SAMHSA National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day was this week on May 7^th. National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day spotlights the importance of caring for every child’s mental health and to reinforce the message that positive mental health is essential to a child’s healthy development. The purpose of Awareness Day is to increase public awareness about the needs of children with serious mental illness (SMI) and severe emotional disturbance (SED) and their families, provide information on evidence-based practices, and encourage those who need help to seek treatment.

Center for Family Life and Recovery supports individuals struggling with addiction, mental health and behavioral issues by inspiring hope, providing help, promoting wellness and transforming lives. To learn more, visit www.whenthereshelpthereshope.com or call (315) 733-1709.

CFLR Celebrates Teal Day and National Counseling Awareness Month

American Counseling Association (ACA) designates April of each year as Counseling Awareness Month, a time of advocacy for the profession and celebration of the outstanding efforts of counselors in myriad settings as they seek to facilitate the growth and development of all people. To help raise awareness, CFLR will be participating in Teal Day on April 9th. Friday, April 9th is Teal Day; we encourage everyone to wear teal to support the nationwide effort to raise awareness of counselors and promote mental health during Counseling Awareness Month.

70-90% of people who seek treatment for mental health witness a significant reduction in symptoms, according to the ACA.

Counseling in the United States and the world is delivered via many human service settings and can be found in a variety of institutions. These professionals work with people across the life span, from childhood through the senior years. This year’s theme—The Future is… Self-Care, Advocacy and Inclusion #BurnBrightNotOut—is focused on some of the avenues that will help ensure a brighter future for counselors, their clients and the counseling profession.

Center for Family Life and Recovery offers help through the Employee Assistance Program (“EAP”).  EAP services help covered individuals and their families cope with the changes during this uncertain time, including pandemic fatigue. The EAP provides short-term assessment and referral counseling services. Primarily, counseling is provided virtually, but some limited in-person services are available, too. Besides counseling, the EAP team can help employers with training and education for their workforces. To see if you qualify for EAP counseling, or to learn more, please visit https://www.whenthereshelpthereshope.com/ or call the Utica office at 315-733-1709 for more information