Mental Health Workshop
Today I attended a Mental Health and Awareness Workshop hosted by the Independent Living Resource Center and presented by Katrina Robinson-Wheeler. Those who attended the workshop were Emily Bell, Tara Rowe, Tyler Charles, and Benjamin Collazo, all of which are associated with Thrive.
At the Mental Health and Awareness Workshop posted by the ILRC, the two main topics Katrina Robinson-Wheeler talked about were how to achieve wellness not just during the holidays, but also throughout the year, and she also talked about the signs of mental illness. During the first part of the presentation, she talked about the eight dimensions that make up wellness. These dimensions are, Social, Occupational, Physical, Emotional, Intellectual, Financial, Environmental, and Spiritual. The social dimension talked about how people should either join a club, social group, volunteer group, or support group. The occupational dimension talked about how we as individuals should explore career or volunteer opportunities, and also find hobbies that interest us. The Intellectual dimension explained that we should find skill training in the area, we should find books or book series that interest us, and we should find public events in the area, whether it’s free or cost money, that help boost creativity and knowledge. The environmental dimension includes the appreciation of nature and to seek out experiences that have a calming effect on us, such as meditation or mindfulness. The spiritual dimension is the concept of discovering values and beliefs, finding a community that has the same outlook as you, keeping a gratitude journal, and helping those who need help or are in need of help. All of these dimensions are interconnected and help people create wellness within their lives.
The second part of the workshop talks about how to recognize mental health disorders. Mental health disorders affect a person’s thinking, emotional state, and behavior. It disrupts daily life, such as going to school, seeing family and friends, and daily functioning skills. Mental health disorders can be more disabling than many chronic physical illnesses. The workshop discussed a specific action plan to help those in a crisis. The acronym for this is ALGEE. A stands for assessing the risk of suicide or harm. L stands for listening nonjudgmentally. G stands for giving reassurance and information. E stands for encouraging appropriate professional help, and the last E stands for encouraging self-help and other supportive strategies. Sometimes you may have to implement all 5 strategies, but other times you may only have to implement 1 strategy. The speaker touched on the physical, behavioral, and psychological characteristics of anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. Finally she also talked about substance use and the ways in which it affects people who abuse drugs.
To sum up the workshop, I learned how to pursue wellness, the signs and symptoms of mental illnesses, and how to help people if they are in a crisis situation.
Hoping these strategies will help you during the holiday season.
Best Wishes,
Kate
Developing Social Skills…You Can Bank on It!
The students in the Personal Skills class at Cypress Bay High School had the opportunity this past week to replenish their individual bank accounts through funds from the HDS Foundation grant they received for the past year. As these students participate in various activities on and off campus, they specifically work on budgeting, social, communication, and many other skills needed to grow into a more independent and sometimes interdependent young adult. Last week’s off-campus activity focused primarily on budgeting skills. Since the students’ accounts were getting low on funds, they took a field trip to Bank of America to make deposits for upcoming activities.
Each of the students made a $100 cash deposit using the ATM machine at the bank. The students were provided verbal assistance and feedback so that they could successfully complete the deposits. Many of our own children can do this task effortlessly, but for the students who are in this particular program, they are lucky to have lessons like this explicitly taught as part of the curriculum.
Upon returning to Cypress Bay, the classmates decided to give back to the community by donating some of their money in their individual accounts. Each student made a donation to the Dan Marino Foundation WalkAbout Autism which will be taking place in January 2018. Every year, Team Cypress Bay has been the leader in donations from a school. They hope to continue in this tradition again for the 2018 charity event. The students in the personal skills class proudly make signs and banners to hang around their high school. They are also getting other clubs within the school to join their efforts with the slogan #OneschoolOneteam. As the school year progresses, so do the students in the BRIDGES class at Cypress
Bay High School. They progress in all the areas from budgeting to utilizing community resources, independent functioning, growth and empowerment, to social skills.
Please help Team Cypress Bay continue to be the number one fundraiser for the Dan Marino WalkAbout Autism by donating to their team. Twenty-five percent of all funds raised through Team Cypress Bay will go back directly to the Special Education department of CBHS. It’s a win-win for all!
Parent Night
This past week, Cypress Bay High School’s teachers in the Personal Skills class which is funded by the HDS Foundation put together its first “Parent Information Night” for the parents of students in the Personal Skills class as well as other parents from prior year programs whose teenagers have social skill deficits. The event was not only well attended, it was also well received by all who were there.
Various groups presented to the parents, including Dan Marino Campus, HAAPE, College Living Experience (CLE), and Pediatric Psychology Associates. Representing the Dan Marino Campus and Dan Marino Foundation was Nick Valvano and Susan Morantes. They shared a lot of details regarding the types of certifications available at both the Marino Campuses which are located in Broward and Miami-Dade. The attendees also learned about VITA, the software program young adults have the opportunity to use to practice their interviewing skills. One of the graduates from Dan Marino Campus, Spencer Cohen, spoke with the parents about his experience going through the program.
Ike Grapin, the student president of HAAPE at CBHS, along with Larry Rothman, Edgardo Santiago and Maria Jacobo, explained HAAPE’s programs they are starting in conjunction with United Community Options (used to be UCP) of South Florida. The goal of HAAPE is to help young adults with Autism be successful in the workplace.
Kelly Miller-Alvarez spoke on behalf of College Living Experience (CLE) to explain to the parents the supports that are available for individuals after they complete high school, whether they are attending a technical program or a full-fledged university in the area. She explained that limited services are supported through Vocational Rehabilitation (VR); and the staff at CLE works with its families to try to get tutoring especially before exams, since this seems to be one of the biggest hurdles for the students in college who participate in CLE.
The highlight of the evening was Drs. Nick Maccarrone and Amanda Strunin from Pediatric Psychology Associates who both spoke on the topic of relationships – from friendships to dating. They both provided some great insight in how individuals with developmental disabilities often misunderstand friendly gestures to mean more than they are intended. With the use of visuals of a friendship pyramid, parents were able to gain a better understanding of why their teenage child may struggle more than neurotypical peers in developing romantic relationships. For example, individuals need to be explicitly taught the difference between an acquaintance, evolving friendship, and a best friend.
At the Parent Information Night, Bonnie Schmidt from ScentsAbility, a micro-enterprise for individuals with developmental disabilities, had a vendor table in the room selling candles and some of the company’s other amazing products. Claudia Guerios, the chef-owner of Pirate Republic, provided delectable refreshments ranging from sandwiches to quinoa for all the guests. There was even plenty of leftovers because of her generosity!
The teachers of the Personal Skills class go above and beyond for their students. This has not gone unnoticed by the school’s ESE Department administrator Kassandra Fried who came to support the event. The feedback from the parents was all positive. The parents also enjoyed the tech-friendly tools that HDS Foundation dropped off at the event for everyone.
HDS Thanksgiving Potluck at the Bonaventure Town Center
On Thursday, November 16th, Housing and Development Software held their annual HDS Thanksgiving Potluck at the Bonaventure Town Center Club in Weston. Employees each brought a dish and were asked that it be something that represented their culture. Cuba, Spain, Israel, and other countries were all present with their culinary confections. There was an array of main dishes, side dishes, and desserts, but HDS would never forget to include the American traditional turkey and pumpkin pie. A fun time was had by all, and bellies left the event full to the brim.
Though Cristina Gilson, CEO of HDS, could not be with the group in person, she was definitely there in spirit. She charitably gave all HDS employees a beautiful note about Thanksgiving along with a thoughtful and generous gift. Paloma Miranda, VP of Services and Program Management for eHousing, helped kick off the event, talking about what we should be thankful for. Abdul Mondol, President of HDS, also spoke on a personal level of what Thanksgiving means to him. Newer employees were then encouraged to stand at the front and introduce themselves to the rest of the staff. Many co-workers went from being only a small picture on a Skype screen into a real, live person.
Carla Otiniano, Program Manager of the HDS Foundation, had a chance to speak with the group about this 501c3 non-profit organization. For more than 10 years, the HDS Foundation has provided mentoring services and opportunities to teens and young adult who have autism related disabilities. In January, the HDS Foundation will be participating in the 2018 Dan Marino Foundation Walkabout Autism at Hard Rock Stadium. Since 2011, over 180 schools and organizations have benefited from the almost 4 million dollars raised by DMF Walkabout Teams and sponsors. Carla went on to explain how each employee could be a part of this fundraising opportunity by either making financial contributions or joining the team, the HDS Contenders, at the event. HDS always finds ways to support Autism programs throughout the community. They proudly accept interns who are on the Autism Spectrum. Nico, a current intern who is affected by Autism Asperger Syndrome, has been interning for HDS since June of this year. He partook in the festivities at the HDS Thanksgiving Potluck, dancing and mingling with the other employees. After all, he is part of the family.
If you would like to support the HDS Contenders at the Walkabout, please go to: http://myhds.co/hdswalkabout There you can join the team or make a monetary contribution. Help support the HDS Foundation. Mentoring. Achieving. Living.
BRIDGES 3rd Annual Halloween Party at Neighborhood Restaurant
This year’s Halloween party for the students in Cypress Bay High School’s Personal Skills class took place on Saturday October 28, 2017. Once again, Tarantella Ristorante and Pizzeria in Weston Town Center welcomed every one of the guests and reserved the private room in the back of its restaurant just for our party. At this juncture in the year, it is exciting to see how well the students are beginning to progress in all areas of the program from budgeting all the way to social skill development.
The students, teachers, and volunteers all came dressed in costumes and ready to have a good time. There were vampires, doctors, witches, hippies, and even Waldo! Everyone’s costume was unique and added to the spirit of the 3rd annual Halloween dinner party.
The room was buzzing with conversations as everyone socialized with each other. Every person had the opportunity to order from Tarantella’s menu and use his own ATM card (funds from the BRIDGES grant) to pay for dinner at the end of the party. Prior to the checks coming to the table, the students were reminded how to calculate the tip (multiply by .20). A few students needed some assistance with their bill, but the teachers and volunteers were right there to offer explicit instruction to explain how to do this task correctly.
By participating in activities such as this one at Tarantella Ristorante and Pizzeria, the students in the Personal Skills class are not just attending the annual Halloween party, they are also gaining more practice interacting with restaurant personnel, problem solving, understanding tipping, and improving social skills. While most high school students look forward to attending group functions, the students in this class are typically apprehensive about the whole experience. With more opportunities to practice these skills most take for granted, the students in the Personal Skills class will develop more confidence and hopefully generalize their learning outside of the program.
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