The Many Paths to Wellness

By: Melanie Otero

The right path. The right track. The right direction.

We have many phrases alluding to the well-being we will find once we’re on a straight path with a clear destination in view.

According to Dr. Elaine Rotenberg, chief clinical and impact officer at Alpert Jewish Family Service of Palm Beach County (AJFS), the path to wellness is not a straight line. It’s more like a visit to your favorite home appliance store.

“If you go up and down the aisles, you can find a number of tools for what you need at any given time,” Dr. Rotenberg said. “The direction we choose, the aisles we select change with our needs. The path to wellness is not a ‘one size fits all.’”

So where do we begin?

Back to basics

Dr. Rotenberg uses the dimensions—the tools—in the BASIC Ph model to guide people in finding the places where they can develop coping skills and resiliency along six dimensions: belief, affect, social, imagination, cognition, and physical.

“Wellness is not unidimensional,” Dr. Rotenberg said. “We are complicated humans that come with a lot of capacity. Sometimes we don’t realize that about ourselves because we get stuck on one dimension.”

The BASIC Ph model was developed by Professor Mooli Lahad, Israeli psychologist and psychotrauma specialist, known worldwide for his creative methods of intervention and treatment of stress. His philosophy is that the more we are able to utilize the dimensions available to us, the more resilience we are able to harness in

B – Belief

Systems such as religion, faith and core values of a person or society and the community surrounding them. Nurturing belief can cultivate values, engage an external support system, and help provide meaning to life.

A – Affect

Feelings, emotions, and the ability to express them. Nurturing affect can cultivate a sense of feeling less alone in the world and strengthen our attachments.

S – Social

Friendships, social channels and the relationships created. Nurturing social can decrease isolation, ground us, and strengthen attachments.

I – Imagination on different parts of us and water them a little bit to get flowers out of that garden.”

Creativity and expression through creative forms, such as art, music and language (written or spoken). Nurturing imagination can provide a sense of accomplishment and release.

C – Cognitive Problem-solving, dialogue about strategies and the ability to learn new things. Nurturing cognitive can cultivate the feeling of partnership, control, and growth.

Ph – Physical Physical movement in some form. Nurturing physical can provide a release, encourage health, and help us stay flexible in body and mind.

Wellness is a team sport

Dr. Rotenberg also reminds us that how we feel about ourselves – our selfesteem—is another critical component of wellness. She explains that our selfesteem is a combination of many things, including the messages we hear from others. In that way, we all have a responsibility to give positive feedback to others, those encouraging statements that help others feel seen and valued.

“We all have a role in the mental wellness of ourselves and our community,” she said. “It’s about interdependence. How we feel about ourselves is impacted by messages from ourselves, our peers, and our community.”

Kimberly Comer, a board member of Mental Health America of the Palm Beaches (MHA), has watched members build their self-esteem and their community in the organization’s Clubhouses. At MHA’s two locations in West Palm Beach and Belle Glade, people living with mental illness come together and are dedicated to one another’s success.

Comer sees the one common denominator that moves Clubhouse members forward is within the “B” of the BASIC Ph: hope.

“Clubhouses offer a community of hope for people living with mental illness,” Comer said. “They are a place of belonging where everyone has a purpose—where members find meaning to support their recovery and reclaim their future.”

According to Clubhouse International, Clubhouses are centered on the belief that every member has the potential to sufficiently recover from the effects of mental illness to lead a personally satisfying life as an integrated member of society. They are local community centers that provide members with opportunities to build long-term relationships that support them in obtaining employment, education, and housing.

For members, sustaining a routine is important for creating a sense of support and normalcy and enhancing coping skills. Members carry out a day at the Clubhouse much like a daily job by supporting the needs of MHA in partnership with staff.

“Clubhouses thrive best when staff and members work side by side in the operation of the Clubhouse,” said Shelby Swiderski, Glades Clubhouse Director. “This allows each individual to focus on their strengths, talents, and abilities, and discover what makes them flourish.”

Each Clubhouse is unique as well, explains Swiderski. “They each strive to work with the individual needs of their own communities, while remaining true to the Clubhouse model,” she said. “In the Glades, we are very proud and grateful for our partnerships with the Multilingual Psychotherapy Center and the Farmworker Coordinating Council of Palm Beach County because no Clubhouse is an island.”

No member is an island either. “They are surrounded by people who understand how important their individual path to recovery is, because they are discovering it for themselves, too,” Swiderski said.

We’re traveling these roads together

For West Palm Beach member Savion Cohen, the Clubhouse experience has contributed to his mental wellness by boosting his confidence. “It has shown me that I am capable of more than I had imagined and helped me get out into the world and grow,” he said.

Cohen’s flourishing reminds us that on the many paths to wellness, social connected- ness—the “S” in BASIC Ph—is an important component. Being seen and valued and finding others who share our life experiences help us build communities of people who believe in us and our ability to contribute to the world.

“The people at the Clubhouse are non-judgmental and very supportive and understanding,” Cohen said. “It’s important to build connections with people like that. I can be myself at the Clubhouse, and I’ve come out of my shell more in general. Another member once expressed that he was happy that I was his friend, and that made an impact on me.”

The path to wellness can take many directions, but what Cohen has found is that we are more likely to stay our course when we invite others to join us for the ride. “We thrive off of connection with other people,” he said. “It is what makes us human. Too much isolation can lead to so many different mental and even physical health consequences because it’s like depriving yourself of food or water. It’s a necessity to have connection with others.”

Mental Health America of the Palm Beaches

MHA is creating spaces where people living with mental health conditions can find acceptance, grow, and thrive. Clubhouses are located in West Palm Beach and Belle Glade. At the Peer Place Wellbeing Center in West Palm Beach, members socialize with others and participate in group and one-on-one support with trained peer support mentors. To request a Clubhouse tour, call 561-832-3755, or to learn more, contact Shelby Swiderski, SSwiderski@mhapalmbeaches.org.

Join the MHA 5K to support Clubhouses and Peer Place!

MHA Mind & Body Connection 2023 5K

When: Saturday April 29, 2023 in Dreher Park South, West Palm Beach Time: 7:30 am start Register: mhapalmbeaches.org

Alpert Jewish Family Service of Palm Beach County (AJFS)

AJFS provides more than two dozen services to all ages and all denominations, including psychiatry, counseling, and residential programming for adults with special needs. A new day socialization center for adults living with mental illness will open this summer in Palm Beach Gardens at the Levine Jewish Residential and Family Service. AJFS’s Community Access Life Line (C.A.L.L.) offers a no-cost, in-depth customized consultation service for available services with AJFS, and/or provides referrals to community resources. Alpert JFS coordinates the county’s Mental Health First Aid Coalition.

For more information about programs, or if you wish to take a Mental Health First Aid class, call 561-684-1991 or visit alpertjfs.org.