Mental Health Association Offers Bevy of Free Resources

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MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION Offers Bevy of Free Resources

Mental health matters — nothing else does more to shape the course of our lives, according to the Mental Health Association of Frederick County.

As individuals, our mental health influences all of our perceptions, experiences and relationships. As a community our collective mental health forms the foundations of our homes, schools, neighborhoods and businesses. It doesn’t just affect everyone – ultimately it connects everyone and helps us build up the community we share.

MHA is saving families, saving lives and makes our community whole. The MHA says it is in the community for everyone, regardless of age or circumstances, 24 hours a day, every day of the year.

Helping children The MHA helps children to learn mental and emotional resilience at a young age, which will help them adapt to the situations and setbacks they will face throughout life, and to become the strong, stable citizens our community needs. The activities and support the MHA provides give children the emotional, social and cognitive skills they will carry throughout their lives into the classroom, the workplace and the home.

To prepare children for success and stability the MHA works in the following ways:

• Provides guidance and information to first-time parents.

• Ensures that every child has a developmentally appropriate learning environment and that early childhood educators have the resources they need to ensure each child’s success.

• Works with parents and educators when children display behavioral issues in preschool or child care situations.

• Provides resources, events and activities to educate and engage families, educators and children.

Helping families The MHA knows that some family situations present challenges that affect everyone in them. They disrupt entire families and can leave children without a stable or permanent home. This can

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increase a child’s risk for struggles later in life, such as mental illness, unemployment, or even prison. Family challenges may include managing work and home life, while also caring for an elderly family member or young children.

Helping Senior Citizens The MHA provides telephone reassurance via a regular phone call providing a caring listener and a friendly connection for seniors living in Frederick County. A trained, caring listener calls at a scheduled time on a regular basis to talk about what’s going on in the senior’s life, to help them get help if needed, and to connect them to the services they need to be as independent as possible.

Those eligible for the program include Frederick County residents who are 60 years of age or older and are:

• Living alone and have few regular contacts.

• Couples, at least one of whom is disabled.

• Temporarily homebound following an illness, surgery or hospital stay.

• Alone while regular caregivers are out of town.

For more information or to enroll, call 301-663-0011 or email lmyers@fcmha.org.

24-Hour Call Center Many of us encounter moments and challenges that no one should have to face alone. The MHA provides support for situations that include workday stress, physical or sexual abuse, suicidal thoughts, financial issues and the lingering affects of major life events such as death or divorce. In times like those, the MHA has a Call Center that provides:

• A caring and supportive voice.

• Resources and information that show the way forward.

• Help in the midst of a crisis.

• Specialists available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

• Free of charge and available to all.

In Maryland, call 2-1-1 or call 866-411-6803 for information, referral and crisis intervention.

Phone Friend is available for children in 1st through 5th grades. Call 301-694-8255. Or Live chat at 4MDyouth.org.

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Mental Health Association of Frederick County, 226 S. Jefferson St., Frederick, 301-663-0011, fcmha.org

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