FRO M TO UCH STO N E M E N TA L H E A LT H
Kind Words VOLUME 6 ISSUE 2 SUMMER 2006
BIPOLAR DISORDER: A TALE OF CHARACTER By Peggy Wright, Communications and Development Director
Inside this issue Of Volunteers and Pool
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Life with Bipolar Disorder isn’t a piece of cake, but it sure builds character!
Wish List: Clients
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Patricia’s story illustrates her statement well. In 2001, she was 22 years old and living alone in Winona. She knows now that she was becoming increasingly manic because she was erratic in her use of prescribed medication. Patricia describes herself while manic as “charming and manipulative,” and says that she convinced her family, friends, and new landlord in Robbinsdale that she had found a job in the Twin Cities.
Nevertheless, her current life is a story of success. She began working with Kara Vangen, a Case Manager for Touchstone Mental Health, during her second hospitalization. Case Management Services, which serves 130 clients a year, works quietly behind the scenes of individuals’ lives. The work is usually not as dramatic as physically saving a life, but in the end, case managers accomplish just that through their relationships with consumers.
But she didn’t have one. With no retail experience, she persuaded the manager of an office-supply store to hire her as Operational Assistant Manager, but unable to handle the responsibilities, she soon lost the job.
Case managers: Teach individuals to manage their illnesses. Make sure they take their prescribed medications. Help them find housing. Work with them to develop activities that give meaning to their lives, such as school, employment or recreation. Encourage them to build relationships that support mind, body and spirit.
Growing Heart: Why I Volunteer 4 2006 Walk For Justice
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Donors 2006
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Diary of a Case Manager
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Wish List: Program and Staff
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Volunteering in Minnesota
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2 8 2 9 U N I V E R S I T Y AV E N U E S E SUITE 400 MINNEAPOLIS MN 55414
She didn’t eat. She didn’t sleep. She was homeless. Admitted to the hospital for the second time in her life, she stayed about a month. Her first admission was in 1994 at age 15, after not sleeping for seven days. This failure to sleep resulted in a psychotic episode, including paranoid symptoms such as A sample of Patricia’s art hearing voices.
With Kara’s assistance, Patricia moved to People Inc.’s Nancy Paige program in Minneapolis upon her Continued on page 2
BIPOLAR DISORDER, Board Members Kelly Robert, Chair Sara Barron-Leer Bill Cochrane Michaela Diercks Sharon Toll Johnson, LICSW Merrie Kaas, Ph.D. Shelley Majors Liz Sjaastad
Administrative Team Helen Raleigh, LICSW Executive Director Glen Albert, LICSW Director of Supportive Housing, Assisted Living Birgit Kelly, LICSW Program Director, Case Management Services Margo Cohen, LICSW Treatment Director, Residential Treatment Lynette Anderson Finance and Benefits Director Peggy Wright Communications and Development Director Mary Woodbury Finance and Administrative Assistant
Editorial Staff Helen Raleigh Peggy Wright
Programs ASSISTED LIVING APARTMENTS 7376 Bass Lake Road New Hope, MN 55428-3861 (763) 536–8134 assistedliving@touchstonemh.org
discharge from the hospital and lived there for four months. The Nancy Paige residence is a short-term, crisis-stabilization program serving persons with serious and persistent mental illness. With the help that she received there, Patricia began her recovery. During those four months, Patricia applied for Section 8 housing, with Kara’s help, and moved to Bloomington when she became eligible. With stable housing and effective medication, Patricia was able to enter a program that Kara had recommended for her called Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Patricia says, “In an intense, five-day-a-week, ten-month program, I learned how to distract, self-soothe, observe, describe and take control of my life by creating activities and order. I have not missed a day of medication in five years. I try very hard to get eight hours of sleep every night. These two things cannot prevent another manic episode, but it is easier to monitor my own behavior when I take care of my body and brain.” With her illness in remission, Patricia was able to pursue her passion, creating art. At 20, she had received an A.A. degree in commercial art. Recently, Kara referred her to Kathie Bailey, a
CASE MANAGEMENT SERVICES 2829 University Avenue SE, Suite 400 Minneapolis, MN 55414-3230 (612) 874–6409 casemanagement@touchstonemh.org
Continued Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) and art therapist, for participation in a Visual Journaling group. Patricia states, “I now refer to myself as an artist…. I never really looked at my work before. I thought it wasn’t very good and just a bunch of lines…. This gift I possess, like many artists with mental health struggles, has helped me through my pain and has given me the confidence I have been searching for all along.” Currently, Patricia earns a living in part through her art. She paints faces at company picnics and cancer benefits and murals for children’s rooms. She also works part-time at a coffee shop, and they allow her to design the chalkboard there, which she enjoys. She indicates that the pictures she takes of the boards will be great for her portfolio, which she has been updating for the first time since 1998. With Kara’s encouragement and the help of Bruce Mortensen from the Minnesota Department of Rehabilitative Services, Patricia began working toward her B.A. degree, taking classes for the past three semesters at Metropolitan State University. She now wants to attend the University of Minnesota to study interior design, with a minor in business. Her dream is to own her own shop where she will sell the jewelry, furniture, paintings, clothing, and accessories that she designs. Patricia wants to acknowledge the people who have helped her: “This healing journey wouldn’t have been possible without the support of staff atTouchstone Case Management Services, the Department of Rehabilitative Services, Nancy Paige Residence, Mental Health Resources, and my friends and family.”
INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY 3223 East 25th Street, Apt. 5 Minneapolis, MN 55406 (763) 536–8134 intentional@touchstonemh.org RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT 2516 E. 24th Street Minneapolis, MN 55406-1209 (612) 722–1892 residential@touchstonemh.org
Patricia’s tiled mirror that highlights the Art Wall at Case Management Services’ offices, 2829 University Avenue SE, Minneapolis. TOUCHSTONE MENTAL HEALTH
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OF VOLUNTEERS AND POOL WISH LIST
By Bob Marion, Case Manager Lyn spoke with many students that afternoon, not knowing which students, if any, might choose to become a part of Touchstone’s volunteer team. Karthik was one of the students who stopped by our booth. A major in biochemistry, he was looking for volunteer opportunities in the field of mental health. Karthik’s father is a psychiatrist, and as a result, the field of mental health interests him. Karthik Giridahr
Little did Karthik Giridahr know that his role as volunteer would mean that he would spend time around a pool table in the student union at the University of Minnesota with our client Brad.
Karthik and Lyn spoke briefly that day, discussing the different opportunities that Touchstone makes available to volunteers. Six months later Karthik called to inquire about volunteering, and soon thereafter, he became Touchstone’s very first volunteer. Thank you, Karthik!
Only after Touchstone matched him with Brad as our first one-on-one volunteer did the two discover that they share that passion. Getting to know each other was easy after that realization. Karthik and Brad also both enjoy playing cribbage. They try to get together twice a month. Having become a nonprofit only in 1999, Touchstone is new to the recruitment of volunteers. In the Spring of 2005, Lyn Gerdis, Case Manager and Volunteer Coordinator, set up a booth at the University of Minnesota Health Fair, which provides an opportunity for health care agencies to recruit students both as employees and volunteers.
As Karthik spends time with our client, we all learn together. He was very patient as we developed our new Volunteer’s Handbook and worked with Hennepin County to change some of their regulations regarding volunteers. This summer he is traveling in India but will return to his studies and to our program in the fall. We look forward once again to having him on our team!
Lyn and I had developed our volunteer program during the previous year, and we chose the fair for our first attempt to meet potential volunteers.
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Clients
PERSONAL CARE ITEMS OR SERVICES
• Dental floss; toothbrushes & tooth paste; dental work • Deodorant • Donations for medication copays • Facial tissue, toilet paper • Gift certificates for new shoes, clothing • Shampoo & conditioner; hair care • Multivitamins • YM or YWCA or health-club memberships OTHER ITEMS
• Art supplies, including colored pencils or markers, craft kits, a latch hook for rug hooking, knitting yarn • Bus passes • Gift cards or certificates to coffee shops, McDonald’s, Target, Cub • Household products—dish soap, laundry soap, antitstatic sheets for the dryer, paper towels • Household items—Flatware; bedroom rugs (approx. 3x5); table lamps, lamp shade for large floor lamp; laundry baskets with handles (net type to carry with one hand); TV, portable, with built-in VCR and DVD; microwave (small, digital, for the countertop); firm pillows • Long-distance phone cards • Recreational products—Magazine subscriptions, movie tickets, Scrabble game, VCR tapes/DVDs, men’s 10-speed bicycle; 35mm camera, used ok; film; Walkman • Punch cards for the FUMC therapeutic pool • Free or low cost veterinarian services
TO U C H S TO N E M E N TA L H E A LT H
GROWING HEART: WHY I VOLUNTEER 2006 Walk for Justice On September 17, 2006, staff and friends of Touchstone Mental Health will participate in the Walk for Justice for the fourth time. The funds that we raise through this walk support the Cynthia Riggs Supportive Housing Fund. This fund enables us to develop innovative new housing. For example, the funds raised in 2004 helped furnish our Assisted Living Apartments, the first such housing in Minnesota for persons with serious and persistent mental illness. We need your support in this endeavor. To make a donation online: 1. Go to the Headwaters Foundation Walk for Justice web site at http://walkforjustice.kintera.org. 2. Click the View Organizations link in the left menu. 3. Scroll down the list until you see the listing for Touchstone Mental Health and click on the link. 4. In the table under Organization Structure, click the Touchstone Mental Health Walkers link. 5. Click a walker’s link or the General Team Donation link. 6. Enter the amount of your donation in the Enter Donation Amount Here box and click Continue. 7. Enter the requested information and click Continue. You also can mail a check directly to Peggy Wright, Communications and Development Director, Touchstone Mental Health, 2829 University Avenue SE, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55414-3230. Please make the check payable to the Headwaters Foundation Walk for Justice. TOUCHSTONE MENTAL HEALTH
By Kelly Robert, Board Chair Service... Giving what you don’t have to give Giving when you don’t need to give Giving because you want to give Damien Hess As a board member of Touchstone Mental Health for over six years and board chair for almost two, I have experienced the meaning of each of these phrases. When I ponder this definition of service, I am filled with a mixture of emotions—relief, pride and hope—because of what I have found through my experience.
Giving what you don’t have to give... Relieved Serving would be called a hobby if it didn’t require us to reach out to those who need us despite our busy schedules and emotional baggage. Service almost always requires more of us than we feel we have to give. It requires more energy than we think we possess, more time than we think we have in our busy days, and more nerve than we think we can find to move out of our comfort zone and meet its demands. When I read this part of Damien Hess’ words, though, I felt relief. When I accepted the position of board chair, I had no idea how much work the job would require. An at-home mother of two young children, I accepted the position while pregnant with my second, who is now just nine months old. I have questioned whether I have enough time or energy to serve on the board many times in the last two years. Hess’ words helped me realize that whatever I can give is enough. Although I will probably never feel that I’m doing enough or that I am easily fitting the demands of service into my life, I am giving what I can. PAG E 4
Giving when you don’t need to give… Proud
We give out no awards at the end our board meetings, offer no applause or pats on the back when someone volunteers extra time outside of meetings or gives financially. Both current and past board members have given their time, experience and dollars simply because they “get it.” I am proud and honored to serve on a board with some of the most professional, intelligent and selfless individuals I know. They give simply because a need exists. I want to thank Jonathan Burris, who recently left the board, for the gift of his experience as an attorney and for his practical solutions to issues. I always feel a loss when a board member leaves to serve elsewhere, and we will all miss him.
Giving because you want to give… Hopeful
Does your blood boil when you see images of genocide in Darfur? Does your heart sink when you visit an inner-city school? Do you toss and turn at night after watching images of children starving not only for food but also for love? AIDS in Africa, relief after Hurricane Katrina, local homelessness, the needs of the world can be overwhelming. Many of us want to help but just do not know where to begin. We feel a void in our souls when we do not direct our energies to some cause outside ourselves and our own lives, but we also feel incapacitated by the needs that exist in the world. Although I sometimes feel myself inundated by many good causes, I recently realized that the solution is to choose a cause that moves my heart. I serve on the board of Touchstone, an agency that works with people who struggle with mental illness, because I witness the daily struggles of a close Continued on page 5
DONORS 2006 Ceil Raleigh Endowment Fund Anonymous (1) Brian and Paula Bergs Rhonda Simpson Brown Joan Raleigh Jane Sebeczch
Individuals Anonymous (1) Julie Dappen Marilyn Ehline Lyn and Michael Gerdis Dianne Jensen Lorrie and Marlyn Johnson Sharon Toll Johnson Barbara Koropchak Lisa Popp Margaret and Carl Roser Mary Ellen Ross Mary Kay Romportl Claire Wright
In Honor of Joan Bilinkoff in honor of Helen Raleigh Don and Betty Cashin in honor of Kathy Cashin
Connie Mortensen-Long in honor of her parents Devona and Harley Swiggum in honor of Tami Swiggum
Dick and Nancy Still Patricia Tharp Jeffrey and Kimberly Thomas Gerald Urbach
In Memory of Scott Sanderson
In Memory of
Charlene Ahrens Dick and Ann Berger Kenneth and Mary Carter Margaret Anne Cullum Kenyeon DeGodt Loretta Disney Jeff Fleming Don and Donna Foster Melvin and Mary Gratz Jerome Haynes Martha Kimmerling Thomas and Patricia Matthews William and Mary Miller Phyllis Erickson Morton and Gwyn Morton Deanna Pehnert Brad Pence Marilyn Rynearson Dick and Rita Sanderson Douglas Stewart
Connie and Bill Riggs in memory of Cynthia Riggs Jennie Leskela and Douglas and Aidan Choate in memory of Cynthia Riggs Jeannette Nelson in memory of Harold Nelson
Businesses and Organizations Osseo Lions Club St. Raphael’s Church
Diary of a Case Manager By Christy Downing
Ron Bell Mark Hildman Patricia Nelson Barry Nienstadt Barbara Radke Kelly Robert Julie Roles Julie Ryan Ron Villejo Ivy West
A full-time case manager sees about 12 clients in a typical week. Her days are rarely the same. Her interactions with clients and the assistance she provides vary greatly depending on each client’s current needs.
Businesses and Organizations Friends School of Minnesota Health Recovery Center Minnesota State Fair St. Paul Saints Professional Baseball Scratch and Dent Furniture Warehouse
June 1 Helped Jane search for her first apartment, which must accept governmental housing subsidies. Now 35 years old, she has lived in group homes all her life. Found an apartment in a historic building with hardwood floors in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis.
In Kind Donations Individuals Anonymous (1) Kathleen Bakke Kathie Bailey
GROWING HEART, Continued family member with a serious diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. My husband serves for an organization that advocates on behalf of the local Hispanic population. As a Puerto Rican, he wants to ensure that more Hispanics enjoy the opportunities that this country has afforded him.
experienced individuals to our board, what thrills me most is finding two people who give because they want to give. Finding individuals like Sara and Shelley makes me confident that we will continue to do better work, that Touchstone’s clients will continue to receive the best service.
Nothing is more beautiful than the idea of every healthy, capable and willing person following a passion and signing up to make a positive impact today. Recently Sara Baron-Leer and Shelley Majors chose Touchstone’s board of directors as a place to channel their passion. Although I’m delighted to welcome two intelligent,
Service is not an easy task. Be relieved to know that we’ll take what you can give us and that the best service does not feel like an obligation. We appreciate those of you who give of your time and resources because you want to change lives. If you have a passion for persons living with mental illness and/or have an interest in joining our board, please contact me at kelly.robert@integraonline.com.
Giving to Touchstone Mental Health…
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June 9 Went out for coffee with Cindy, who recently lost her significant other of five years. She is lonely and grieving deeply and spent a lot of time reminiscing while I listened. We explored ways to structure her day to find meaningful things to do. June 15 Went shopping with Jane for things she needs to set up her apartment. She picked out a couch, recliner and dining set at Bridging. July 1 Helped Jane unpack and settle in. She met one of her neighbors. July 10 Met with Dan in preparation for an upcoming appointment with his doctor. Helped him figure out what he wanted out of this visit. We wrote down a list of symptoms and side effects of his medication and planned how he would communicate with the doctor to obtain an effective change in his meds.
TO U C H S TO N E M E N TA L H E A LT H
VOLUNTEERING IN MINNESOTA WISH LIST Programs and Staff • • • • • • • • • • • •
Copier paper, white Diskettes, blank IBM Furniture dolly Garbage bags (40 gal & 12 gal) Laundry soap, dryer sheets Laser Printer, new Monitors, flat-panel Mouse, Cordless (1 or more) Pens, black Paper shredder, new Services from a print shop Snow Removal for Residential Sites
2 8 2 9 U N I V E R S I T Y AV E N U E S E SUITE 400 MINNEAPOLIS MN 55414-3230
According to Volunteering in America, State Trends and Rankings: 2002–2005, which the Corporation for National and Community Service, a federal agency, published in June 2006: Minnesota is one of eight states in the Approximately 30% of Minnesota’s nation in which the number of volunteers volunteers performed each of the increased each year from 2002 to 2005. following activities: participated in fundraising or sold items to raise money; The rate of volunteering in Minnesota for collected, prepared, distributed, or served those years, 40.7%, is higher than the rate food; engaged in general labor or supplied for the Midwest overall, 33.2%, and the transportation for people; or coached, nation, 28.8%. referred, tutored, taught, or mentored. For those years, Minnesota is one of the top states in the nation for rates of volunteering The greatest percentage of Minnesota’s volunteers served primarily through among seniors and young adults. religious organizations, 38.5%, the most Volunteers in Minnesota spent a median popular organization for volunteering in the of 45 hours annually in volunteering, Midwest and nationally. which is lower than the median hours for the Midwest, 48 hours, and the nation, 51 hours. Touchstone Mental Health is seeking volunteers in all capacities: companions who are willing to join clients in recreational activities, fundraisers who can join us in the Walk for Justice, and people who can assist us administratively. Call Bob Marion at 612-874-6409 if you would like to volunteer.