Since the 1st week of my employment at Action for Mental Health (AMH), I have been facilitating the Tuesday Women’s Trauma Group.  As a survivor of sexual abuse as a child, talking about the abuse was very difficult to say the least.  The more I talked, however, the more confidence I gained and the topic became less-scary.  Sharing with so many wonderful women survivors over that past 11 years and having them in my life has helped me with my own recovery.

Someone once told me that you usually end up on the path that you should be on.  When I was working at a private boys high school in the Advancement Department, having a job that dealt with women who had been sexually abused was probably the last place I thought I would ever be.  Life happens when we are trying to make  plans…one year after surviving colon cancer, I was involved in a fatal auto accident in which one of my dear friends was killed.  You would think that being a survivor of sexual abuse at age 7 and beating cancer that I would have been strong enough to get through the trauma of losing my friend.  That didn’t happen.  Instead, my brain couldn’t handle another life-threatening event and I crashed and burned…no pun intended.  I was not able to “get over” this trauma and move on. I was diagnosed with a mental illness…I now had my own “label” PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder).

As I said, we end up on the path we are supposed to be on.  I started attending a depression support group at AMH, took Facilitator Training, Advocacy Training, graduated from the first Leadership Training Class and was invited to apply for the position of Trauma Self-Help Coordinator at AMH.  My desire to work again was greater than my terror of working and I gave it my best shot…and I was hired.  My story didn’t end there….it began!  I have had the extreme fortune to meet many brave women through the years, all heroes to me.

We still meet on Tuesday at 1 PM.  If you have an interest in learning more about the group, please call me and we can chat for a bit and get to know each other.

I wish you the very best in life and honestly believe that anyone can recover from anything!

As human beings we are built to move forward and impact the world around us. From a very young age we have a need to see that we influence things. As babies we hit the mobile above us while lying in our cribs. This gives us a sense of personal power.  Suffering mentally/emotionally we often forget that having a sense of personal power (self-efficacy) is not only healthy but paramount to having a significant and enjoyable life.

Many of us spend our days and weeks just surviving. We avoid pressure to the point that we stop moving forward and actually start to digress. We feel more and more helpless. In order to have a meaningful life we need to be willing to take the “next step” whatever that may be. For example if you haven’t left the house in awhile get out to a group. If you find that the self-help group is your only source of social activity join a softball team or writing group or bowling club. If you always wanted to finish college start to look into courses for the summer or fall semester. If you love baseball and have kids ask if you can help coach.

Taking the next step forward is vital to our mental/emotional health. It doesn’t guarantee a life of bliss but it will make you feel more powerful. Having a strong sense of personal power is what allows you to pursue your dreams.

You are the leader you are looking for. You have the power to change the world around you as well as yourself. By taking the next step forward you continue to create a life that is important to YOU. Don’t give up your power to anyone or anything. Keep moving forward!

What will your next step be today?

(originally written 10/2009)

Self help assists consumers through sharing and increasing their knowledge and application of skills.

The members of a self help group not only talk about their difficulties but also of ways to improve their quality of life.  In the almost 11 years that I have worked at AMH I have witnessed a great deal of recovery.  Doing the kind of work we do at AMH can be extremely stressful but when we see people recover, we are reminded that what we are doing is really helping.  Many people have moved from being a member of a self help group to being the facilitator of the same group.  I often see people come to group with a lot of  apprehension only to leave 2 hours later with a new spring in their step!  

Week after week, people come to our groups and share their coping skills with other members of the group.  AMH self help groups work mainly because we “get it” we have been there ourselves!

Action for Mental Health has many self help groups that are free to attend and we encourage you to browse through our group listing here.

All are welcome!

The Leadership Training Program Alumni group is meeting again on Wednesday, September 15 from 3 to 5pm. Instead of meeting at AMH we are meeting at Cafe Allegro, 1374 Hertel Avenue. All past Leadership graduates are welcome!

Check their website here for menu items and coffee selections.  Their pricing is great and there is usually live music. Should be a great time!  If needed, there is an ATM one block away.

Welcome to AMH’s new website!  Our hope is that this new format will provide information to everyone faster and easier!  Under each posting we make, there will be a box where you can comment, ask a question, etc.

What are the topics?

Each staff member and many volunteers will post articles on the topics of advocacy, empowerment, leadership, self-help, fundraisers, etc.  We plan on keeping this site BUSY!

It will be a work-in-progress as we move forward in this new format.  Once we get the hang of it, I think it’s going to work VERY nicely  

Over the next few days, we’ll get the calendar back up that shows our self-help groups, workshops, trainings and maybe some NEW things we’re looking at doing (parties, get-togethers, who knows??)

Give it a shot and I welcome your feedback!  Remember, it’ll probably be Friday before very much content is available on here.

Thanks!

Bart A. Blum, Executive Director