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News and Events

BGC Foundation Call for Help Telethon

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ben Gordon Center Call for Help Telethon
Friday, May 31st from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Requests for services at the Ben Gordon Center are up again over last year and the Ben Gordon Center provides $400,000 annually in unfunded mental health and substance abuse services. Last year we raised over $71,000 at the Call For Help Telethon and we need your help again on Friday, May 31st at the Ben Gordon Center Community Support Campus, 631 S. First Street, DeKalb.

We need a few people to work the phones and raise pledges for us. It’s really quite simple. We will provide you with everything you need to make and receive calls along with a list of prospects that you can call or you can reach out to your own network if you’d like. All we need from volunteers is a willingness to help us raise the money necessary to continue to provide the services our community needs. Please get in touch with Michelle at 815-757-3488, if you would like to volunteer or know a group that would like to help.

What is Wellness?

Wellness is defined as “an active process of becoming aware of and making choices towards a more successful existence.”

Because living a “successful existence” means something different to each individual, wellness can be many things, but it generally includes the pursuit of health, defined as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” and working towards achieving one’s full potential.

Did you know?
• Connecting with others can help you to enjoy the times when you are alone.
• Staying positive can improve your mood and your health.
• If you quit smoking now, in 20 minutes your heart rate drops, and in 12 hours the carbon monoxide (a gas that can be toxic) in
your blood drops to normal.
• Exercising in “spurts” can be just as effective as continuous exercise.
• Helping others may help you experience less depression.
• Drinking beverages with caffeine should be stopped 6-8 hours before bed to ensure a more restful sleep.
• Creating joy and satisfaction can be easy with little things such as making a gourmet meal while listening to your favorite
music, treating yourself to a massage, or even taking a few moments to admire nature.
• What you drink is just as important as what you eat.
• Spirituality can give you a sense of purpose and meaning.
• Writing down your problems can help shift your thinking about the issue and ultimately improve your mood.
• It is essential to choose a provider who understands the importance of the both of you working collaboratively regarding your
health care.
• Stress management techniques are important because chronic (long-lasting) stress can change your brain and the way you
function.

Your pathway to wellness can be:
• Good health
• Saving more money
• Healthy relationships
• Being good to yourself
• Showing gratitude
• Keeping good friends close
• Taking care of your community
• Eating one less cookie
• Looking for a new job
• Learning how to let go
• Walking instead of driving
• Playing with your pet
• A day at the spa
• Eating fresh fruit from your own garden

Happy Mother’s Day

We all owe a lot to our mothers, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, and all the other amazing caregivers who have helped us grow and become the people we are today. Certainly none of us would be here without them. They held us when we cried. They guided us when we acted inappropriately. They taught us how to laugh, how to tie our shoes, how to fold our clothes, and—maybe most importantly–how to create art from macaroni noodles.

Motherhood is an exceptional responsibility and there is no greater joy than raising a child, but being a caregiver can also be difficult at times. It’s easy to get caught up in soccer practice and gymnastic class while figuring out what’s for dinner all at the same time. Luckily there are many ways to reduce the stress of parenthood both for new mothers and for experienced caregivers. The most important thing is to remember that everyone needs a timeout (in a good way) every once in a while!

To all the dedicated caregivers out there: remember to take a minute for yourself today—relax, take a breath, and mosey in the beautiful sunshine. You deserve it!

 

-excerpt from a blog My Mental Health Day

Spreading the Word about Mental Health Awareness!

Great job and KUDOS to Samantha from our Community Support Campus for informing the Kishwaukee Kiwanis about BGC and our new Living Room project!!  They all had lots of questions and she answered them all like a PRO!!

Mental Health First Aid

Mental Health First Aid

If someone broke their leg skiing, would you know what to do? What if they were choking at the next table in a restaurant where you were eating? Chances are you’d know a thing or two about splints and the Heimlich Maneuver. But what if someone you knew seemed constantly down, or talked about suicide, or was obviously cutting themselves regularly? It would be fair to say that most of us know more about physical first aid than mental health first aid (MHFA). But this is changing.

Developed in Australia by Betty Kitchener and Anthony Jorm in 2001, MHFA is a public education program that helps community members identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders.

In the United States, MHFA has taken root and is being piloted in various cities across the country, including now in DeKalb. 

The MHFA is a 12-hour interactive course. Those who get certified learn a five-step action plan:

  • Assess for risk of suicide or harm
  • Listen nonjudgmentally
  • Give reassurance and information
  • Encourage appropriate professional help
  • Encourage self-help and other support strategies

For more information on how you can host a class of MHFA, contact Michelle LaPage at the Ben Gordon Center at 815-757-3488.

Why is good mental health important?

Good mental health is essential to overall health and personal well-being. It also contributes to the ability to lead a healthy, balanced, and productive life. Emotional problems can impair a person’s thinking, feelings, and behavior and, over time, can become increasingly serious and disabling.

Unfortunately, many people do not seek treatment for mental health issues for a number of reasons. They may not be completely aware of the extent of their problem, they may be hesitant to make contact with a mental health professional because they fear they will be stigmatized, or they may not know how to access services.

Yet, overall quality of life is greatly improved when a person with a mental health concern or problem seeks help and receives appropriate treatment from a qualified professional.  Treatment works, contact the experts at the Ben Gordon Center and call 815-756-4875 today!

May is National Mental Health Month

Did you know that May is National Mental Health Month? And have you ever thought about having a mental health “checkup”? Too often, when we think of our health we think of physical ailments – but our mental health is just as important, if not more so. In fact, if you’re depressed, for example, all kinds of physical aches and pains and other symptoms can follow.

 Mental health month is the perfect time to take a free, anonymous screening for a variety of mental health disorders, including depression, anxiety or alcohol.  See the SCREENINGS BUTTON ON THE RIGHT to take your free self-assessment. The screenings aren’t diagnostic but rather a great first step to appraising your mental health.

 And encourage your family and friends to give a little time and attention to their mental health as well. Let them know about the screenings and how simple they are.  If you would like to talk to someone in person call the Ben Gordon Center today to schedule an appointment at 815-756-4875.

NSSI Group Schedule To Start Again On May 28th

 The Special Programs team is happy to announce that we will be restarting the much needed Non-Suicidal Self Injury Group known as “The Body, Mind and Wellness Group”. 

 Marla Dexter, MA LPC will be leading this weekly group.  The group will be held every TUESDAY from 6pm-7pm at the Central Office beginning on 5/28/2013.  For more information please call 815-756-4875.

 

“I can feel the hurt. There’s something good about it. Mostly it makes me stop remembering.” 
― Albert Borris, Crash Into Me

Rethink How You Drink!

This month The Ben Gordon Center wants to help people rethink how they drink.  April is Alcohol Awareness Month.

Take a brief, anonymous, online screening that will provide you with important insights into your drinking habits and behaviors. While many people believe binge drinking is harmless, the effects can be powerful including worsening your mood and increasing risky behavior.

Alcohol is widely used and yet so many people don’t understand their own drinking habits and whether they might be headed for trouble. Research indicates that screening and brief intervention can help resolve mild to moderate alcohol problems as well as encourage those with more serious problems to seek treatment.

Trust the experts and call the Ben Gordon Center today if you need to rethink how you drink or take the self- assessment at www.bengordoncenter.org.