As originally published in the Palladium-Item
Developing Tools for Good Mental Health
By Martha Bowman, M.A., Master’s Level Therapist, Dunn Center- Richmond
Mental health counseling. These are words that mean different things to different people. To some, to those who understand the term, it means hope. To others, it can mean embarrassment, shame and secrecy. The latter is an unfortunate stigma attached to this helpful service.
“Mental health” means just that – our state of mind, our mental wellbeing. It does not have to mean a negative thing, but oftentimes people take it in a not so positive light. Likewise, people who seek mental health services are often judged in negative terms.
Usually, people who are most harshly judgmental about someone seeking mental health services are those who do not fully understand and therefore are judging out of ignorance and fear. They are often the people who believe you need to simply “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” and move on. However, if people lack the resources with which to pull those proverbial bootstraps, what do they do then?
The word “resources” has its own misconceptions. People generally think that “resources” equal money or other financial benefits. However, resources also include things like education, family, friends, a spiritual foundation and a solid sense of peace every day. Some people lack most or all of these resources. They often can’t help themselves because they don’t have the necessary tools.
That’s where mental health centers, such as Dunn Center, can help. Staff members support people as they work toward good mental health, whether it’s support for symptoms of ADHD or counseling for depression. Clients may receive medicines that help some of the symptoms, counseling to address deep-seated emotions, and case management to learn coping skills. It’s like the old adage about giving a person a fish or teaching the person how to fish. With the first, he or she eats for a day; with the latter, he or she eats for a lifetime.
Underlying all the work in the mental health profession is a strong desire to help others. Certainly that is what drew me into this field. I look forward to the day when the phrase “mental health services” means only the positive, helpful things that it was intended to mean.