Beyond Traditional Care: Utilizing Unconventional Mental Health Resources
Airing Thursday, October 24, 2024, from 12:00 to 1:00 pm ET
In a world where mental health barriers often seem insurmountable, it’s crucial to find innovative ways to address these challenges. Many families struggle to access effective care, feeling overwhelmed by the mental health system, which may not fully meet their needs.
However, hope exists in the form of alternative wellness resources. These resources, ranging from community-based programs, disability services, and peer support networks, offer diverse solutions that can complement or even enhance traditional treatments.
Our upcoming panel discussion aims to shed light on accessing these options, offering expert insights and practical advice. Join us in this important conversation and take the first step toward breaking down barriers to mental wellness.
This program is supported by
Takeda Lundbeck Alliance
AbbVie
Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine
Massachusetts Department of Public Health Suicide Prevention Program
Corporate Members
Sage Therapeutics and Biogen
Takeda
Alkermes
Johnson & Johnson
Neurocrine Biosciences
Presenters
Charisse Donielle Rupert
Charisse Donielle Rupert is a native of Jackson, AL. She is the mother of five children, the grateful grandmother of two boys and a newlywed. She is an Alabama Certified Peer Support Specialist, Certified Recovery Support Specialist, CPS State Trainer, APPR Facilitator, NAMI IOOV and Connections Support Group Facilitator as well as a Respect Initiative of Alabama speaker.
Charisse was previously employed as the Youth Peer Program Team Leader, Youth Peer Program Coordinator and Adult Peer Services Team Leader for JBS Mental Health Authority. She is currently serving her second term as Chair of the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program (ADAP) PAIMI (Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness) Advisory Council. In addition, she was recently appointed to the Supreme Court of Alabama’s Commission on Adult Guardianships and Conservatorships and the NAMI Alabama Board of Directors. Her mantra is “RECOVERY IS POSSIBLE – I AM PROOF.” In her previous role as Director of the Alabama Warm Line and in her current role as Executive Director of Wings Across Alabama she continues to focus on the importance of “Supporting The Supporters.”
Sarah DeSouza Brown
Sarah DeSouza Brown is a Program Officer at Clubhouse International, with over a decade of experience in the Clubhouse Model of psychosocial rehabilitation. Previously, she worked at Genesis Club in Massachusetts, one of the 12 Clubhouse International training centers. Sarah is passionate about advancing the mission of ending social and economic isolation for people with mental illness by enhancing the growth and quality of Clubhouse programs worldwide. Sarah is originally from Brazil and has been living in Massachusetts, USA since she moved there with her family in 1995. She enjoys the opportunity to travel and immerse herself into new cultures and especially treasures trips to Brazil to visit her family. Sarah is the mom of a toddler and “dog-mom” of a shihtzu named Charlie Brown. Together with her husband, they look forward to warmer New England days to enjoy the outdoors together!
Sametra Polkah-Toe, LMHC
Sametra Polkah-Toe, LMHC is a Project Associate for the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center. Prior to joining PRA, she worked as Rehabilitation Practitioner where she was responsible for providing recovery-oriented services to individuals of the SPMI population. It was in this role where she first became introduced to SOAR and proudly served as a SOAR trained case manager and SOAR local lead helping to raise the approval rates and number of SOAR trained case managers in the five counties she served. In addition to her professional human service experience, she is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in NYS and a Certified Peer Specialist.
Lisa Mecham, MSW, Moderator
Lisa Mecham, MSW, is a writer and freelance editor based in California. Her work has been featured in The New York Times: Tiny Modern Love and Roxane Gay’s bestselling anthology Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture. Lisa’s writing about redefining her family and staying legally married to her husband, despite their separation, has been published in The On Being Project and HuffPost. Lisa’s interests center around resiliency, agency, and hope, with a particular focus on empowering women. She holds a Master of Social Work degree from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.