Mental health awareness providers explain services
HUNTLEY — Huntley District 158 hosted a community event for Mental Health Awareness Resources which included more than 20 providers who presented information at Huntley High School Jan. 24.
“We have a wide range of services, from aqua therapy to cognitive behavior therapy, and a very nice turnout,” District 158 event coordinator Jill Shadel said. “We have been working on it for about a month after there was a similar event before school started just for educators.”
Shidel said much has changed in regards to perception of addressing mental health needs.
“There is far less of a stigma attached,” Shidel said. “For teenagers, it might be coming out of the long COVID-19 period and stepping back to normal because they may felt they were behind.”
Lisa Wermli of Canines 4 Comfort of Round Lake brought dogs who are trained be people friendly. Their purpose is to “provide hope, comfort for veterans, children and our community through companionship. Canines 4 Comfort trains and places psychiatric service dogs among individuals with PTSD, anxiety, depression, and other mental health diagnosis. They’re friendly as their handlers brought them from table to table at the HHS commons area.”
Also, “therapeutic facility dogs are available for placement at schools and first responder teams in communities. These specially trained dogs work with social services in the schools to defuse highly emotional situations and provide a calm and nurturing environment. With our first responder teams, these dogs bring goodwill to neighborhoods, but most importantly assist with witness and victim interviews and provide relief and decompression to department staff after handling traumatic and tense situations.
Youth and Family Center of McHenry County is a McHenry based group that has grown since its beginning.
“YFC serves any resident of McHenry County, especially under served and low-income youth and families,” according to information presented. “YFC specializes in working with Latino adults who have somewhat limited English language proficiency and-or low education levels. YFC programs serve youth and families that currently or have faced adverse childhood experiences, or significant challenges emotionally, socially and academically.”
Samaritan Counseling Center Executive Director Lori Parrish was on hand and explained the services that are offered at its Algonquin and Barrington offices.
“We have been in existence since 2008,” Parrish said. “At that time, there were several high school students who died from suicide. The pastors in the area saw a need as parishioners coop with the loss.”
“A lot of people are under financial stresses,” said Donna Rasmussen, executive director of Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Northern Illinois. “We have appointments booked through the end of February.”
One of the services the Woodstock-based not-for-profit agency, which has been in existence since 1982, offers is micro loans. “We work through a bank and offer loans from between $300 and $500,” Rasmussen said.
