Oak Ridge Today

Free suicide prevention training at Grace Lutheran on Saturday

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Danielle Roach

Danielle Roach

 

The Grace Lutheran Church of Oak Ridge’s Mental Health Ministry will host a free community program on suicide prevention training on Saturday, July 15, at 10:30 a.m. in the church’s fellowship hall. Childcare will be provided.

Community health practitioner Danielle Roach, through association with the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network (TSPN), will be the instructor, a press release said. Roach has worked at a community mental health center for the past 16 years. In addition to suicide prevention training, she as taught verbal and physical de-escalation techniques, CPR, and newborn care Safety/CPR classes for the last 12 years at a local hospital.

According to the TSPN website, this training, known as QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer), is a program designed to teach lay people and professionals alike how to prevent suicide.

Grace Lutheran Church is located at 131 West Gettysburg Avenue in Oak Ridge. For more information about the program or the Mental Health Ministry, contact the church office at (865) 483-3787.

Grace Lutheran hosts candle lighting service on May 7

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and in observance, Grace Lutheran Church will host a candle lighting service in support of those challenged by mental illness, substance use disorders, and other brain disorders. The service will be held on Saturday, May 7, at 5 p.m. in the church sanctuary, which is at 131 West Gettysburg Avenue in Oak Ridge.

This is a free community event, and everyone is invited to attend. A special invitation is extended to family members, caregivers, community support organizations, and the healing professions.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), more than 60 million American adults experience mental illness in a given year. About 13.6 million of those live with a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia, major depression or bipolar disorder. [Read more…]

Learn how music therapy can help treat mental illness, health on Oct. 17

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Erica Buchhammer Music Therapy

Erica Buchhammer, music therapist (Submitted photo)

“Music Therapy and Mental Health” is the topic for the Mental Health Ministry program to be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, October 17, at Grace Lutheran Church.

The presenter, certified music therapist Erica Buchhammer, will discuss and demonstrate with numerous musical instruments how music may be used in the treatment of individuals challenged by mental illness or other health issues.

In her synopsis about the presentation, Buchhammer describes music therapy as “a psychotherapeutic method that uses musical interaction as a means of communication and expression, with the goal of developing relationships and addressing issues where words alone may not suffice.”

A part of the presentation will be interactive, demonstrating the various categories of music activities used in the therapy from listening and responding to playing and composing to movement, recreation and relaxation, or combined with other expressive arts. [Read more…]

Ridgeview rep to discuss youth substance abuse on July 18

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Michael Yates

Michael Yates

Michael Yates, development director for Ridgeview Behavioral Services, will discuss youth substance abuse on Saturday, July 18, at Grace Lutheran Church in Oak Ridge.

The presentation is titled “Youth Substance Abuse—the Complex and Courageous Conversation.” It’s free and scheduled for Saturday, July 18, at Grace Lutheran Church in Oak Ridge. It starts at 10:30 a.m. in the fellowship hall, and it is hosted by the church’s Mental Health Ministry. Child care will be available, a press release said.

Yates will discuss risk factors that drive the misuse and use of substances, and offer information on how parents and communities might best respond to strengthen protective factors for youth and families, the press release said.

“Youth and adolescents turn to substance abuse for a number of reasons,” he said. “Some want to experiment with boundaries, some do so because of peer pressure, and others are trying to cope with unmanageable pain, suffering, or anxiety.” [Read more…]

Children’s mental health film screening in Oak Ridge on May 7

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Sharon Boudreaux "Hear Our Voices" Poster

Sharon Boudreaux, member of the Grace Lutheran Church Mental Health Ministry team, puts up a “Hear Our Voices” poster. (Submitted photo)

 

In observance of National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, the award-wining documentary, “Hear Our Voices: Transforming the Children’s Mental Health System,” will be shown at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 7, at the Pollard Auditorium on the Oak Ridge Associated Universities campus at 120 Badger Road. The screening is free and open to the public.

“Hear Our Voices” recounts the journeys of nine children and young people as they fight to overcome mental health issues and reach a place of recovery and wellness. Their stories are framed by comments from leading mental health professionals, who outline the need for change in children’s mental health care, a press release said.

As seen in the film trailer, one story features Naquisha, a 16-year old poet, who, “despite drive and ambition,” is held back by the mental health challenges of bi-polar and post-traumatic stress disorders. Given the opportunity to gather a network of support around herself, she is “taking control of her life and making plans for college and beyond.” [Read more…]

Vietnam veterans to discuss services for vets March 21

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Combat veterans can face a number of mental health-related issues upon coming home. Problems such as post traumatic stress, depression, and anxiety can be debilitating and affect both veterans and their families. These can surface immediately upon a veteran’s return or even decades later.

On Saturday, March 21, Vietnam veterans Ed Junod and Freddie Owens of the Knoxville Regional Veterans Mental Health Council will discuss services available to veterans such as peer support, court treatment program assistance, recovery groups, and more. [Read more…]

Guided gratitude mediation offered Saturday morning

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Linda D. Doyle

Linda D. Doyle

A guided meditation of gratitude will be hosted by the Mental Health Ministry of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church on Saturday, November 8. The meditation, which will be led by licensed clinical social worker and CONTACT volunteer Linda Doyle, will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the church fellowship hall.

The church is located at 131 West Gettysburg Avenue in Oak Ridge. The event is free and open to the public, and child care will be provided.

Doyle said in notes about the meditation that it is a type appropriate for all faiths and for the coming holiday season.

“The theme will be gratitude, keeping in mind the upcoming celebration of our country’s national holiday in November,” Doyle said in a press release. [Read more…]

Mindfulness meditation program in Oak Ridge on Saturday

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Claudio Barrientos

Claudio Barrientos

Claudio Barrientos, director of the Mindful Center in Knoxville, will present a program on mindfulness meditation on Saturday, June 7, at Grace Lutheran Church in Oak Ridge. The free 90-minute program, which begins at 10:30 a.m. Saturday in the fellowship hall, is hosted by the church’s Mental Health Ministry Team.

Grace Lutheran Church is located at 131 W. Gettysburg Ave.

Barrientos will introduce ways to incorporate a few minutes of meditation in one’s daily life to help with many health issues, a press release said. The teachings are non-religious and evidence-based, rooted in the latest science of the mind, body, and brain, according to notes from Barrientos about the program. [Read more…]