Join us at this free event honoring individuals and programs that are successfully addressing the issues of children’s mental health. These include work on early identification, outreach, family education, providing mental health awareness in schools and successful intervention on behalf of children and their families.
There will also be a presentation of proclamation from Governor Andrew M. Cuomo declaring the week of May 1st Children's Mental Health Awareness Week in New York State.
The Agenda for this free event includes:2-2:30 Registration, networking and exhibits in the Museum's Adirondack Section.
Art Exhibit: Come view a gallery of artwork created by children who have received mental health services
2:30-4:30pm Formal event in the Museum's Huxley Auditorium.
- Young Adult Voice of Recovery: Joseph Fusaro
- Keynote Address: Dr. Michael Compton
- Panel featuring 2017 Award Winners Detailing Their Work
- Presentation of the Proclamation Declaring Children's Mental Health Awareness Week
4:30-5 Refreshments and Art Exhibit
2017 Honorees
Beth Ramme-Ms Ramme adapted the NAMI Basics program which was meant to educate families with children experiencing a mental illness and is taking it inside county jails and sharing it with education and social services professionals in Suffolk County.
Foundations in Feelings “CAP” Program- FIF is an early childhood mental health consultation model designed to help children struggling with challenging behavior excel in preschool. A trained social worker provides assistance in creating support plans and coaching for classroom teachers in Westchester County.
Regina Barros-Rivera-The Associative Executive Director of North Shore Child and Family Guidance Center (Nassau County), Ms Barros-River is addressing the special needs of immigrant Latino families, especially girls, by implementing culturally appropriate mental health services. She has had an impact in the school based health programs in all 56 school districts.
Sheila Shea-The director of Mental Hygiene Legal Services in the Third Judicial Department in Albany, Ms Shea is helping children and youth with mental health or developmental disabilities secure needed treatment or appropriate placement.
Voices United 4 Change-This program is dedicated to raising awareness and eliminating stigma of children's mental health issues throughout Orange County. Along with their advocacy work on behalf of these children and youth, they sponsor a number of support groups, including some that are peer led.
Keynote Speaker: Michael T. Compton, M.D., M.P.H.
Dr. Compton is the Medical Director for Adult Services for the New York State Office of Mental Health. He is also the co-editor of the recently released book, The Social Determinants of Mental Health. The book aims to fill the gap that exists in the psychiatric, scholarly, and policy-related literature on the social determinants of mental health: those factors stemming from where we learn, play, live, work, and age that impact our overall mental health and well-being. Dr. Compton will be exploring these issues in his keynote address.
Young Adult Voice of Recovery: Joseph Fusaro:
This year the young adult voice of recovery will be provided by Joseph S. Fusaro. Joe credits music, writing, and photography with helping him relieve his psychosis and depression while living with bipolar 1 (manic depression) in his late teens and 20's. He finds he was able to ground his thoughts with art and slow down all of the confusion and racing thoughts. He also takes photos of things that give him hope, and writes poetry to the photos in an attempt to replace the trauma of his attempted suicides and many hospitalizations. He is relentless in his efforts to change the public conversation surrounding mental health, making it an open, more educated, and less opinionated conversation. Joe has recently published 3 poetry books, a guide to recovery from mental illness, and a music journal of his experiences with psychosis from 2008-2010. He also speaks at High Schools and Colleges about his experiences with NAMI (National Alliance Mental Illness) and takes place in This is My Brave performances.
Click here to watch the lastest episode of Mental Health Now. This episode discusses the What's Great in Our State with members of the event's steering committee and previous honoree Katherine Wallace.
Children's Mental Health Resources:
NIMH’s The Brain’s Inner Workings: Activities for Grades 9 through 12
Families Together in New York State
