H.E.L.P. Mental Health Support

Thursdays, 6 to 8:30 p.m., Menlo Park Campus, Garden Court

6:00 p.m.: Fellowship Supper - Freewill donation for dinner
6:30 to 7:30 p.m.:  Music, singing, speaker or video program
7:30 to 8:30 p.m.:  Sharing and prayer in small groups

H.E.L.P. (Hope, Encouragement, Love, Prayer)  
Our ministry provides Christ’s compassion to individuals with mental illness and support for their families and friends. We offer Christian friendship, fellowship, and prayer in a safe, confidential environment. We welcome anyone wanting to learn more about mental health issues including schizophrenia, bipolar, uni-polar chronic depression, and borderline personality disorder.

January 2012 Schedule

January 5 - 2012 Resolutions: How to Have a Healthier New Year
Deborah Wolfe will present to our group for the second time, speaking about “the new you” in the new year. Along the lines of her lively presentation on 12 Tips For the Holidays in early December, Deb will discuss the challenges of living with mental illness with a focus on the possibilities for healing and growth as the new year begins. As always, Deb delivers her information from a background of experience--with a good dose of humor--to communicate clearly her ideas on how to bridge the gap between mental illness and wellness. 

January 12 - We will discuss Deb’s presentation from last week, offering our personal insights and suggestions to assist her in developing her program of wellness.

January 19 - We begin a 4-part DVD series by acclaimed brain expert Dr. Daniel Amen entitled, “Magnificent Mind At Any Age.” In this follow-up to “Change Your Brain, Change Your Life,” Dr. Amen explores the many natural ways that we cannot only keep our brains healthy as we age, but improve and enhance our brain power, allowing us to be more effective, successful, and happy.  Dr. Amen is a child and adult psychiatrist, bestselling author, brain imaging specialist, and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He has clinics in California, Washington, and Virginia and boasts the world’s largest database of brains scans relating to psychiatric medicine.

January 26 - We will view part 2 of 4 of the DVD, “Magnificent Mind at Any Age,” with time for discussion afterward.

February 2012 Schedule

February 2 - Part 3 of the DVD series, “Magnificent Mind at Any Age” by Dr. Daniel Amen, noted child and adult psychiatrist and expert on the brain and its potential for change,even in advancing age.

February 9 - The fourth and final installment of the DVD series, “Magnificent Mind at Any Age.”

February 16 - Tonight we have the privilege of hearing from two NAMI volunteers, Jim Rennert and Robert Villanueva, as they present In Our Own Voice (IOOV). IOOV is a unique public education program developed by NAMI, in which two trained consumer speakers share compelling personal stories about living with mental illness and achieving recovery. IOOV is an opportunity for those who have struggled with mental illness to gain confidence and to share their individual experiences of recovery and transformation.

Throughout the IOOV presentation, audience members are encouraged to offer feedback and ask questions. Audience participation is an important aspect of IOOV because the more audience members become involved, the closer they come to understanding what it is like to live with a mental illness and stay in recovery. Recovery is the point in someone's illness in which the illness is no longer the first and foremost part of his or her life, no longer the essence of all his or her existence.

Anyone familiar with mental illness knows that recovery is not a singular event, but a multi-dimensional, multi-linear journey characterized more by the mindset of the one taking it than by his or her condition at any given moment along the way. Understanding recovery as having several dimensions makes its uneven course easier to accept. Much as we don't blame the cancer patient for dying of invasive tumors, we can't condemn a consumer whose symptoms overtake his or her best efforts to manage illness.

February 23 - Tish’s boyfriend, Bob, will join our group and speak on “Forgiveness.”