Aligning Resources Across Georgia To Support Resiliency
To Our Resilient Georgia Partners and Stakeholders:
First, an announcement:

We are excited about our upcoming quarterly General Meeting in March that will focus on Young Adult Mental Health (19–26 year-olds) and will feature partners presenting innovative solutions to bolster young adult mental health across the state on college campuses, at the workplace, and other settings. The meeting will take place on Thursday, March 24th from 11 am to 1 pm ET virtually – invite and agenda to follow soon.
A Note on Suicide Prevention and Support
Suicide is a tragic occurence that touches the lives of so many across our nation. The National Institute for Mental Health reports that suicide was the tenth leading cause of death in 2019, claiming over 47,500 lives. In addition, it is nearly impossible to estimate how many people are indirectly affected by those suffering with ideation or attempts, but we know that the pain and grief that emerges following a suicide is intimately familiar to many of our community members. We are thankful for the amazing organizations and RG partners working upstream to break the stigma and prevent suicide from taking more precious lives. You can find a wealth of suicide prevention resources here, including hotline numbers, connections to appropriate mental healthcare, and information about suicide. We also want to highlight the amazing work of our partner Chatham County Safety Net, an organization that trains and educates their community about suicide - click here to learn more and register for their classes. For those who have recently been impacted by suicide, we want to offer our sincerest condolences, alongside a few resources that are supporting people to experience and come to terms with their grief.

First, this page contains a number of valuable resources for suicide loss survivors that can help individuals take the next step in their journey with grief. Kate’s Club is an amazing partner of ours offering free programming for children and adolescents touched by various forms of loss, including suicide of a loved one. If you are facing thoughts about committing suicide, we urge you to utilize the National Suicide Prevention Hotline by dialing 1-800-273-8255. At Resilient Georgia, we hope to build resiliency that can support individuals touched by suicide as well as make an impact to prevent suicide whenever possible.
We would like to highlight several resources and news updates:

  • Take a moment to read about the Mental Health Parity Georgia bill that is attempting to increase accessibility to mental health services in the state. You can also listen to WABE discuss the bill in more detail here. 
  • Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education has released their “Top Ten Issues to Watch in 2022”, which highlights where Georgia stands in terms of health and education equity, and presents goals for progress in the upcoming year.
  • The University of Georgia recently received a $1.9 million grant from Georgia’s Human Resources and Services Administration that they will use to widen access to mental healthcare through training future providers in telehealth and in-person methods that will help reach in-need populations across the state. 
  • The NYT surveyed 1,320 therapists about the mental state of their clients and found that the state of mental health is at an overwhelming point of anxiety, conflict, and grief. With demand for mental health resources at an all time high, it’s crucial we do everything we can to support professionals in the field.

Finally, we would like to share these upcoming opportunities:

  • We are excited about our upcoming quarterly General Meeting in March that will focus on Young Adult Mental Health (19–26-year-olds) and will feature partners presenting innovative solutions to bolster young adult mental health across the state on college campuses, at the workplace and other settings. The meeting will take place on Thursday, March 24th from 11 am to 1 pm ET virtually – registration link and agenda to follow soon.
  • Join the Black Child Development Institute for the third annual 2022 Culturally Responsive Early Education & Care Summit. This summit will be two-days of workshops focused on diversity, equity and inclusion for Black children and families. Day 1 is in-person; Day 2 is virtual. Learn more and RSVP here.
  • For Georgia youth ages 14-24 looking for a way to be a health and wellness advocate in their community, apply by March 11 to become a part of the GCAPP Youth Advisory Council.
  • Boosting Bravery, in partnership with GCAPP, is offering a FREE 8 week zoom course for middle and high school aged girls interested in building resilience and mental wellness skills. Click here to learn more about the program and register to attend.

We appreciate and value all that you do as partners of Resilient Georgia. We encourage you to take a few minutes of your time today to intentionally and consciously show up for YOU. Close your eyes, press play, and listen as Yoga Ed Teacher Joel guides this simple and effective mindfulness practice (created for children, but we think it's perfect for all ages). Afterwards, maybe try one of these incredible stress-relieving yoga poses - your body and mind will thank you.

Follow us on Facebook or Instagram for more resources, events, and news. As always, we want to thank you for showing up every day to go above and beyond to support the behavioral health of youth in Georgia.

Sincerely,

Brenda Fitzgerald, MD
Executive Board Chair
&
Emily Anne Vall, PhD
Executive Director
Positive and Adverse Childhood Experiences (PACEs)
This month, we are thrilled to present a number of wonderful resources and news centered on trauma-informed care and PACEs education. First, a look at how media can surprisingly create spaces to educate and support our communities. With much of the conversation about social media being its more negative features, we are relieved to present news about social media helping to connect those struggling with grief. To learn more about the use of #GriefTok, take a moment to read this article. We also want to share two amazing documentaries that give a firsthand look at the impact of childhood trauma on brain development and behavioral manifestations. PBS series “Broken Places” explores individual differences in youth responses to trauma, including the developmental effect trauma has on the brain. On the other hand, the impactful Paper Tigers film shows a school’s attempt to break the cycle of poverty, violence, and behavioral concerns educators might see in class. After observing the positive impact media can have, we hope to see a continued trend of entertainment supporting emotional and behavioral health education and awareness. 

There’s so much that we can do as adults to further our understanding and perspective on development and ACEs. We’re proud to present this Digital Mental Health Toolkit, launched by our Regional Coalition Grantee Cobb, filled with information about trauma-informed care and resilience. A new report out of Massachusetts offers best practices for trauma-informed education, while this evidence-based set of resources from the Child Mind Institute offers individualized sets of videos and written information around mental health and coping skills for students, educators, and parents alike. The Black Child Development Institute is home to a wealth of trauma-informed resources and training, including their Strength Within program, which administers education and skills training for professionals working with low-income children ages 0-5. Afterschool caretakers can greatly benefit from checking out this inclusive mental health toolkit from The Georgia Statewide Afterschool Network (GSAN). While mental health resources are incredibly valuable, the work doesn’t stop there. We are encouraged by this research study that explored the impact of physical activity on its ability to buffer specific types of ACE exposure, and found that the effects of many different types of trauma can be mitigated through greater levels of bodily movement and exercise. This means that even just encouraging an active lifestyle for children can make a huge difference when it comes to regulating emotional encounters and promoting resilience in development. We hope that these resources are useful and effective tools for uplifting caregivers, educators, advocates, and the children they support.
COVID-19 Resources
  • More than half of American adults have not yet received their COVID booster, even though everyone is now eligible for the shot. This NYT article explains why the booster is valuable even if you’ve just recovered from the virus. 

  • If you haven’t already heard, USPS is delivering 4 at-home COVID tests to every household in America. All you have to do is fill in your information at this link, and they’ll take care of the rest.
Racial Equity Resources

  • Cultural differences in attitudes around mental health can be a huge obstacle for those in the community trying to break stigma and seek treatment. This NPR article offers 4 tips for bridging generational gaps by talking to your Latinx parents about mental health. 

  • Raksha is a Georgia-based nonprofit serving the South Asian Community by addressing family and sexual violence and divorce, as well as issues concerning children, senior citizens and new immigrants. Their mission is to promote a stronger and healthier community through free and confidential support services, education, and advocacy.
“Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.”
-Brené Brown