MHA of Westchester

Debut of two Groundbreaking MHA of Westchester Services

September 28, 2017 by The Inside Press

Suicide bereavement services offered by a specialist who has experienced her own personal loss to suicide

Each person experiences the loss of a loved one to suicide in their own way and in their own time. Through our new Suicide Loss: Outreach, Support and Healing service, we are able to offer compassion, understanding and support from a trained specialist who has also experienced personal loss to suicide.

Support is provided in a variety of ways and may include: connections to support groups in the community, sharing resources such as books, managing tasks at hand, discussing expectable reactions to a loss to suicide, how and what to share, and supporting family members – especially children. Suicide Loss: Outreach, Support and Healing services are provided at no cost.

Continue reading about Suicide Loss services>>>

Groundbreaking Telehealth service now at MHA

This summer, MHA debuted a groundbreaking behavioral health service that enables clients to meet with our psychiatrists via two-way, real-time interactive audio and video equipment.

Featuring HIPAA-compliant computer and web cam configurations, Telehealth stations are located in MHA’s White Plains, Yonkers and Mount Kisco clinics and offer improved access to care for clients who are in crisis situations and those who engage in clinical walk-in services.

Continue reading about Telehealth>>>

This news was provided as a courtesy to MHA of Westchester.

Get On Your Mat For Mental Health

June 3, 2017 by The Inside Press

Welcome summer under the open sky as Get On Your Mat For Mental Health returns on Wednesday, June 21 at 5:30 p.m. in Turnure Park in White Plains, New York! Join The Mental Health Association of Westchester for an empowering and energetic community-driven mega-yoga event featuring mindfulness, meditation, movement and music–all for a good cause. Led by renowned teacher Beryl Bender Birch, Get On Your Mat For Mental Health raises vital awareness and support for behavioral health issues and services while illustrating the positive impact of yoga on mental wellness.

To learn more, visit www.mhawestchester.org.

MHA of Westchester’s YOGA Mega-Event: ‘Get On Your Mat For Mental Health’ is June 21

May 5, 2017 by The Inside Press

“One of The World’s Most Inspiring Mega-Yoga Events” Returns to White Plains This Summer to Raise Funds For Mental Health

The Mental Health Association of Westchester to Host Get On Your Mat For Mental Health

WHAT: Get On Your Mat For Mental Health is an outdoor mega-yoga event that raises vital funds for The Mental Health Association of Westchester. The event is expected to welcome more than 500 guests and will feature live music from House of Waters (“a sight to behold” – Time Out New York) and an hour-long yoga class suitable for all levels, taught by renowned yoga teacher Beryl Bender Birch. Get On Your Mat for Mental Health is a “Best of Westchester” award-winner and has been named “one of the world’s most inspiring mega-yoga events” by Well + Good.

WHO:

- - Beryl Bender Birch, legendary yoga instructor who has been teaching yoga for more than 40 years. Bender Birch founded the Give Back Yoga Foundation, created the concept of “Power Yoga” and has been hailed as the “perfect guide to help us all appreciate the rewards of yoga” by Katie Couric
  - Lorin Richardson, Fios1 Reporter and Emcee of Event
  - Charlotte Ostman, LCSW-R CEO of MHA as of June 5, 2017
  - Dr. Adam Elias, MHA Psychiatrist
  - MHA Client, to speak about how MHA has supported him through his recovery journey.

WHEN: Wednesday, June 21, 2017

5:30 p.m. Check-In and Registration open; live music; yoga marketplace

Remarks from Special Guests

6:30 p.m. Yoga Class with Beryl Bender Birch

WHERE: Turnure Park, 26 Lake Street, White Plains, NY 10603

WHY: Get On Your Mat For Mental Health is an energetic and empowering community-driven event that illustrates the positive impact of yoga on mental wellness while raising critical funds to benefit The Mental Health Association of Westchester, which provides vital support to more than 10,000 children, teenagers and adults each year through a variety of person-centered and trauma-informed services and programs. By attending this event, community members join our #MentalHealthMatters campaign, which raises awareness for mental health issues and helps end discrimination and stigma.

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For more than 70 years, The Mental Health Association of Westchester has promoted mental health in Westchester through advocacy, community education and direct services. MHA offers a range of services that are recovery-oriented, trauma-informed and individualized to promote recovery and wellness. To learn more, visit www.mhawestchester.org.

The Inside Press is a proud Media Sponsor for this event.

Mental Illness Not a Life Sentence, MHA of Westchester President Tells Rotary Gathering

March 2, 2017 by Inside Press

By Grace Bennett

Chappaqua, February 27–When it comes to understanding mental health, Michael Lombardi, Chappaqua resident and President of the Mental Health Association (MHA)of Westchester, makes one thing clear: as a society, we’ve come a long way. But there’s still much work to be done, too.

Michael Lombardi, president, Mental Health Association of Westchester

Speaking to a group of Rotary Club of Chappaqua members, Lombardi recalled an old and unhealthy secrecy surrounding serious mental illnesses in both children and adults. He spoke of how alcoholism was rarely acknowledged too. Even in more close minded times, he noted, the MHA was ahead of the curve responding to the needs of the community. ADD including working with the schools to help kids with classroom behavioral problems decades ago.

“Do any of you remember the expression: ‘Children are meant to be seen and not heard’?” he asked those gathered for the club’s weekly Monday lunch–held this time at Quaker Tavern as renovations were underway at its usual meeting place at Crabtree’s Kittle House.

The MHA of Westchester today serves 20,000 individuals a year in nine Westchester locations with plans to expand outside of Westchester too, according to Lombardi. “We’ve tried to address the myth that serious mental illness is a life sentence; it’s not a way to label an individual.”

He said MHA staff is “past treating symptoms,” in working with their clients, and that they recognize that recovery from most mental illness “is best managed at home or in a community setting.” The goal now is to reintegrate an individual into the community following hospitalization as soon as possible.

Lombardi outlined an array of services that MHA offers its clients such as the ‘Westchester Recovery Network’ which, employing ‘peer support,’ helps clients transition from long-term hospitalization, and ‘On Track, New York,’ which helps youth experiencing psychotic episodes. “Intervening earlier leads to healthier lives even in those with serious conditions,” he said.

Lombardi also mentioned programming initiatives which have included recent forums addressing suicide, depression and substance abuse. For more information about the MHA, visit mhawestchester.org, or follow their programming news on Facebook.

Judy Collins Helps Break the Taboo at MHA of Westchester Fundraiser

December 1, 2016 by Inside Press

“Break the taboo, tell the story,” Judy Collins told attendees of “An Evening of Conversation and Song,” the October 13th fundraiser for the Mental Health Association of Westchester at the Emelin Theater.

Collins, or “Judy Blue Eyes,” –- the legendary singer/songwriter of now classic American songs including “Both Sides, Now” and “Send in the Clowns,” –- proceeded to do just that, as she shared stories of her struggles with alcohol … “I was safe in New York with my therapist and half gallons of vodka.”

With depression…”While the outer self is looking so terrific, the inner self is saying: help, help.”

And finally, the different circumstances surrounding the suicide of her son and her own suicide attempt recovery. “The music saved me,” she shared. “It always has…Art makes it possible to survive on this planet.”

And so has the understanding that failure is ‘ok,’ she said.

“Scientists will tell you they learn the most from their failures,” Collins said. “There is no guilt in suicide…it is all about the process of getting from one point to the other.”

There are people who know that ‘truth,’ she added. And advised: “Be part of that clan” who offer “a bridge to life.” She commended the staff and volunteers of the MHA “for the miraculous work you do.” Following Judys’ talk, attendees enjoyed a reception and book signing.

For more information, please visit mhawestchester.org.

Grace Bennett, Publisher and Editor of the Inside Press, was recipient of a 2015 Media Award from the MHA of Westchester and a media sponsor for this event.