One of the most important aspects of mental illness is the isolation it imposes. When I am seriously depressed, I don't want to socialize. I avoid it. When I worked in the field, I was very aware that my visits were the most social interaction that some of my clients had. I took it seriously and tried to make my visits as social as possible. But attention from a case manager isn't friendship. I knew the difference. I am sure my clients did too. However, mental illness creates barriers to friendship. Not the least of which is stigma. A diagnosis can lead to distrust. People sometimes have a hard time seeing the person behind the diagnosis.
So, I was touched when I read about this program: http://bit.ly/1eiL61K. Mentoring programs are not new. In my first professional job while in a college internship, I worked with a 'Big Brother/Big Sister' program. Same kind of idea. We provided mentors for at risk children. For some of those children, their Big Brother or Big Sister was the only positive interaction they had with a positive adult role model. As such, it was very important in providing them with support, affirmation, and guidance. This mentoring program essentially does the same thing.
What does a friend do for you? For me, friends provide love and support. They give me the opportunity to have fun. We spend time together. I benefit from having a sounding board. In short, they are extremely important. They accept me for who I am. I do the same for them. They provide me with the human interaction I need to stay healthy. This mentoring program will do the same for its participants.
This is the kind of programming that will help the mentally ill stay connected to society in a positive way. We all need social interaction to stay happy and healthy. This program offers the potential to create a support system free of stigma for an extremely vulnerable population...the mentally ill.
So, I was touched when I read about this program: http://bit.ly/1eiL61K. Mentoring programs are not new. In my first professional job while in a college internship, I worked with a 'Big Brother/Big Sister' program. Same kind of idea. We provided mentors for at risk children. For some of those children, their Big Brother or Big Sister was the only positive interaction they had with a positive adult role model. As such, it was very important in providing them with support, affirmation, and guidance. This mentoring program essentially does the same thing.
What does a friend do for you? For me, friends provide love and support. They give me the opportunity to have fun. We spend time together. I benefit from having a sounding board. In short, they are extremely important. They accept me for who I am. I do the same for them. They provide me with the human interaction I need to stay healthy. This mentoring program will do the same for its participants.
This is the kind of programming that will help the mentally ill stay connected to society in a positive way. We all need social interaction to stay happy and healthy. This program offers the potential to create a support system free of stigma for an extremely vulnerable population...the mentally ill.
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