Mental health committee finalizes conference plans

On Thursday morning at Healthy Nevada, some 12 people attended the monthly meeting of the Mental Health Committee who received an update on activities with the Crisis Intervention Team, Mental Health Court and reviewed plans for the November conference on how childhood trauma affects the brain.

“For those of you who weren’t here last month I’m so excited to announce we have a speaker and a date, time and place for our fall conference on childhood trauma and behaviorally challenged children,” said Dr. Tricia Bridgewater, local psychologist and chairperson of the committee.

She said it will be on Tuesday, Nov. 6 (Election Day) from 1-5 p.m. in the Missouri Recital Hall at the Haidee and Allen Wild Center for the Arts on the campus of Cottey College.

The keynote address will be delivered from 3-5 p.m. by Dr. Bryan Post. Based in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Post travels widely to speak and train on what is known as the trauma-informed brain and resulting behaviors and relationships. Post has authored a series of books on how to achieve positive behavioral change in children “with whom nothing works.”

“For the first two-hours of the conference we want to do a number of things,” said Bridgewater.

One thing she named is to screen a five-minute video entitled, “Understanding Trauma: Learning Brain vs. Survival Brain” by Jacob Ham.

Although brief, she said it explains with words and some cartoon graphics how the “leaning brain” is able to think and process information in healthy ways but when it’s under the stress from some trauma, people switch into “survival brain” or what is often called fight-or-flight mode.”

The danger in all this said Bridgewater, is that when the stress occurs in a child, this can stop normal brain development and leave a child and then later the adult with a mind which is in a permanent state of “survival brain.”

The 1997 landmark study on ACES (adverse childhood experiences) is now recognized by mental health professionals as having proven how multiple instances or serious long-lasting trauma in childhood harms a child’s developing brain which in turn leads to serious adult physical and mental health problems, poor judgment, addiction, crime as well as an overall rougher and shorter life.

Said Bridgewater, “But as all you know, to intervene and really help doesn’t require years of counseling and medications, what it requires are the adults of Nevada and Vernon County to be there for a child and this conference will empower those who attend.”

Saying personal intervention is vital and can literally change a life for the better.

“And this will be part of our next focus,” said the local psychologist. “We want to make Nevada and Vernon County a trauma-informed community and encourage people personally to take steps, small or large to help children. We’ll be calling this effort, ‘Be the One!’”

A 10-question diagnostic tool on childhood trauma, known as the ACES Test will be taken by all at the conference and turned in with no name used on it. The test will be reviewed, group results will be shared and information on how to get help for friends and family and how to be the one who makes a positive difference in the life of a child will also be provided.

While Dr. Post’s normal fee is $10,000, through a one-time special arrangement, he is coming at a cost of $3,000.

Reminding the group that it does not have that amount of money, it was decided to charge a $10 registration fee.

“But I’m so glad to announce, that due to an anonymous donor, scholarships are available,” said Bridgewater. “And there is no hassle, just contact Kayli Leftwich at Healthy Nevada [417-283-3100 or kayli.leftwich@healthynevada.net] and you’ll get a scholarship.

Sponsors are needed to help underwrite the conference and a fundraiser may be necessary, said Bridgewater.

The first item on the agenda was as an update from Amanda Fisher, director of in-home services with On My Own and a leader with the Four Rivers Crisis Intervention Team Coordinating Council which serves several counties in southwest Missouri.

“We haven’t set the next training but it’ll probably be in January and pretty much run like last year,” said Fisher.

Instead of police officers, sheriff’s deputies, probation/parole, mental health and related professionals attending a 40-hour training in one week, the training is one day per week (eight hours) for five successive weeks.

Turning to the subject of Vernon County’s Mental Health Court, Nevada Police Officer Brittany Dawn said there are seven in the program.

“We’ve got one in treatment right now, one incarcerated and one that is self-committed and is Joplin right now,” said Dawn.

She said it is easy to revert back to the old behaviors and said she was thought one was doing so well and so was surprised when she reverted back to old behaviors “but did the right thing when she recognized when she was in trouble and got help.”

Bridgewater said realizing her situation and asking for help was itself a form of real progress since in the past she would not have done that.

The Mental Health Committee’s own 3-minute video promoting resilience through the metaphor of walking in someone else’s shoes is to be available later this fall as part of the pre-trailer ads at Nevada’s Cinema 6 theater, on the screens at the Franklin P. Norman City/County Community Center and at the various facilities of the Nevada Regional Medical Center.

Bridgewater and Kelly Ast, program director with Healthy Nevada, spoke of Bridgewater’s recent presentation on trauma-informed brain to the Nevada Rotary Club.

“We talked about the importance of good character and parents taking that seriously and teaching their kids how to make good decisions,” said Bridgewater.

In her 10-minute presentation she also told Rotarians about trauma and how it puts the brain in fight-or-flight mode and the long-lasting negative effects it can have on the brain and in people’s lives.

She encouraged the Rotarians not to ask, “What’s wrong with you?” since that question implies negative judgment.

“Instead ask, ‘What’s happening to you?’ since this is a question of empathy and opens up lines of communication.”

Further, Bridgewater said she encouraged those in the room to “Be the One” that is, be an adult who listens and encourages children.

After showing the brief video on resilience using the metaphor of walking in someone else’s shoes, Ast — who herself is a Rotarian and had attended the meeting — said “After the video was shown, the whole room was silent. The video was so good, everybody got it.”

Said Bridgewater, “That’s what we want from our conference and eventually the whole community. We want each adult to get it and be the one who is there for our kids.”