dallas morning news I received a lot of feedback from readers about my column I wrote last month about former Dallas County Prosecutor Susan Hawk's path to healing from mental illness.
They were amazed at Hawke's courage and cheered on her recovery. They shared her story with others who needed her hope. They wrote about their own struggles and I responded with a few words of my own.
The email from a woman who said she had battled depression all her life included some tough questions.
This reader found Hawke's story moving and powerful. But what happens to those who can’t afford it and don’t have access to services or family support?
What about the suicidal single mother who can barely pay the house and send her child to school? Or a medical staff member traumatized by the loss of a baby and forced to choose between returning to work or being fired?
It appears that reminding the email sender of the list of mental health providers we published in the Hawk column was an inappropriate response. she's right. Aid is scarce and appointments are often hard to come by, especially for people hovering near the poverty line.
After doing more reporting, I found a better answer for those who don't know where to turn. It is a community ministry network based in Richardson. Its newly created mental health initiative has the potential to save lives in the neighborhood and is a challenge to other nonprofits that are capable of this difficult work.
Original notes from the 1985 organizational meeting are framed on the network's walls. Next on the “to-do-now” list, providing food, clothing, and then housing and job assistance was the founder's desire to someday offer counseling services.
“I don't know what the obstacles were for 38 years, but I took over in September 2022 and started looking at ways to make this happen,” said President and CEO Abby Kaufman. Told.
A year later, with generous funding from the city of Richardson, the network began offering free and unlimited counseling to neighbors struggling to make ends meet. There is no sliding fee scale or session cap for access to mental health staff.
This barrier-free assistance is provided alongside other important comprehensive services and is unique, if not unique, in North Texas. Although the network primarily serves neighborhoods in the 14 zip codes that make up Richardson ISD, staff strive to help anyone who reaches out find the right mental health help. Masu.
One of the network's neighbors, Tiffany Gipson, came to the nonprofit seeking answers to the trauma she experienced as a witness to the final moments of the mass shooting at Allen Premium Outlets in May.
Gipson was working a shift at Fatburger that day when a large group of people ran past the restaurant. Her next memory is of the gunman who killed seven people bleeding on a nearby sidewalk as police fired on him.
“It was a very traumatic experience because it happened right in front of me,” Gipson told me.
In the aftermath, Gipson, who was already suffering from anxiety and depression, received a referral for mental health support. When she called her agency, she was told there was no position available for her.
Gipson suffered in silence for several months until a hospital social worker told her about the network. She started seeing therapist Holly Packer as soon as she started the program in September.
“Holly has given me a lot of hope and it has made a huge difference to my mental health,” Ms Gipson said. With a list of coping skills at hand, Gipson was able to get another job and rebuild her life.
Packer said she admires Gipson's resilience the most and helps her leverage the strengths she already has.
Another neighbor in the network is Melissa Watkins, whose mental health has taken a huge hit during the pandemic. In the blink of an eye, her husband left, she lost her job, and her two children's schools began remote learning.
“That's enough to make anyone a little mentally unstable,” Watkins said.
She admitted that getting over the hump and asking for help can be scary. She said: “It's hard to admit to yourself, much less to others, that you're suffering and that you're constantly anxious.”
As I began my search, I began to worry that it would be impossible to find mental health support at an affordable price, let alone free.
After moving to Richardson from McKinney, she heard about Network from a friend. Now she meets weekly with Packer, and her counseling is helping her and, by extension, her two children.
“This program is a gift,” she told me. “I have fewer hard days and have a more positive outlook on things.”
Amanda Pels, who joined the network in June as chief strategy officer, is a key figure in the mental health practice. She said the hardships shared by Gipson and Watkins are no different than what she hears from all of her network's neighbors.
“I keep repeating, 'You can't find this anywhere else.' Even if you can find it, you can't buy it,” said Pels, a licensed clinical social worker with experience at Parkland Memorial Hospital and City Square. Ta.
People are less likely to spend money on mental health care if they have difficulty providing food and shelter for their families, she says. That's why the Network offers barrier-free ways to secure this critical service.
Another of the network's mental health services is the monthly Parent Café, which the nonprofit began hosting in November to build community and provide social support. Isolation is a common concern for many of our neighbors. Most people who attend Parent Cafe are also enrolled in counseling.
Network staff spent part of Tuesday creating Taylor Swift-inspired friendship bracelets for Parent Café on March 21st. Participants pick up beaded bracelets with words like smile, brave, fearless, and kind, and partner with others in the room who also have the same wristband.
“Whether they know Taylor Swift or not, having a positive message makes them feel empowered and encouraged,” Pels said. .
Building a competent mental health team like the one Pels oversees doesn't come cheap. The Network's capabilities come from a strong partnership with the City of Richardson. The city provided start-up funds, pledging $200,000 a year for three years.
A matching gift from the Ruth Ann Marmion Charitable Foundation will allow the nonprofit to hire a second therapist and, starting later this month, a contract psychiatrist for medication management. Ta.
CEO Kaufman hopes that by demonstrating that this work is possible and can be done successfully, the network will inspire other organizations to do it as well. “If you hire one highly qualified counselor, you can help 15 to 20 people,” she says.
If your nonprofit isn't ready to take that step, Pels suggests starting with a parent cafe. That's where neighbors who are hesitant to jump into counseling want to start.
The network team is also committed to finding quality support for those who are not available to them. “If you don't know where to go, just go.” where or call us,” Pels said. “We can connect you with someone who knows something.”
For more information about Network of Community Ministries' mental health services, please visit: network.orgemail to Neighborhood Intake Coordinator vbrizuela@thenetwork.org Or call us at 972.234.8880, ext. 133. Nonprofit organizations are open Monday through Wednesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
