Community Conversations on Mental Health

National Dialogue on Mental Health Comes to Redding, Ridgefield & Wilton
Community Conversations on Mental Health allow the public to work toward “healthy minds, healthy communities”

www.HealthyMindsCT.org

February 26, 2014 (Norwalk, CT) –“I’m upset about the boy who committed suicide in my town and the kids who almost died from alcohol poisoning,” commented a participant at a recent Community Conversation, organized as part of the National Dialogue on Mental Health. “I’m concerned about all the media attention on a few people with mental illness who committed violent acts,” responded another.

                  A national initiative launched after the tragedy at Sandy Hook, the Community Conversations on Mental Health have been taking place throughout Fairfield County since October.

                  Now the conversations are coming to the Redding, Ridgefield, and Wilton area.             

                  A three-part conversation will begin Wednesday, March 19, and will continue for two more weeks, from 7-9pm, at the Gilbert and Bennett Cultural Arts Center, 49 New Street, in Georgetown. The public is invited to sign up at www.HealthyMindsCT.org.

                  “The goal of the Community Conversations is more than just talking about mental health—it’s to empower community members to be a part of the solution,” said Margaret Watt, Executive Director of the Southwest Regional Mental Health Board.  The conversations bring together small groups of people for a weekly series of facilitated meetings, in which participants air their beliefs, identify challenges in the community, and create locally actionable solutions. Dinner is provided.

            Mental illness affects 1 in 4 people. Virtually every family has someone who is suffering from a mental illness, be it anxiety, depression, substance abuse, or another disorder. Most families suffer in silence; the Community Conversations provide an opportunity to normalize the experience while working for change.

                  In Fairfield County, conversations have already taken place in Bridgeport, Fairfield, Greenwich, New Canaan & Darien, Norwalk, Stamford, and Stratford, and special discussions have been held for teens, senior citizens, the LGBTQ community, and at the Open Door Shelter.

                  This initiative is being organized by the Southwest Regional Mental Health Board and the National Alliance for Mental Illness, with funding from the Fairfield County Community Foundation. In Redding, Ridgefield, and Wilton, the League of Women Voters and town Social Services Departments are providing additional support and participation and can help follow up on the recommendations for local change.

                  To sign up, or for more information, visit www.HealthyMindsCT.org or call the Southwest Regional Mental Health Board at (203) 840-1187. Please sign up by Friday, March 14.