Photo By Aimee Malone | Fort McCoy community members attend the Teen Mental Health Stand-down on Feb. 25,...... read more read more
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Building relationships, a sense of community, and counseling can be key components in combatting mental-health issues for all ages.
Fort McCoy Soldiers and civilians gathered Feb. 25 at the 88th Readiness Division to learn more about youth mental health and what resources are available to help both parents and children within the Army and the surrounding area.
Several organizations banded together to share and present information, including Army Community Service (ACS), Child and Youth Services (CYS), the Directorate of Human Resources, the Directorate of Emergency Services, and the Religious Support Office.
Counseling
Military Family Life Counseling is available through ACS at no cost to service members and family members. While the services are intended to be short term, they can help bridge the gap until longer-term services are available and provide community referrals. Counseling is confidential and can be conducted after work hours or on weekends by appointment. Per the Department of Defense, children and youth can only be seen within sight of their parents and with their parents’ permission.
The ACS Family Advocacy Program can help with mental health resources and referrals. ACS also has a library on a variety of subjects, including stress management and other topics related to mental health.
“Most of our services are confidential,” said Carrie Olson, program manager for the Family Advocacy Program. The primary exception is if someone is in a “duty to report” situation, which are mostly those involving abuse, violence, or other immediate danger.
Because bullying, both online and in person, has become a hot topic in recent years, the Family Advocacy Program is offering help on dealing with and preventing bullying.
“If you have a student who’s really struggling in school, reach out to me,” Olson said. She said she has a number of resources and activities to help, and both she and the School Liaison Office have developed relationships with area schools to help resolve such problems.
“We’re getting ready to do a couple of cyberbullying and safety classes for the children and parents,” she said. “Bullying doesn’t stop face to face. A lot of it is happening online on social media.”
School Liaison Officer Rebecca Walley can help with any issues that arise for children and teens in school, she said. Walley acts as an advocate for military families with area school districts. Her office works with schools within a 50-mile radius as needed to help ease school transitions, deployment challenges, and more.
The Religious Support Office provided several resources in the community to help with mental-health issues. Area classes are taught by the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The classes are taught by parents who have lived with children who have mental illnesses. Information is available at www.namimonroejuneau.org.
The Monroe County Health Department health educator, Kayleigh Day, offers classes on suicide prevention. Day can be reached at kayleigh.day@co.monroe.wi.us. Common Ground Campus Ministry in La Crosse can help remove teens from dangerous situations, if necessary. Information on the program is available at www.laxcg.org
The Monroe County Safe Community Coalition focuses on reducing alcohol, tobacco, and drug use and abuse, which can be connected with mental-health issues. Its website is www.mcsafecommunities.org. Tomah Baptist Church offers a “Victorious Overcomers” program to help with addiction recovery. Information is available online at tomahbaptistchurch.com/ministries/victorious-overcomers/.
The Religious Support Office also recommended getting involved with the community as a way to combat common mental-health issues like anxiety and depression. Church youth programs are available through a number of area churches. The Tomah Boys and Girls Club also offers children a safe place to hang out with their peers and build relationships while learning.
Resiliency, relationship building
The CYS Youth Center offers children a chance to build relationships with fellow military families in addition to providing educational and recreational activities, character and leadership development, and wellness and life skills. Transportation is provided from the Tomah and Sparta school districts.
The program also added a master resilience program in September. Master Resilience Trainer Tammie Noe works with school-age children and teens to help build resilience through fun, educational activities.
“Resilience training with our Army teens is essential to preparing them to deal with the challenges of Army life,” Noe said.
“A big part of resiliency is creating relationships,” she said. “By coming to the Youth Center, teens have a safe environment to learn and grow while building those relationships.”
School Liaison Officer Rebecca Walley can help with any issues that arise for children and teens in school, she said. Walley acts as an advocate for military families with area school districts. Her office works with schools within a 50-mile radius as needed to help ease school transitions, deployment challenges, and more.
Important numbers
If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is also available nationwide and provides a resource for people who are considering suicide. Call 800-273-TALK (8255). Callers will be directed to a regional location.
For information on EAP programs and services, call 608-388-2441. For information about ACS programs and services, call 608-388-3505. For information about CYS programs and services, call 608-388-8956. The School Liaison Office can be reached at 608-388-6814.
The Fort McCoy DES Police Department can be reached at its nonemergency line at 608-388-2266. Emergency
(This article is the second in a two-part series on teen mental health.)
| Date Taken: | 03.05.2019 |
| Date Posted: | 03.05.2019 15:16 |
| Story ID: | 313003 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WI, US |
| Web Views: | 77 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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