Ascend Behavioral Health is located in Fresno and specializes in mental health of children and teens in the Central Valley. Facebook photo of Ascend's office in Fresno

GB3 partners with local mental health center

For Mental Health Awareness Month, GB3 George Brown Sports Club and The Resiliency Center are entering a partnership to promote the importance of mental and physical health.

The Resiliency Center is a nonprofit organization that is working to bridge the gap of access to care for those affected by trauma, which is where the partnership with GB3 comes in.

Physical health and mental health are not mutually exclusive and both play a part in the overall health of an individual, said Justin Lowery, case manager for The Resiliency Center, and it’s for that reason that this partnership came to fruition.

“We know that physical health coincides with mental health and we thought it’d be a great idea to try to find a partnership that could kind of convey that message,” said Lowery.

Anyone who reaches out about the partnership will be registered for a GB3 membership at a discounted rate, and help provide client services to those struggling with mental health and are in need of recovery from trauma.

By creating this partnership, Lowery hopes that it will help break the stigma around mental health and educate others on the ways mental health and physical health go hand in hand.

“I think it’s a great partnership that will show the community that mental health isn’t just one thing and physical health isn’t just another thing,” said Lowery. “It breaks that stigma and shows that it’s all intertwined at the end of the day.”

The partnership is valid only in the month of May and will offer discounted online only membership enrollment rates to help members reach their health and wellness goals.

Youth mental health crisis continues to increase

For the better part of a decade youth mental health has been declining, with 44.2% of adolescents experiencing feelings of persistent sadness and hopelessness – as well as suicidal thoughts and behaviors, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System.

According to Jason Christopherson, clinical director for Ascend Behavioral Health (Ascend), this trend seems to coincide with the rise of social media and the smartphone in the 2010’s, as well as the social expectations that come from them.

“The pace with which technology changes, the complexity of our society is so fast and rapid, that in many respects, we can’t keep up,” said Christopherson.

As a result, parents have a difficult job when it comes to monitoring how their children are doing and how their online presence may be affecting their mental health, according to Christopherson.

“In the time that it takes them to understand the social media applications that their kids are using, they’ve already switched like two or three times to different ones,” said Christopherson.

“Parents just can’t simply keep up with the rate of change and kids are constantly going through these things because they’re young, and parents don’t really have any kind of guiding principles because all of these things are brand new.”

It’s for that reason that Ascend requires all patients to check their phones prior to attending their sessions and does not allow them access until they leave. As a result, the staff saw more socializing between patients, less problematic behavior in group therapy sessions and less fighting with staff about putting away their cell phones during treatment.

Christopherson posits that this is only one step to giving his patients the care that they need, as well as the overall adolescent population of the Central Valley. A major concern for Chrispoherson is the lack of trained mental health practitioners who are specifically trained in working with children and adolescents in the Central Valley.

According to Christopherson, he is the only board certified child and adolescent clinical psychologist in the entire central San Joaquin Valley. This lack of access furthers the mental health crisis because once patients move on from short-term treatment facilities, such as Ascend Behavioral Health, there are not enough specialists in the area to give all of them the proper treatment.

“When patients graduate from our program, the natural thing for them to do is to go to outpatient therapy,” said Christopherson. “Well, the vast majority of our patients and their parents are trying to get them a therapist for three, four months at a time while they’re enrolled in our program and are still on waiting lists.”

It’s for that reason that Ascend has instituted multiple training programs within the company that sets up students and graduates for an internship program for psychologists in an effort to bring more board certified child and adolescent clinical psychologists to the area.

It is Christopherson’s hope that this will help bridge the gaps in care for adolescents in the Central Valley, and create a wide network of board certified therapists and specialists in an effort to combat the increasing mental health crisis we are experiencing today.

Local nonprofit hosts first annual ‘No Town Chill’

In an effort to foster community and advocate for mental health the Art Silva Foundation will be hosting its first ever ‘No Town Chill’ event on May 28.

Art Silva, the founder of the nonprofit, decided to organize the community event and fundraiser in an effort to raise awareness and support for Mental Health Awareness Month,a s well as show support for the organization’s new clinic opening soon.

It is Silva’s hope that the summer long, monthly event will build awareness and comradery while providing creative outlets for mental health support and outreach.

With over 20 years experience in the music industry, which he says has given him the ability to give back to the community in this way.

“It’s a blessing to be able to do this,” said Silva.

For Silva, it is important to showcase artists because art and mental health are not mutually exclusive, he says. According to Silva, art is an outlet for many in an effort to convey their emotions in an effective manner; and by doing so also creates creative and beautiful art for others to enjoy.

The event will take place at the new Maya Event Center on the Southwest corner of Shaw and Cedar in Fresno and will last from 11am to 4pm. Music from local artists, food trucks, and vendors will be featured as well.