The Voice 5205 Greenwood Ave
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SEPTEMBER2015 Issue IX Vol. IV The Voice 5205 Greenwood Ave. Ste 110 West Palm Beach, FL 33407 561-588-3477 www.namipbc.org MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT you feel is relevant to NAMI. Perhaps you want to By Manuel Kushner know the difference between SSI and SSDI, Medi- care and Medicaid, the Baker Act and the March- My wife and I recently signed a contract to sell man Act? Maybe you've discovered a particular- our home. We’re fortunate to have lived in a beau- ly effective medication or treatment you wish to tiful house, but it’s now too big for our needs, and share, either anonymously or openly, with the it’s filled with memories from the darkest days of membership? Maybe you’re like me, and you’d our son’s illness, and so we’re looking forward to like to know why my wife insists that I box up for the change. In our fantasies, we’re still 21 years old yet another move, her old college term papers, and can pack up all of our belongings into the back and all the cookbooks and holiday wrapping paper of our car. In practice, however, unless the “packing we’ve acquired during our thirty six years of mar- fairy” shows up any time soon, we’re facing an over- riage but never used? (Maybe we shouldn’t go whelming task. Clearly, I need to get rid of a lot of there, and I should just keep packing?) Either “stuff,” and by “stuff,” I obviously mean “my wife’s way, I’m looking forward to reading your ques- stuff.” tions, comments, concerns or anecdotes, all of As I opened some drawers, many of which have which can be e-mailed to me, care of our new Ex- not seen the light of day in years, I came across for- ecutive Director, Marsha Martino, at marshamar- mer issues of NAMI Palm Beach County’s The- [email protected] . Voice newsletter, which include articles I've written since the time I became President and began writing In July, NAMI/PBC served the President's Message column approximately two 565 individuals and a half years ago. During that time, I’ve We answered 211 phone calls written on a wide variety of topics, including the 8 took part in NAMI Provider Ed physiological effects of marijuana on the working 7 attended the Cognitive Enhancement Therapy memory of adolescents, the success of last year’s first annual NAMI Palm Beach County Walk, various 17 clients for REACH for Teens and Adults mentoring social events offered by NAMI Palm Beach County’s 81 participated in NAMI Peer Council and spectacular Peer Council, and NAMI Palm Beach N.O.W. activities County's groundbreaking introduction of Cognitive 21 attended NAMI/PBC Family Support Groups Enhancement Therapy to the state of Florida, to 143 attendedNAMI Connection Groups name just a few of the topics. 42 attended NAMI Presentations in the community Now it’s your turn to submit questions, topics or 38 attended the NAMI/PBC Young Adults Group stories you’d like to read about or have discussed in 10 attended the NAMI/PBC Adolescent Support our newsletter. Feel free to pose a question, pro- Groups vide a suggestion, or describe an event or an issue WHAT ‘S NEW THE GREAT BUDGET BATTLE OF 2015 In one of the most dramatic legislative sessions in Florida history, the House and Senate’s battle over Medicaid expansion weighed heavily on the budget process. The Senate argued that expanding Medicaid was the best solution for providing coverage to Florida’s uninsured population, as well as mitigating the state’s loss of Low Income Pool (LIP) funding. The House and Governor Scott vigorously opposed expan- sion and demanded that the federal government continue providing the LIP funds. The federal govern- ment announced last year that the funding was going to expire in 2015. Those funds are provided to hos- pitals and clinics that care and treat uninsured and underinsured patients to reimburse some of their ex- penses. In the coming year, that would have meant a loss to Florida hospitals of up to $1.3 billion. With the House and Senate’s respective budgets $4 billion and one Medicaid plan apart, the impasse was too great to resolve before the regular session concluded. The House adjourned sine die without warning days before the end of the regular session, and the Senate, without the ability to conduct legisla- tive business with the House, adjourned with an empty rotunda. Since the legislature is constitutionally mandated to produce a budget by July 1st, a special session was called for June, during which a compromise needed to be reached. Ultimately, the three-week special ses- sion saw the legislature negotiate and pass a budget that did not expand Medicaid but did compromise on LIP funding. The legislature allocated $400 million in general funds to reimburse hospitals, which will draw down $600 million in federal matching funds. This compromise meant, however, that Governor Scott did not get the full tax cut package he sought. Next year, with the federal LIP funding dropping even further, the legislature will face yet another complication in constructing the budget. Excerpt from PALM BEACH COUNTY 2015 LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION REPORT Message from the Delegation Chair, Rep. Lori Berman NAMI PBC PEER COUNCIL CORNER September Peer Council Meeting N.O.W. (NAMI On Wednesdays) FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 4:30 PM NAMI/PBC, 1520 10th Avenue North, Suite D, Wednesdays from 11:00am-4:00pm Lake Worth—Pizza and refreshments will be The NAMI PBC Lake Work Office is now open for served. Drop Inn. Join us for Arts & Crafts, Book Club, Games, Speakers, Computer Training, Advocacy, Movies and more. NAMI on Wednesdays (N.O.W.) Take Me Out To The Ball Game drop-in this past month continues to be quite ac- FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 6:30 PM commodating with peer participation. We have dec- FREE TICKET, POPCORN AND DRINK! Roger orated mason jars, luminaries, picture frames, per- Dean Stadium, Jupiter. Reservations requiredby sonal journals and artificial flower arrangements. calling Chris or Michael at 561-588-3477. Karaoke Sing Off SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 AT 1:00 PM Contact the office for more information! NAMI/PBC, 1520 10th Avenue, North, Suite D, 561-588-3477. Lake Worth, 33460. Refreshments served. Page 2 IN THE NEWS Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: What is it and Why do we use it? Dr. Kelly Everson Developed by Dr. Aaron T. Beck, Cognitive Therapy (CT), or Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), is a form of psychotherapy in which the therapist and the client work together as a team to identify and solve prob- lems. Therapists use the Cognitive Model to help clients overcome their difficulties by changing their thinking, behavior, and emotional responses. CBT is one of the most widely researched therapeutic mod- els- it has been found to be effective in more than 1000 outcome studies for a myriad of psychiatric disor- ders, including depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and substance abuse, among others, and it is currently being tested for personality disorders. It has also been demonstrated to be effective as an adjunctive treatment to medication for serious mental disorders such as bipolar disorder and schizophre- nia. Cognitive behavior therapy is based on a cognitive theory of disorder. The cognitive model describes how people’s perceptions of, or spontaneous thoughts about, situations influence their emotional, behav- ioral (and often physiological) reactions. Individuals’ perceptions are often distorted and dysfunctional when they are distressed. Example: I am walking down the street and see someone I know- I look towards them and say hello. The other person doesn’t say anything and keeps walking. I then think, without pause: “They are mad at me- I’m a bad friend.” Now, I go through my day distressed and believing my thought, when an alterna- tive thought could have been, “They didn’t hear me” or “They are busy or distracted by something not re- lated to me.” We can learn to identify and evaluate “automatic thoughts” (spontaneously occurring verbal or imagi- nal cognitions), and to correct thinking so that it more closely resembles reality. When we do so, our dis- tress usually decreases, we are able to behave more functionally, and (especially in anxiety cases), our physiological arousal lessens or stops. Individuals also learn to identify and modify their distorted beliefs: their basic understanding of themselves, their worlds, and other people. These distorted beliefs influence their processing of information, and give rise to their distorted thoughts. Resources: Beck Institute Information, accessed at: http://www.beckinstitute.org/ Beck, J.S. (2011). Cognitive behavior thera- py: Basics and Beyond, 2nd Edition. New York: Guilford Press. WHERE WE FIND OURSELVES By Valerie Storer Last night Yet closer to the edge As I confronted every madness Were many of us I froze in fear, Whose blind spots let us hurt the ones we love, Then softened in the river And whose beliefs allow the hurt of those we don’t. We call home. I had thought I was much better, There I saw Had come much farther. Those truly lost In the tumultuous center, But I am in the river we call home, Who cause great harm to others With clearer eyes and open heart. And themselves. Page 3 WHAT’S COMING UP and WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING 2015 NAMIWalks Palm Beach County www.NAMIWALKS.ORG/PALMBEACHCOUNTY SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2015, JOHN PRINCE PARK, LAKE WORTH HAVE YOU REGISTERED FOR THE WALK??? ARE YOU GOING TO BE READY TO ROCK?? Visit the website today to register, create a team and invite your friends, make a donation, become a spon- sor, or to get additional Walk details.