Issue 5
December 2022-January 2023
Welcome
Hello, fellow Illinoisans!
Whether you celebrated Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or life in general, I hope you and your families all had a safe and fulfilling holiday season. It is hard to believe that a New Year is already upon us! Here is to a bright New Year and a fond farewell to the old. May 2023 bless us all with great health, joy and prosperity! In this issue, you will hear about the significant work that is taking place in Illinois and the bright future ahead.
As we look forward to warmer weather, more sunshine, and a chance to start fresh, I would like to take the opportunity to remind you all that I deeply value your partnership to ensure Illinois continues to be considered among the best in the world when it comes to behavioral health.
Be well,
David T. Jones
Chief Behavior Health Officer
Attending to Wellness
As we move into colder weather, earlier sunsets, and the holiday season, please be mindful of your well-being and of those around you. Seasonal Affective Disorder is common, affecting millions of people each year. Whether you are missing someone this holiday season, feel lonely amidst all the hallmark commercials and Lifetime movies, or simply do not like the shorter and darker days, please know that you are not alone, and resources are available.
Below, you will find a few resources that you can utilize this holiday season:
Help is Here: Talk to Someone
COVID Holiday Survival Guide (PDF)
Self-Care Cheat Sheet (PDF)
Unhappy holidays: It's not the most wonderful time of the year for everyone (PDF)
Party Planning Tips for an Alcohol Safe and Drug Free Holiday Season (PDF)
Mental Health America: Hope for the Holidays
Hope Starts With Us: You are NOT Alone
NAMI Illinois
Resources to Support Youth, Families & Providers During the Holiday Season - Institute for Innovation (umaryland.edu)
Mental health and the holidays: Holiday stress - Mayo Clinic News Network
It's OK to Not Be OK During the Holidays | Psychology Today
Five Ways to Take Care of Your Mental Health This Holiday Season - Mental Health First Aid
The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) Award
In December, Illinois was selected as 1 of 5 states by the NASHP's Behavioral Health Modernization Learning Collaborative. We will join New Jersey, Oregon, Texas, and West Virginia in this collaborative to share behavioral health focused project's that each state plans to lead!
The learning collaborative will provide states opportunities for peer-to-peer discussion, targeted support on their state policy goals, and access to national expertise. NASHP staff will work with the selected states to:
- Develop and execute a state workplan to achieve project-specific goals within the context of each participating state's unique policy environment,
- Learn from national, state, and local experts and engage in regular peer-to-peer exchange, and
- Receive technical assistance through routine calls and written resources that will populate a state-driven toolkit with best practice considerations, model policies, state examples, and concrete resources to advance project goals.
At the end of the collaborative, state teams will have made tangible progress in advancing modernization of their behavioral health systems.
I want to thank our state partners who worked diligently to ensure Illinois' application was thorough and submitted timely. Nothing about us without us!
Being a 'Brain-Based' Hub to Support Social-Emotional Learning
Schools have a helping hand as they continue to navigate the social-emotional needs of students in the wake of the pandemic. Illinois has seven regional Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Hubs that provide coaching, support, and professional development across the state so that schools have the information, training, and tools they need. Each of the hubs supports school teams as they conduct a trauma assessment and develop an action plan through the REACH Statewide Initiative; each hub also has something unique to offer.
One of the unique things about the Area 3 SEL Hub in western Illinois is that it is committed to being a "brain-based" hub. This means its SEL coaches are being trained in a model that provides a way to educate school staff about brain development and developmental trauma. They also learn how to apply that knowledge to their work with students, particularly students who have experienced trauma, in and outside the classroom. The Area 3 SEL Hub is finding that schools are interested in strategies that offer ways to effectively support students so that they are ready to learn. They have seen increased interest in training on restorative practices and Youth Mental Health First Aid. Hub Director Leslie Vigor shared that word is spreading about the hubs.
Not only are they seeing an uptick in attendees for their professional development programs, but the school teams working on trauma assessments and action plans are engaged and committed to doing the work.
"It is important for all of us to learn about the emotion cycles to recognize what is happening and how to think before you act. Teachers need to learn it first so they can support students," said Vigor. "Kids need to be taught how to process those emotions, especially those who have experienced trauma. Nobody has taught them how to create that space in their brain."
