CMHA is looking to hire a Employment Specialist for our New Britain location.

Why CMHA?

As a 2022 Hartford Courant Top Workplace and one of the largest behavioral health care providers in Connecticut, we have 40 years of experience in delivering mental health and addiction services to over 7,300 children, adolescents, and adults annually.

Internal mobility is a focus at CMHA with 6 members of our leadership team growing from individual contributors to Senior Leaders.

Position Summary

The Employment Specialist primary responsibility to collaborate with assigned caseload of clients with prolonged mental and/or co-occurring illnesses to develop psychiatric rehabilitation goals to assist them to live, work and be independent in the community. Acts as liaison and broker, advocating with employers and other employment services to meet the full range of client employment needs.

1. Assist the client in securing desired employment that supports their individual recovery plans.
2. Assures timely documentation is maintained in accordance with CMHA policies and procedures, including but not limited to progress notes, treatment plans, authorizations, program orientation, and consent to treat, activity logs, and monthly targeted case management notes.
3. Executes a minimum of six potential employer contacts per week.
4. Assists clients in preparing themselves for the workplace.
5. Assist the client in securing desired employment that supports their individual recovery plans.

Requirements

1. Certified in PMT training, First Aid, and CPR.
2. Valid DMV License.
3. High School Diploma.
4. 2 years of experience as an employment specialist.

Preferred Qualifications

1. B.S. Degree in a mental health related field.
2. Bilingual in Spanish.

COMPENSATION RANGE- $20-$29 an hour

Starting salary will be determined based on relevant years of experience

Click HERE to learn more about the Employment Specialist position and to apply!

See CMHA’s previous open job position HERE.

As you may have seen in a previous post, we are launching a new Discord server soon! The Discord server is part of our transition into the Connecticut Support Group. Our transition has a large focus on community and peer support, so it only made sense to incorporate Discord!

We wanted to give you all sneak peek at some of the channels that will be in our Discord server! Check out the Reel below for a little sneak peek!

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As seen in the video, we will have a general chat, a humor chat, and a creative expressions chat.

• General: The main channel where most of the casual conversations will be happening.
• Introductions: In this channel, you can tell us a little about yourself; preferred name, hobbies, etc!
• Humor: The channel where you can share your funniest memes to give each other a laugh.
• Creative Expressions: Just like the section on our website, this channel is where you can share your music, video, poems, writing, paintings, or other art pieces you made.

As we get closer to a full transition, our excitement grows to share all of these awesome things with you! Stay tuned for updates!

~ The TurningPointCT Team 🧡🩷🩵

Check out advice from Phoebe to incoming high school freshmen.

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See more advice from other high schoolers HERE!

Happy August 2024! Check out our flyer below to see this month’s topic ideas! If you or other teens and young adults in Connecticut that you know are interesting in sharing content with us, DM us on Instagram or email us at turningpointct@positivedirections.org.

Friendly reminders:

• Content is not limited to what is on the flyer.
• Content can be new (a recent creation) or old (something you already made a while ago).

Check out a flashback flick below from Zach, a Teen Awareness Group member at Staples High School. He offers some advice to incoming high school freshmen!

As classes resume next month, we want to help you have a successful school year!

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Somehow, the year is already halfway over! What’s been a highlight of your 2024 so far?

For me, I think driving a lot more, especially on major highways, is one of my highlights. A year ago, I wasn’t driving at all, so I’m glad I’ve improved in that area!

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~ T

Check out our content themes for July 2024! Topics include, but are not limited to, Independence Day, Minority Mental Health, International Self Care Day, and more!

Send us a DM on Instagram or email us at turningpointct@positivedirections.org if you or other teens and young adults in Connecticut are interested in sharing a blog post, video, or art around these topics. Content can be something new you have recently created, something you made a while ago, or something pre-existing that you relate to.

Check out the Media Room and Our Stories to what your fellow peers have shared!

A few weeks ago, our Peer Support Specialist, Quinn, tabled at Band Together, a Young Adult Mental Health Awareness Fair.

At the fair, they got to meet many awesome teens and young adults in Connecticut, and watched musical performances from Diggity and Blonde Otter!

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My Goal

For the past couple of years, one of my biggest goals has been to to step out of my comfort zone and increase my socialization.  Though with social anxiety, I knew it would be a challenge.

After moving out of my hometown last year, I joined the app MeetUp, where you can join different groups and meet up with group members during many different events.  Joining the app was the first step toward my goal, but I didn’t actually build up the courage to go to any events until this year.

Going to Events

One of the groups I joined was for folks in their 20’s and 30’s since I wanted to try to connect with people close in age with me.  The first event I went to with this group was at a brewery.  I didn’t drink, but meeting the other group members and chatting with them was very fun.  The high anxiety I had going in decreased as time went on, as did my social battery.  So after a couple of hours, I bid everyone a farewell and headed home.  I was extremely proud of myself for finally stepping out of my comfort zone despite the anxiety which has been a rock in the road for far too long.

More recently I went to another gathering with the same group, this time at a small bar.  I initially wasn’t going to attend this event since the space is small which means I’d feel quite claustrophobic if there were a lot of people.  Plus, a rule in the group was we had to purchase something since it was a small business.  I am all in on supporting small businesses; my hesitation was about not wanting to drink in public.  I ended up changing my mind, because interacting with people was more important to me.

At this event, I met new people who weren’t at the previous event I attended, and saw some familiar faces.  I tend to be on the quiet side in social settings, especially if it’s new, which was the case here.  Vibing with folks was very enjoyable, and as I opened up more, conversations were nice too.  Some of us also played Cards Against Humanity, which was very fun.  Afterward, some of us went to a Chinese restaurant and then an ice cream shop.

Conclusion

When all was said and done, I was completely drained when I got home.  Regardless, I still enjoyed the day and once again was proud of myself for going to another event.  I am very much looking forward to going to more events in the (hopefully near) future!

Check out my ➡️ previous blog post ⬅️ where I wrote about driving on the highway for the first time.

-T

With the end of April, we are now a third of the way through 2024. Hopefully “April showers brings May flowers” holds true and we get more warm, sunny days!

Check out our content flyer below for May 2024, which include Mental Health Awareness Month, prom, college graduation, and more! As always, content does not have to limited to what’s on the flyer, it can be about anything you feel comfortable sharing!

Email us at turningpointct@positivedirections.org or DM us on Instagram if anything piques your interest!

A few weeks ago, our Peer Support Specialist, Quinn, sat before the Public Health Committee to advocate for Peer Respite Programs in Connecticut.

Using their own lived experience as a trans non-binary person, Quinn (they/them) testifies why Peer Respite Programs are a necessary alternative to the hospital system for folks who are struggling with their mental health.

Check out their testimony in the video below!

You did a great job, Quinn. We are very proud of you! – The TurningPointCT Team

Advocacy Unlimited is running an RSS course in June 2024 where folks can learn the skills and knowledge needed to provide peer recovery services. The June RSS course is geared toward emerging adults ages 18 to 29.

Interested in joining? Apply now!

The application deadline is April 30th, 2024. The application form can be downloaded below and can be submitted to rssct@advocacyunlimited.org. Please complete the entire application using your full name and signature before submitting it. This course will be held in Rocky Hill, CT, beginning June 3rd, 2024. For a complete list of course dates, course details, or alternative ways of submitting an application, please visit https://advocacyunlimited.org/program/rss-training/#overview.

April 2024 is here, which brings us the first full month of spring!

As always, check out our content flyer for April 2024 below, and reach out to us if you or other teens and young adults in Connecticut are interested in submitting content:

• Email us at turningpointct@positivedirections.org
• DM us on Instagram @turningpointct_org

Friendly reminder that content doesn’t have to be limited to what’s on the flyer. They’re just a few ideas to help get the brain flowing 😄.

“It doesn’t matter how “bad” your coping skills (self harm, purging, suicide attempts, smoking, vaping, drugs, etc.) are; you are valid and deserve help.” – Ashton

Read Ashton’s story of struggling with self harm, their turning point, and the aftermath HERE. And check out Our Stories to see mental health journeys of other teens and young adults in Connecticut!

After nearly a year of inactivity, I recently released my 10th song “Unstoppable”!

As you may have seen from my other songs I’ve shared in Creative Expressions, the majority of my songs have a theme of sadness, regret, etc. However, I chose to release “Unstoppable” next not only to have a change in theme, but as also a sort of celebration for hitting this personal music release milestone.

“Unstoppable” is a song showcasing a growth in self confidence within myself. It did take about a year or so to write it, though. In the beginning, I used pockets of feeling content to write this song. Eventually, I had an easier time writing as I had more moments of feeling content and even self accomplishment in my life. And rereading the lyrics during the writing process helped too.

I also chose to perform this track with a more laid back flow, which for me helps deliver the message of having more self esteem, less worries, etc.

Finally, this is my first song with a new recording studio, The Recording Parlor in Windsor, CT. Since moving last year, it was just more convenient to find things that were closer to me, a recording studio being one of them. I look forward to continuing my music journey as I keep writing and recording!

KEEP THE PROMISE COALITION IS LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO SHARE THEIR STORIES TO SUPPORT BRINGING PEER RESPITE PROGRAMS TO CONNECTICUT!

Have you experienced any of the following?

• Bad encounters with inpatient psychiatric hospitalization
• Avoiding services in fear that talking about suicide would result in the use of force
• Racism, transphobia, or discrimination as a Spanish speaker in the mental health system
• Benefits from participating in non-clinical peer support groups or working with peer support specialists

If you answered yes to any of these questions, please contact Quinn Jannetty to share your story:

• Email: quinn@ktpcoalition.org
• Phone number: (475)999-2605

What is a Peer Respite?

A peer respite is a voluntary, short- term program that provides 24/7 community-based, non-clinical (non- medical) mental health crisis support as an alternative to inpatient hospitalization.

Peer respites are operated in a home-like environment by peer support specialists, who have lived experience with mental distress, crisis, and life altering challenges. Peer support specialists will not call the police or use force if you talk about suicide, self-injury, or hearing voices.

Fore more information, and to see the fact sheet, click HERE. And please share the flyer below!

What happens to marshmallow people in the microwave?! Check out this video by some young adults at one of our recent focus groups!

If you’d like to share your input on technology and mental health, please sign up for one of our upcoming focus groups at positivedirections.org/events!

Calling all young adults in Connecticut! We are hosting a series of focus groups for folks to share their experiences with technology & mental health, talk about community & peers, and to let us know what you’d like to see from the project in the future! All participants will receive a $25 gift card as a token of our gratitude!

Register here! – https://www.positivedirections.org/events

As some of you may know, our Peer Support Specialist, Quinn (they/them), runs a virtual peer support group for LGBTQ+ high schoolers in Connecticut called Queers & Peers every Friday at 6:30 PM. Get to know some cool facts about them in their video below. And spread the word for their support group!

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Hello, everyone! Our content flyer for December is here, the last one of the year! To submit an article, be a guest on a podcast, or provide a video, email us at turningpointct@positivedirections.org.

Or, you can always submit your content directly to the Our Stories, Blogs, Creative Expressions, Videos, and Map pages!

Please know that any content you would like to contribute does not have to be limited to the ideas listed on the flyer. You can also submit content around anything you feel comfortable sharing!

Join Rise Be is running a FREE young adult leadership summit!

• When: January 26, 2024
• Time: 10 AM – 3 PM
• Where: Chrysalis Center, 255 Homestead Ave, Hartford, CT

Download and share the flyer below!

Registration link: https://tinyurl.com/3pjeyyfr

Good luck to all students this school year! You got this!

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed our podcast, make sure you follow us @TurningPointCT to stay up to date with what teens and young adults in CT are talking about! You can find us wherever you stream podcasts (ex. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts)!

Don’t forget to like, follow, and subscribe to us on social media!
– Twitter: @TurningPointCT
– Instagram: @TurningPoint_CT
– Facebook: @TurningPointCT
– YouTube: @TurningPointCT_
– TikTok: @TurningPointCT.org

Want to find more free mental health support services made by and for teens and young adults in Connecticut? Check out our website!

Check out the Previous Episode where Dez talks about the BS of Labor Day!

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed our podcast, make sure you follow us @TurningPointCT to stay up to date with what teens and young adults in CT are talking about! You can find us wherever you stream podcasts (ex. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts)!

Don’t forget to like, follow, and subscribe to us on social media!
– Facebook: TurningPointCT
– Instagram: @TurningPoint_CT
– Twitter: @TurningPoint_CT
– YouTube: TurningPointCT.org
– TikTok: @TurningPointCT.org

Want to find more free mental health support services made by and for teens and young adults in Connecticut? Check out our website!

Check out the Previous Episode where Therell, Emorie, and Clarissa talk about moving out on your own for the first time!

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed our podcast, make sure you follow us @TurningPointCT to stay up to date with what teens and young adults in CT are talking about! You can find us wherever you stream podcasts (ex. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts)!

Don’t forget to like, follow, and subscribe to us on social media!
– Facebook: TurningPointCT
– Instagram: @TurningPoint_CT
– Twitter: @TurningPoint_CT
– YouTube: TurningPointCT.org
– TikTok: @TurningPointCT.org

Want to find more free mental health support services made by and for teens and young adults in Connecticut? Check out our website!

Miss the previous episode? Listen to it HERE!

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed our podcast, make sure you follow us @TurningPointCT to stay up to date with what teens and young adults in CT are talking about! You can find us wherever you stream podcasts (ex. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts)!

Don’t forget to like, follow, and subscribe to us on social media!
– Facebook: TurningPointCT
– Instagram: @TurningPoint_CT
– Twitter: @TurningPoint_CT
– YouTube: TurningPointCT.org
– TikTok: @TurningPointCT.org

Want to find more free mental health support services made by and for teens and young adults in Connecticut? Check out our website!

Miss the previous episode? Listen to it HERE!

Thank you for listening! If you enjoyed our podcast, make sure you follow us @TurningPointCT to stay up to date with what teens and young adults in CT are talking about! You can find us wherever you stream podcasts (ex. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts)!

Don’t forget to like, follow, and subscribe to us on social media!
– Facebook: TurningPointCT
– Instagram: @TurningPoint_CT
– Twitter: @TurningPoint_CT
– YouTube: TurningPointCT.org
– TikTok: @TurningPointCT.org

Want to find more free mental health support services made by and for teens and young adults in Connecticut? Check out our website!

Miss the previous episode? Listen to it here!

If you enjoyed our podcast, make sure you follow us @TurningPointCT to stay up to date with what teens and young adults in CT are talking about! You can find us wherever you stream podcasts (ex. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts)!

Don’t forget to like, follow, and subscribe to us on social media!
– Facebook: TurningPointCT
– Instagram: @TurningPoint_CT
– Twitter: @TurningPoint_CT
– YouTube: TurningPointCT.org
– TikTok: @TurningPointCT.org

Want to find more free mental health support services made by and for teens and young adults in Connecticut? Check out our website!

Miss the last episode? Listen to it here!

If you enjoyed our podcast, make sure you follow us @TurningPointCT to stay up to date with what teens and young adults in CT are talking about! You can find us wherever you stream podcasts (ex. Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts)!

Don’t forget to like, follow, and subscribe to us on social media!
– Facebook: TurningPointCT
– Instagram: @TurningPoint_CT
– Twitter: @TurningPoint_CT
– YouTube: TurningPointCT.org
– TikTok: @TurningPointCT.org

Want to find more free mental health supports made by and for teens and young adults in Connecticut? Check out our website https://www.turningpointct.org

Connecticut Kids In Crisis provides emergency shelter, crisis counseling, and community education programs for children of all ages and families facing crisis. Crisis can include domestic violence, mental health concerns, homelessness, substance abuse, economic difficulties, and other critical challenges. The Kids In Crisis Helpline is staffed 24 hours a day with trained Crisis Counselors, and provides free, confidential phone and face-to-face intervention, counseling, and referrals.

For support… CALL the 24-hour helpline: 203-661-1911

.

What does Kids in Crisis do?

Focusing on challenges children, teens and families face:

• Family conflicts
• Anxiety
• Abuse
• Trauma
• LGBTQ Support
• Depressio
• Domestic Violence
• Youth Homelessness
• School Stress

.

Committed to making immediate change happen by:

Being there when needed

It all starts with a phone call to the helpline 203-661-1911. Kids in Crisis is always just a call or a drive away, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Providing individualized attention and care

Kids in Crisis understands children, teens and families have unique situations and they work together to create individualized plans for success

Leading the conversation

Their multi-disciplinary team including mental health professionals, advocates, activists work in communities to shape discussions about how to address and prevent crises that children face

.

.

For more information, check out their website: https://www.kidsincrisis.org/

&

See our Resources page to find other mental health and substance abuse resources located in Connecticut for young people: https://turningpointct.org/resources/

The first episode in the series, I’m Not Your Therapist, BUT…, where young adults in CT talk about the techniques and strategies they use to cope with their mental illnesses. In this episode, Turning Point CT employees Ella and Eliza talk about what they are doing to safe guard their mental health during the COVID-19 crisis and quarantine.

Join Ella, the Turning Point CT Project Coordinator, on her mission to make choices that benefit her mental health! Follow along and share your own story on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube by using the hashtag #TurningPointMoment

If you want to find out more about her mission, visit her blog HERE !

Click HERE to talk about it in the forum !

Join Ella, the Turning Point CT Project Coordinator, on her mission to make choices that benefit her mental health! Follow along and share your own story on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube by using the hashtag #TurningPointMoment

If you want to find out more about her mission, visit her blog HERE !

Click HERE to talk about it in the forum !

Join Ella, the Turning Point CT Project Coordinator, on her mission to make choices that benefit her mental health! Follow along and share your own story on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube by using the hashtag #TurningPointMoment

If you want to find out more about her mission, visit her blog HERE !

Click HERE to talk about it in the forum !

This weeks podcast is with Adrianna , Cindy, Emma, and Nahjeera . We had a special guest Woodeline, who is Adrianna’s aunt. Woodline is a 23 year old student at  CUNY Medgar Evers College. She came into talk about her experiences in life and gave her views on the topic of how does your culture shapes you as a person.

Everyone had different ethnicity and different views on current topic questions.

Emma is half Brazilian and Colombian. Adrianna, Woodeline , and Cindy are Haitian American . Nahjeera is African American.

Everyone gave their input about how if you act differently because you need to change your identity or show less of your culture to the world, everyone gave their honest opinion about how they show  themselves to the world.

We hope you enjoy this podcast click here to watch

What is your culture? How do you define your culture? How has it shaped you as a person?

To check out our Summer Interns other podcasts, click here

Hey guys! We are here with the TurningPointCT interns: Adrianna and Nahjeera along with Eliza and Adrianna’s aunt Woodeline!

We left the office for a little while to go across the street to The Norwalk Green and enjoy the sunlight and Summer air.

At the start of every SMART Recovery meeting we all check in with highs and lows- now we are at the Norwalk Green to hang out and check in about our Summer!

How is your Summer going? What is your low and your high of the season and break? Check in with us on this post!

To see more of our interns check out our YouTube page here

and listen to their other videos and podcasts in our media room here

Hey guys! We have a really great new story about depression, anxiety and self-harm.

Nahjeera is a senior in high school and this Summer she is interning with us at TurningPointCT.org

Her journey will mean something to anyone who has ever felt alone- she talks about her struggles with depression and anxiety, and how she used self-harm to cope with things.

Nahjeera also talks about her hope and recovery– how she no longer self-harms and instead helps other people at her school who might be struggling, too.

If you have ever felt alone, know that you are not. Check out our stories page to read about other young people just like you.

Click here to read Nahjeera’s story

And, click here to talk to Nahjeera and welcome her to TurningPointCT.org. Join TurningPoint to reach out to peers like Nahjeera.

Furthermore, if you or someone you know is struggling with depression, anxiety, or self-harm, visit this website. Here you can find information and resources to make the most out of your treatment.

In this podcast we spoke about vaping and smoking. All of us are in high school, some of us just finished our freshman year and Nahjeera is is graduating this year.

Emma, Adrianna and Nahjeera all vape, but Cindy doesn’t and really does not like smoking.

We all talked about why we vape, and when we started. Some of us were in middle school when we started, and others tried it and then stopped for a while.

We spent a lot of time talking about why people vape, including our friends. Vapes come in a ton of flavors, and a lot of us only do it for the taste, or because friends suggested it for stress. Eliza lead us in a conversation about why our friends like to vape, and if we want to stop.

our views on vaping and smoking, why we smoked and why don’t.

Some people smoke because of popularity or  as a coping mechanism. We also talked about how advertising makes people smoke more, and why some of us wouldn’t try certain flavors, like tobacco.

A lot of our friends in high school vape, and we talk about how addictive it is and if we think we are addicted.

We all talked about how we would quit if we ever decided to, and how we could help our friends quit if they asked us for help.

If you have ever vaped and want help, or just want to hear about it from the perspective of a high school, then check out our first summer podcast!

A few months ago, Eliza and Diamond (our SMART group facilitators!) were at one of our high schools, talking about vaping during lunch. To check out what that was like, click here.

In this podcast we talk about coming of age as teenagers and growing up. Also we explain our experiences and stories of coming of age.

Check out TurningPointCT’s newest podcast- our Summer Interns are here! And they are introducing themselves and taking about Coming of Age. What does that mean? What defined coming of age for you? How do you navigate growing up and becoming a teenager or a young adult? Click this link to watch their podcast, or if you would prefer to watch it as a video, check out this link!
Please welcome Adrianna, Cindy, and Nahjeera to the TurningPointCT team and check out their very first podcast and video!

If you want to say hi to us go to our forum here

We are asking for your help! 

Donate to TurningPointCT.org today or on Giving Day (Thursday, February 28)!

TurningPointCT.org is Connecticut’s peer support community by and for teens and young adults. We’ve got your back!

Our website offers a safe space online to share your story, talk about your problems, get information, and connect with resources. Our staff runs SMART Recovery support groups for teens in Norwalk and Fairfield… with more to come! We connect with other young people at schools and colleges across the state through speaking events, workshops, and resource fairs.  Whatever you’re struggling with–mental illness, addiction, homelessness, bullying, family problems–we’ve been there too.

Help us raise $10,000 to support our small part-time staff of young adults in recovery to be able to keep reaching out to schools, making connections with young people, improving our online support, and running support groups! We want every young person to know that they are not alone.

Donate to TurningPointCT.org today or on February 28th–Fairfield County’s Giving Day.

Click this link to Donate today, and share this page with your friends and family so we can reach our goal.

Giving Day runs from 12:00am to 11:59pm on Thursday, February 28th. Help us to reach our goal of raising $10,000. 

Your donation may even help us get a bonus grant if you’re one of our first or one of our last donors on Giving Day! If we get at least 25 donations of $25 right after midnight when Giving Day starts, we can win an extra $1000. So think of us Wednesday night before you go to bed and just stay up a few minutes past midnight! If you miss that chance, then please donate Thursday night between 9pm and 11:59pm. If we get enough donations during that time period, we may even win a $2,500 bonus!

Whether you can give as much as possible, or you know people who care about mental health who can donate, we need your help. Click the link to give what you can, share this page, and ask your friends to give what they can.

Together we will raise $10,000 to support young people struggling with their mental wellness! 

Click the picture to donate!

(If you want to learn more about Fairfield County’s Giving Day overall, click here.)

The Connecticut’s Women’s Consortium is showing the  film, “Making Me Whole: Prison, Art & Healing” for FREE on March 18th

More info here

There comes a point in time when you have to step back. When you have to remember that the disease, the traits it comes with, is not you. It does not and never will be capable of defining you. And admittedly, it took me years to realize this, to make this breakthrough without breaking a few other things in the process.

Your presence will never lie; you do not lie. No matter how hard you try, you can’t escape who you’ve become, but you can rewrite who you once were.

I used to tell myself:
“She was right about me all this time. They were right about me.”
“For fucks’ sake what have I done to myself? To everyone?”
“What do I have to show for all these years?”

And worse still,
“This world would never miss some piece of shit like me.”

And you know, I made the attempts, I came up with my plans as unorthodox as they were and they failed. One right after the next they were thwarted. There was a reason, they told me. It took me a very long time to understand what they meant. And I spent my days to weeks to a near month imprisoned in the walls of some hive-mind Institutional facility of nothing but smiles and medical snares —

You’d maybe think that was the epiphany for me. It wasn’t.

People often tell you, “You can’t help someone who doesn’t want the help,” Or even, “You can’t get the help if you don’t want it for yourself.” And they’re right. I’ve hurt people. I hurt myself. And to this very day I still hear things that try to convince me to do those very same things.

… Cleaved wounds tilled into my skin in hopes I had staved away some essence of those demons who constantly haunted me, numerous sleepless and unending days spent as some insomniac… Paranoid that I would fall into the void if I closed my eyes once. And when I did I was plagued with terrors beyond rebuke, flashes of unending things I dare not repeat lest they tease my waking hours.

I had no help. No despondent course of action until finally… I made one more plea. And that was all it took.

Should I be some brave form of myself, I would perhaps be able to look myself in the mirror for more than a split second. I would be able to smile at the reflection rather than cringe or nearly cry. I would not have to judge the bastard falsely beaming back at me, pointing a finger, scowling… In some deeper part of my being I know that smile is turning into something less masqueraded and truer to course.

If I knew how to be brave I would cast aside the fear of pulling down this baseless construct of a wall surrounding myself from others, of letting someone close enough to me… To love me. To hear me. To hold me. Hopeless as it may seem now, it is a goal, which I strive for with every pitiless strum of my heart, one that is chased by baseless threads of terror and trauma —

When I learn how to be braver, I will no longer fear to antagonize the ultimate enemy: Myself. I will have every skill to combat my own war, my own corruptibility, to brace back my storms and know when I need anything more and anyone else to pull me from my tombs. I am the greatest thing standing in the way of my goals, and I always have been, I always was the scariest and most traitorous thing to date. But maybe… Just maybe… There is hope yet shining through.

Bravery, I believe, should not be misconstrued with the term conquest; to have the ability stand in the face of your demons is enough, but to blatantly dismantle them is another. You cannot do everything. Not all at once. And certainly not on your own. That’s another thing I’ve learned the hard way.

But to know bravery perhaps, to know and understand where you stand while facing your more destitute selves… That is, placing yourself toe-to-toe with them, flipping them the bird and righteously yelling of your freedom… Perhaps you should be mindful that they had a hand in sculpting who we are now, who you will become. If only just a bit.

Submitted by: Faljak

Eliza and Ally sat down to answer the question: why is it important for young people to vote?

We talked about how we break the stigma around voting, why we personally are voting, and why we think our vote matters.

Tell us your answers and join in on the conversation here!

Listen here:

Help navigate through a 4.5 acre corn field that offers 1.5 miles of twists, turns and checkpoints! This is a great opportunity for team building and will end with some homemade ice cream & Italian ices which are made FRESH DAILY on the premises!

This event will be taken place on Sunday, Oct. 28th at Plasko’s Farm 670 Daniels Farm Rd in Trumbull.

We will be starting at 12:30 and will have plenty of time to go through the maze, eat some ice cream, and say hello to the critters on the farm!

Need help with transportation? We got you!

All we need from you is an RSVP and please invite/bring a friend!

You can RSVP to Ally @ Akernan@healthymindsct.org

Join in on the convo

Listen to our young adults Eliza, Ally, and Olivia talk about why they choose SMART Recovery ® and why you should too!

To watch the video and other shared videos click here

If you’d like to know more info on our group & join in on the discussion click here

If you’d like to get more info on SMART Recovery click here

Hi everybody! The 2018 Youth Count started today! The Youth Count is a statewide effort to count all of the homeless and unstably housed young adults aged 13-25 in CT.

The Youth Count is conducted by volunteers throughout the state who go to hot-spots (places with high concentrations of young people- such as bus stops, train stations, corner stores, etc.) and other locations, community organizations, and a “come and be counted”.

The survey is quick, easy, and VERY important to help people understand the needs of young adults and homeless youth in our state. Our goal is to end youth homelessness by 2020, but we can’t do that without knowing the need! This information is used to propel our state towards that goal, get funding and to provide resources to those in need.

So from the 24th-30th volunteers will be out there looking for people to survey!!
If you would like to help, let me know, it’s not too late to volunteer and we NEED your help!!

Also, spread the word about the come and be counted event!! It is happening on the 30th statewide. Below are the flyers for the Fairfield County Come and Be Counted Events. If you would like the information about the ones in other parts of the state, let me know and I will find the information!
There will be pizza, goody bags, and resource guides to help you if you are in need of help!
Help spread the word!!!

learn more here

To help: Contact Eliza at emcnamara@healthymindsct.org

Shout out to all my pals and gay friendly people from Gay Santa and YAS Meetups. I had a great time at both events.

You def need to check out this new feature!!! It was all love and sharing this Christmas… click here: https://turningpointct.org/resources/featured-events/

Suicide Prevention – May is Mental Health Month! Please join us in spreading the message that suicide is preventable and it starts with being smart about our mental health.

Let people know why suicide prevention is important to you!

Watch the video below and follow this link to learn more about how you can help to prevent suicide.

Find more resources HERE: https://turningpointct.org/resources/.