Archives for September 2014

Children’s artwork created from My Feelings are a Work of Art projects were displayed at the Eastgate Mall.  An art gallery reception was also held.  This was Clermont FAST TRAC’s fifth year participating in the National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day initiative, My Feelings Are a Work of Art, during May, which is also Mental Health Month.  The initiative raises awareness of children’s mental health needs, demonstrates how children’s mental health initiatives promote positive youth development, recovery and resilience and shows how children with mental health needs thrive in the community.  Click here for a video of the art gallery reception.

Clermont FAST TRAC, a system of care initiative of the Clermont County Mental Health & Recovery Board, provided art supplies and support to raise awareness about the importance of mental health and to nurture the social and emotional well being of children during special days of “art action” called “My Feelings are a Work of Art.”  More than 800 children and youth and 200 adults involved with various agencies and schools across Clermont County participated in the national effort to use art to express feelings.  Partner sites include:  FAST TRAC Youth Advisory Group, Juvenile Court, Clermont Board of Developmental Disabilities, Clermont Recovery Center, Milford Success Academy, CEC-South, Boys and Girls Club, Child Focus Wasserman Youth and Adolescent Center, Head Start and Bilingual Preschools and various school partners, including Amelia, Holly Hill, Willowville, Boyd E Smith, McCormick, Pattison, Meadowview and New Richmond elementary schools, special education classes and Amelia Middle School.

“National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day and Mental Health Month is really all about raising awareness that positive mental health is essential to a child’s healthy development from birth,” said Gretchen Behimer, Clermont FAST TRAC Project Director. FAST TRAC is a System of Care initiative of the Clermont County Mental Health & Recovery Board, with the mission to provide a collaborative, sustainable system of care that is family-driven and youth-guided, providing community-based and individualized supports and services that are responsive to the cultural characteristics of Clermont County’s multi-need children, youth and their families, strengthening them with hope and supporting them to lead successful lives.

The second series of Sibshops, a support group for brothers and sister of children with special needs or mental health needs hosted by Families Connected, will take place on Saturday, November 15, 2014, February 21, 2015, and on May 16, 2015.  The events will take place at Child Focus Training Center, 551 Old State Route 74, Mt Carmel.

Sibshops acknowledge that being the brother or sister of a person with special needs, including mental health needs, is for some a good thing, others a not-so-good thing, and for many, somewhere in-between. They reflect a belief that brothers and sisters have much to offer one another — if they are given a chance. Sibshops are a spirited mix of new games designed to be unique, off-beat, and appealing to a wide ability range, new friends, and discussion activities. They give the “typical” sibs an opportunity to work through issues they may have regarding their family member with a disability.  To register for Sibshops, click here or call 513-732-5034.  For more information on SibShops, click here.

Sibshops are available in Clermont County thanks to Clermont FAST TRAC, a system of care initiative of the Clermont County Mental Health & Recovery Board, funded by a grant from the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.