World Mental Health Day is October 10, 2021
Howard Center will be connecting to the global world mental health movement and hosting its second annual community-wide recognition and celebration of World Mental Health Day (WMHD) throughout the month of October 2021. This year WMHD is on October 10 and is an opportunity for community education and engagement to reduce stigma, raise awareness, and to connect to the global movement to ensure our communities have access to mental health supports when they are needed.
Howard Center wants to ensure that our community has access to the support they need. Mental health support and access for all, everyone, everywhere. Join us for our weekly speaker series at howardcenter.org.
Please take a look at our one-page columns and resources that address areas of concern for most individuals and families: Mental Health & Youth Ι Racism & Mental Health Ι Anxiety Ι Depression Ι Social Connection
World Mental Health Day Speaker Series
October 7, 12:00 – 1:00 pm EST | Supporting resilience in the face of unrelenting uncertainty.
Simha Ravven, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Howard Center Presentation followed by Q & A.
Dr. Ravven will talk about ways caretakers can care for themselves and support resilience in themselves and others in times of ongoing stress.
Dr. Ravven is Howard Center’s Chief Medical Officer and directs psychiatric and clinical care for the agency. She currently serves as the President of the Vermont Medical Society and is a Clinical Assistant Professor of psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine and University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine. Additionally, Dr. Ravven is a member of the Vermont Department of Mental Health Mental Health Integration Council and Forensic Mental Health Working Group.
Dr. Ravven graduated from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, completed her psychiatric residency at Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School. She completed her Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship at Yale University. Dr. Ravven has received numerous professional honors and recognition, has presented extensively at conferences and symposia, and has published research, chapters, and books. She was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco and enjoys knitting, jogging, and swimming in Vermont’s lakes.
October 13 – 4:00 – 5:15 PM EST Ι A conversation with best-selling author, host, and educator Ashley C. Ford moderated by Jude Smith Rachele, Ph.D.
Dr. Rachele will host a conversation with Ms. Ford about her best-selling memoir, Somebody’s Daughter, and her perspectives on current topics like, mental health, diversity, equity, inclusion, LGBTQIA+, and race.
Ashley C. Ford’s New York Times best-selling memoir, Somebody’s Daughter, was published by Flatiron Books in June 2021. Ford is the former host of The Chronicles of Now podcast, co-host of The HBO companion podcast Lovecraft Country Radio. She currently lives in Indianapolis, Indiana with her husband, poet and fiction writer Kelly Stacy, and their chocolate lab Astro Renegade Ford-Stacy.
Ford has written or guest-edited for ELLE Magazine, Slate, Teen Vogue, New York Magazine, The New York Times, Domino, Cup of Jo, and various other web and print publications.
Jude Smith Rachele, Ph.D. is a highly charismatic, dynamic, and insightful presenter. Originally from the USA, Jude has for decades lived and worked internationally between the UK, Europe, and the Americas, and currently divides her time between the UK, Europe, and the USA. She is the CEO and co-founder of Abundant Sun, a global consulting firm for diversity, equity, and inclusion-based initiatives. Jude started her career as a diversity and inclusion trainer, but has since dedicated herself to cultural transformation driven specifically by data analytics, business ethics, leadership and governance. She has designed numerous programs to help professionals display inclusive behaviors and to understand and respond respectfully to various cultural traditions, behaviors and values. Jude holds a BA in Psychology and a PhD in Business. She is the author of many articles including her own recent book “Dismantling Diversity Management: Introducing an Ethical Performance Improvement Campaign.” Jude has also been a regular commentator on Vermont Public Radio delivering several powerful and insightful commentaries on contemporary issues. She has been leading Howard Center’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives since 2015.
Ashley C. Ford, author of the memoir “Somebody’s Daughter” will be our featured speaker on October 13 as part of our World Mental Health Speaker Series. Ashley C. Ford is providing a signed bookplate that will accompany books purchased through Phoenix Books, while supplies last.
October 19, 3:00 – 4:00 pm EST | Good beginnings for the youngest among us. How do we as parents and caregivers support the early childhood years?
Liz Mitchell, LICSW, Early Childhood Program Director, Howard Center. Presentation followed by Q & A.
It takes a village to support a baby through pre-school’s social and emotional development. How do we as parents and caregivers offer the best beginnings possible? How do we take care of ourselves and support one another so that we can nurture the development and growth of those in our care.
Liz Mitchell, LICSW is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College School of Social Work and Social Research. She proudly has been a social worker supporting adults, children and families for the past 38 years, first in Pennsylvania and then in Vermont. She has been part of the Early Childhood Program at Howard Center for the past 18 years, beginning as a community based clinician and then growing into the role of director. She has been privileged to walk beside many parents, children, early educators and other colleagues during her time in Vermont, always focused on the importance of early childhood social, emotional, and physical development as the stepping stone to healthy adulthood while supporting and holding the many parents/caregivers in their lives.
October 28, 1:00 – 2:30 pm EST | Compassion fatigue for the whole community.
Beth Goss, LCMHC, Director of Client Care and Coordination, Howard Center. Presentation followed by Q & A.
Typically a talk on Compassion Fatigue is designed for professional caregivers. Beth has reinvented the discussion so that it is applicable for all of us. As we each continue to navigate a once in a life-time pandemic— each with our own unique set of circumstances – why do we feel as if we are running on empty? Beth will discuss signs of burnout and other risk factors and help us to identify practical ways to protect and nurture our strengths, better manage our stressors, and find balance in our lives.
Beth Goss, LCMHC, is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with over 30 years of experience. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling. Beth is the Director of Client Care and Coordination at Howard Center working with all age ranges of clients with developmental and mental health needs. Beth is trained in the ARC Model of Trauma Treatment and is currently in a Train the Trainer role. She provides regular trainings on a variety of topics including: Trauma Informed Care, Mental Health System of Care, Compassion Fatigue, In-home Family Work, and Child Development. She is a member of the Trauma Consultation Team at Howard Center. She has been trained in the Collaborative Network Approach and utilizes this approach with families and individuals.
If you need any special accommodations, please contact Denise Vignoe two weeks in advance, whenever possible, at 802-488-6912 or dvignoe@howardcenter.org. To view the videos from our World Mental Health Day 2020 virtual speaker series, click here.
Support Howard Center’s World Mental Health Day
If you would like to support this initiative by Howard Center by sponsoring our 2021 event, click here to find out how. If you would like to support our mental health and other programs, please visit our web page. Thank you to our current 2021 sponsors: our anonymous Matching Fund donors, White Light Foundation, Marsh McLennan Agency, University of Vermont Medical Center, Ben & Jerry’s, Hickok & Boardman Insurance Group, Community Bank N.A., Union Bank, RE/MAX North Professionals, Burton, SymQuest, Invest EAP, Timberlane Dental, Phoenix Books, and United Way of Northwest Vermont
If you’d like to join us in promoting mental health through your online and social media networks, you’ve come to the right place! Head to our Media Kit to find sample messages, logos, handles & hashtags, and more.
Resources and Information