May 23: Pacifica Graduate Institute presents Mental Health in our Community Forum
CARPINTERIA, Calif, - The Pacifica Graduate Institute in Carpinteria recognizes mental health as an important part of every person’s individual well-being.
"We’re wanting to have a dialogue around what are the needs in Santa Barbara County ... how might we partner with our local organizations addressing the mental health concerns in our community," said president and CEO Leonie Mattison of Pacifica Graduate Institute.
During the school’s upcoming public forum 'Mental Health in our Community: A Vital Dialogue,' speakers will address the current state of mental health in the community.
"And also have a healing conversation where we break down the silos … and bring together the resources that our community are so well in need of … post this COVID-19 pandemic," said Mattison.
Health specialists at the school believe mental health struggles are often stigmatized and not talked about openly.
"Mental health means so much to me ... so many of my friends and family members and people that I know struggle ... and there’s the stigma in the shade ... and I don’t want people to feel ashamed sad or to not know where to go when they need help," said senior director Dianne Travis-Teague of alumni relations at Pacifica Graduate Institute.
Organizers hope this public forum will help people learn about all the the resources available.
"My hope is that we come together … that we share our resources … that we talk … and that we go out and do something about it," said Travis-Teague.
"And this work in partnership with the community becomes really a conversation about the way of mental health rather than the you of mental health, which I think is a very isolating position," said core faculty Gioia Jacobson of Pacific Graduate Institute.
Panelists at the forum believe the more we talk about mental health, the better it will be for our well-being.
"Join us ... this is a community wide effort. We want your support. We encourage you to be here and know the resources," said Travis-Teague.
The mental health forum is open to the public on Tuesday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in the South Hall on Pacifica’s Lambert Road Campus in Carpinteria.
