Member Spotlight: Jeffery Crook

 Jeffrey with Baltimore City Police Commissioner Michael Harrison

 

In this feature, we celebrate our member, Jeffery Crook, who just began full-time time employment at Midtown Baltimore! We interviewed Jeffery to learn more about him.

Where are you from and where did you grow up?
Clifton, MD, South of DC

How long have you been a member at the clubhouse? What do you think of it?
I have been a member for one year. It’s a great location site. It believes in the work-ordered day, its  members, and the community.

Tell us about your new job! How long have you been there?
I just started working at Midtown Baltimore on 10-19-2022. It’s a full-time job, which is my first in a long, long time, so I’m excited about that! I work 7 AM-3:30p PM Monday through Friday.

What are you most looking forward to now that you’re employed?
For starters, I have health, vision, and dental insurance which is a huge upgrade from what I had before. I also can earn PTO (paid time off) and I make enough money that I could actually afford to take a weekend trip somewhere, like Philly or DC. I didn’t really have that kind of freedom before. Also, now I have a 401K!

How did the B’More Clubhouse help you in your employment journey?  
B’More Clubhouse helped me build my confidence. Also, I completed a Transitional Employment placement at American Psychiatric Group which was huge for me. It gave me the confidence I needed to believe that I can obtain a full-time job again.

What are you going to do with your first paycheck?
I’m going to pay my bills and use what’s leftover to buy a stock!

What are your hobbies? What do you like to do?
My favorite things to do are playing rugby, bicycling, artistry, traveling, and advocacy.

What is your favorite type of food?
Hotdogs and potato chips, and  Italian food.

What is your favorite experience, thing to do, or a place to go to in the area?
Artscape, the flower mart, the book fair, the Inner Harbor, and events in Baltimore.

October's Seminar Experiences

 

 

Last  month, B'More Clubhouse had the honor of co-hosting the Clubhouse International World Seminar here in Baltimore. Six hundred  Clubhouse colleagues and mental health advocates from 32 states and 14 countries gathered for an inspiring series of workshops and presentations on the Clubhouse model.  B'More Clubhouse members actively participated in the seminar. Members attended  sessions, helped to host tours at the Clubhouse, and staffed the registration booth at the seminar.  After the seminar, we asked members and staff to share their experiences at the seminar. We asked them three questions:

1. Who is the most interesting person you met at the seminar?
2. What is something new you learned?
3. What is your favorite seminar memory?

Jeff. C said he learned that "every clubhouse is uniquely different and has its own story of success. The most interesting person he met was the Norwegian delegation. His favorite seminar memory is "Jack Yatsko taking a selfie with the crowd."

Raymond's favorite seminar memory is "helping host tours at the clubhouse. It made me feel pretty good." He learned "how to be a better greeter," and the most interesting person he met was "the woman from Israel who spoke."


Morgan learned "lots of ways to get people hired and make progress toward job goals." Her favorite seminar memory is "giving a speech alongside my colleagues at the opening plenary. I was really nervous." The most interesting person she met was Robby Vorspan.

Ben learned "how to incorporate social media into the work-ordered day." His favorite memory is "the sunset boat cruise!" The most interesting person he met was Robby Vorspan.
 

Abraham said his favorite seminar memory is "when the people from Hawaii came back with gifts." The most interesting person he met were "spiritually motivating people," and he learned something new "spiritually. 

Doug learned "some bits of a new language. His favorite seminar memory is Joel Corcoran's speech, and the most interesting person he met was "a very friendly woman from Canada."

 

Mayor Scott Hosts Press Conference at B’More Clubhouse!

 

On July 6^th, B’More Clubhouse had the honor of providing our space for The Mayor’s office’s press conference regarding the first round of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant awardees. Part of the reason why we were selected as the location for the press conference is because B’More Clubhouse was one of the first-round recipients of the ARPA funding. We received a $500,000 grant for the purpose of assisting individuals with mental illness maintain recovery and stability, and lessen their use of public behavioral health resources, especially emergency services.

It was remarkable to receive this funding! It will provide opportunities for B’More Clubhouse to grow our program and to continue providing essential services to our members.

Clubhouse colleagues were so excited for the press conference. We all worked hard to prepare our space, and many colleagues attended as well. We gathered some feedback from colleagues about their experiences:

Nikita: “I wasn’t able to attend the press conference in person, but I did watch it virtually, and it was a proud moment for me!”

Doug: “I liked how we set everything up for the press conference, especially the snack bar. It was well and clean, and I liked how everyone practiced how to greet the Mayor.”

Mary W: “I learned a lot and it was my first time at a press conference!”

Pete: “It was a good press conference but I couldn’t see anything because a plant was in my way!”

Cusa: “It was a wild experience. I really liked seeing it. It felt inspiring to watch.”

Mairi: “I thought it was a nice press conference. I felt like this is the best building to hold a press conference in.”

Francesca: “It was nerve-wracking to stand next to the Mayor at the press conference. I felt super awkward, but also honored to represent B’More Clubhouse. I hope everyone noticed my B’More Clubhouse t-shirt!”

Stay tuned for more updates about how B’More Clubhouse will utilize this funding to grow our program!

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Clubhouse Model

by Ben A. and Yaniz S.

 Clubhouse COVID-19 Facts

1. Clubhouses were able to remain operating despite pandemic challenges. Many Clubhouses pivoted to hybrid or virtual programming to maintain an intentional community and provide members with essential supports. Virtual activities included the Work-Ordered Day, reachout, transportation coordination, and social activities
2. Clubhouses expanded the types of communication used to maintain connections with members. Clubhouses increased use of virtual conferencing/meeting tools such as Zoom and WebEx. Some Clubhouses provided members with devices such as tablets, laptops, or mobile phones and increased texting, emailing, and the use of social media sites to help members remain connected.
3. Clubhouses provided a significant amount of reachout using email, telephone calls, social media sites, and virtual conferencing tools. Over 700,000 reach out contacts were made by 149 Clubhouses. Members who were inactive rejoined the Clubhouse. 94 percent of clubhouses had members who were inactive become active during the pandemic.
4. Physically distancing restrictions due to the pandemic affected members in a variety of areas including increased social isolation, decreased mental health or well-being. There were also increases in substance use, suicidality, and hospitalizations. Members had decreased participation in education and employment, particularly Transitional Employment. A lack of transportation was also an issue.

Summary of Article by Clubhouse International and iSPARC from University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School

 
The COVID-19 Pandemic has posed some challenges to the traditional Clubhouse Model. Clubhouses from around the world had to rapidly adjust to using technology to provide virtual or hybrid services as opposed to the traditional face-to-face programming. According to a study by the UMass Chan Medical School on Clubhouse programs, a majority of Clubhouse buildings were closed to regular in person participation by members at some point between 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. The impact of the pandemic on Clubhouse funding varied widely due to the location of the Clubhouse. For example, Clubhouses in the US that have Medicaid as their primary funding source may not have been able to bill for services that were provided virtually until legislation changes approved telehealth service billing. During the pandemic Clubhouses began providing virtual support and services to members including a virtual Work Ordered Day (WOD), meal delivery, medication delivery, transportation coordination, evening, and weekend programming, and other community support services. Clubhouses also expanded their reach out efforts during the pandemic by increasing the number of reach out calls, email and text messages, use of social media outlets to communicate, increased use of FaceTime, Google Duo, Zoom, WebEx, and others. Many Clubhouses even provided members with electronic devices to use during the pandemic to maintain the line of communication with the Clubhouse community open. According to the article by Clubhouse International: “Reach out to members who were not able to physically attend the Clubhouse provided a crucial link enabling people to access the benefits of the Clubhouse participation and helping prevent them from becoming isolated in the larger community during the pandemic.”
Some of the impacts of the pandemic on Clubhouses included a reduction in the average daily attendance and active members, a scaled back support system for Transitional and Supported employment for working members, and members having difficulty with attending the Clubhouse remotely. Some of the negative impacts of the pandemic and the restrictions due to COVID-19 on members included: decreased mental health or wellbeing, increased hospitalizations, increased social isolation, increased substance use, financial reductions or poverty, decreased participation in education and employment, reduced income, loss of housing, lack of transportation, increased suicidality, decreased safety, food insecurity, and other.
Despite the challenges, Clubhouses were able to maintain operations and support members during the COVID-19 pandemic by increasing their modes of communication and meeting the basic needs of members such as food, medication, transportation, and financial assistance. Increased levels of virtual engagement with Clubhouses were also positively correlated with member physical and mental health wellness. Many Clubhouses continue to use some of these strategies as Clubhouses return to in person operations at full capacity such as providing virtual access for people that cannot attend the Clubhouse in person and continuing to provide community support.

 

Article Link (PDF File): https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1183&context=pib

Disability Pride Month

 By Ed H.

The Disability Pride Month was established in July 1990 after the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed.
Disability Pride Parade defined their mission in three ways: “To change the way people think about and define “disability,” to break down and end the internalized shame among people with Disabilities, and to promote the belief in society that Disability is a natural and beautiful part of human diversity in which people living with disabilities can take pride.”
The Disability Pride Flag was created by Ann Magill, a disabled woman, and each of its elements symbolizes a different part of the disability community.
The Black Field: this field is to represent the disabled people who have lost their lives due not only to their illness, but also to negligence, suicide, and eugenics.
The Colors: each color on this flag represents a different aspect of disability or impairment.
Red: physical disabilities
Yellow: cognitive and intellectual disabilities
White: invisible and undiagnosed disabilities
Blue: mental illness
Green: sensory perception disabilities

To help better understand Disability Pride Month Ed H interviewed four members of BMore Clubhouse  asking for their personal experiences with stigma, self  acceptance  and being proactively assertive to convey facts about living with disability to improve acceptance for disabled people.
Jeffrey M said: I like the BMore clubhouse because I have a lot of friends here and taking my medication helps with my disability.
Shakira H said: I experience stigma from family as well as the general public. My family treats me like I'm less than, I feel like   they play the blame game on me and disapprove of my desire to be successful on my terms independent of them.  People underestimate me, they don't understand where I'm coming from.  
Cusa L said: My disabilities are invisible. People talk around me. They speak unkindly about people with disabilities. I feel frustrated with this but it gives me an opportunity to challenge their preconceived notions and incorrect perceptions. I like to be a great example respecting people for their basic humanity discovering and developing their unique abilities and achieving their dreams.
Tavone L said: I like being able to come and go freely, socialize, and build relationships with other people. I really like Saturday brunch too.
Ed H said: My disabilities are not physically obvious so I frequently experience stigma in numerous ways. One example is sometimes when I put my bike in the rack on the bus , greet the driver using my senior/disability, I get looks and sometimes harsh comments or big attitudes. I suspect because I'm well groomed, well spoken and upwardly mobile I shouldn't be using a disability bus pass.
To sum it up, Disability Pride month is about acceptance of our disabilities as well as ourselves. To discover and develop our unique abilities and to gently and positively affect change in people through educational awareness. Thank you for your support and understanding. Ed H

Cognitive Distortions (Errors in Thinking)

 By Joe W, Amanda M, Yaniz S

What are cognitive distortions?

According to Ackerman (2017), cognitive distortions are also known as errors in thinking or a biased perspective on yourself and the world around you that causes negative thoughts, ideas, and beliefs. Although there are various cognitive distortions, they all have in common these three characteristics:

• They are tendencies or patterns of thinking or believing;

• They are false or inaccurate;

• And have the potential to cause psychological damage.

Cognitive distortions can worsen symptoms of depression and anxiety, as according to the Cognitive Behavioral Theory, our thoughts create all our moods which in turn affects our behavior. Negative thoughts are our interpretation of what's going on in our lives and are considered cognitive distortions when you are depressed or anxious.

To combat cognitive distortions Dr. Aaron Beck developed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Dr. David Burns used the CBT theory to write a handbook for the general public which we have examples of below:

References:

https://positivepsychology.com/cognitive-distortions/

Mental Health Awareness

Since the pandemic began there has been an uptick in mental health concerns as people have faced unemployment, navigated online healthcare services, and struggled with social isolation. These negative impacts of the pandemic, such as job loss, economic instability, and food insecurity, have also, specifically, disproportionately hit minority communities.
“In the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, global prevalence of anxiety and depression increased by a massive 25%”
 

Groups of people most impacted:

• Most children, adolescents, and young adults were forced to trade their in-school experience for remote classes leading to social isolation which affects the social-emotional learning that is critical for their development.
• BIPOC had a harder time finding mental health care in the US.
• In areas with increased COVID cases, there was a higher incidence of mental health crises.
• Women are more likely than men to be diagnosed with mental health conditions during COVID.
• People with preexisting conditions (such as asthma, cancer and heart disease) were more likely to get infected and have a serious COVID case.
• People with poor social support, financial difficulties, food or housing instability, or a history of mental illness were more likely to experience a mental illness during COVID.

If the pandemic has had a silver lining, it’s the fact that many more people are now aware of the importance of mental health as the uptick in reported mental health concerns across the country is described as a second pandemic.
Efforts to destigmatize mental health by professionals in the field have been accelerated during the pandemic.
There has been such an increase in interest in therapy, that there is a shortage of counselors.
Switching to telehealth has made mental health resources easier to access and has removed some of the stigma-related barriers as there has been an increase in young adults who've sought out counseling during the pandemic.
It is clear that the impact of the pandemic will outlive the pandemic itself therefore it is crucial to provide evidence-based strategies for supporting the mental health needs of all Americans, and to make these strategies broadly available, especially in vulnerable communities.

References:

https://www.nami.org/Advocacy/Crisis-Intervention/988-Reimagining-Crisis-Response

https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/988 

https://www.un.org/en/un-chronicle/pandemic-accelerant-how-covid-19-advanced-our-mental-health-priorities

https://www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid-19-pandemic-triggers-25-increase-in-prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide