OCTOBER IS NATIONAL DEPRESSION AND MENTAL HEALTH SCREENING MONTH
By Maajiitaaziibiikwe, Mary Sam
The Mille Lacs Band Health and Human Services Behavioral Health Department understands that there are many adults and children struggling with mental health issues across all districts. Multi-generational trauma and loss often results in mental illness, substance abuse, violence, and, tragically, suicide, and layers of unresolved grief. If we struggle with many of these things, so do our children. As noted on our website, the goal of the Behavioral Health Team is to use a whole-health, patient-centered care approach to work with patients, treating both the mind and the body. Commissioner of Health and Human Services Nicole Anderson points out, “Patient-centered care affirms the importance of the relationship between the physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual self.” Implementing a whole-health model requires collaboration from departments within Health and Human Services and across the Band. Anderson is hopeful the prevention and intervention models being developed will have a positive impact in our community’s well-being.
October is National Depression and Mental Health Screening Month. HHS is committed to bringing awareness of what depression and mental health can look like, where to get screened, and how to find support to treat mental health. “We are trying to help Band members understand that mental health conditions are real, common, and treatable, and recovery is possible. Understand that it is okay to not be okay, but please reach out, ask for help, let us help,” Commissioner Anderson said.
Executive Director of Health Services Jan Manary and her team are working towards culturally balanced care. “This involves embracing culture as we provide treatment.” Her team is working with Bobby Eagle, Chandelle Boyd, Rich Hill, and Lindsay Misquadace-Berg to help define cultural needs in treating addiction and mental health issues. They are also partnering with DNR Cultural Resources Director Todd Moilanen to learn more about the four medicines utilized in healing. Jan noted, “Infusing culture into assessment and treatment helps establish the foundation to build stability in positive growth. Moving to better health outcomes is a shared goal across the Band.”
Commissioner Anderson and her team are contracting psychiatry and therapy services with Portages Psychiatrist Dr. Read Sulik, MD. “Portages has provided much-needed psychiatry and therapy services for adults and children to our team.” Dr. Sulik is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Adult Psychiatrist and Pediatrician who recently joined the team to treat individuals through a compassionate and collaborative approach. Jan noted that Dr. Sulik’s approach is to partner with the client for the right treatment plan and values being a student of our Ojibwe culture. The model now uses screening and diagnostic tools to triage and guide treatment for all age groups. An addition to the team is Nurse Practitioner Amanda Johnson-Fleming, who works with pediatric mental health, including with ADHD.
The HHS whole-health, person-centered approach has created an opportunity for multiple Commissioners and staff to come together to focus on the urgent needs of our youth in the educational setting. Commissioner Niiyo Gonzalez is grateful for the collaboration between Health and Human Services, Education, Administration, and the Department of Natural Resources for coming together to meet the needs of our community.
Gonzalez noted the significant grief our children are carrying, as a result of addiction, COVID-19, and loss of care givers. “The impact of loss on our children is real. The impact on school success is real." Gonzalez noted it’s important for families to remember that “staff in our schools are not trained mental health practitioners, they are educators.” Training staff in trauma-informed care helps educators to understand, build relationships, and to be compassionate. Educators across the Reservation are concerned about our children, who often just need a safe space, someone to listen to them, to be heard and to be seen. In partnership with other departments, teams began researching and creating a holistic care model for middle and high school “to make space for mental health and mental wellness; including our grief work.” Gonzalez said, “We are fortunate to have access to top adolescent and youth mental health practitioners. Our collaborative team created a plan, and with Dr. Sulik, we are now able to screen middle and high school students who opt into the process, and we can now pinpoint what a child is experiencing.” As a result of the screenings last year, referrals for mental health support and interventions were put in place. Parents/care givers must provide permission for both the screening and interventions to move forward. Creating a school climate that models mental wellness, and that is open to talking about what mental health is, provides safety and a sense of “normalcy,” as stated by both Anderson and Gonzalez. The team is exploring how to next bring these services and tools to elementary children. Making these and many other tools available and accessible is another project goal. Gonzalez noted we need to normalize that we have our cultural toolbox of ceremonies, and sometimes we need Western tools to improve our mental health. Finding any and all approaches to help heal our children and our community is a shared goal.
Moving forward, Commissioners Gonzalez and Andersons staff and Portag’s Program will coordinate open houses at our tribal schools. Longer-term, Gonzalez hopes to build relationships with public school local Indian Education programs at Brainerd, Hinckley-Finlayson, Isle, Onamia, Aitkin, McGregor and Minisinaakwaang to explore partnerships and approaches that can work to increase mental health wellness and student success. Establishing a shared education model that knows how to recognize concerns and support kids in healing and wellness will benefit all of our children. To help support a Band-wide education and awareness campaign, the Portages Program and HHS Mental Health staff will continue to host programs in all three districts.
In addition to connecting mental health services to our schools, the Ge-niigaanizijig Program, serving youth from kindergarten through age 24, under Aanjibimaadizing has created a peer leadership program. Program Director Carlos Merrill noted that two volunteer youth mentors from each district, will be trained in Trauma-Informed Care to be available to their peers. The youth mentors are not trained as counselors, but to understand some of the signs and symptoms of mental health or addiction issues, and to recognize when someone is struggling. “They can help spread the message that asking for help is okay, be available for support, and help peers and youth get connected to resources. Carlos said, “Sometimes just being that ‘listening ear’ can help alleviate a worse crisis.”
Finding the courage to reach out and ask for help is the first step in healing. Anytime we are seeking help, it’s important to feel heard and respected and treated with dignity. Having providers who understand our culture and the clients past and present experiences helps create safety and trust, ultimately helping in the treatment and healing process. Commissioner Anderson is committed to these values and creating this vision for treating mental health and addiction.
