Sweetser has started the Mental Health Matters Fund to ensure treatment is available regardless of someone’s ability to pay. Last year, Sweetser provided nearly $1 million in care to individuals and families in need of mental health services who didn’t have the ability to pay. This included Mainers who are uninsured and underinsured.

The cost of care for addressing one’s mental health challenges or the mental health needs of one’s children, should not be a barrier to getting treatment. The focus should be on healing and recovery. While no one is turned away, but Sweetser can’t do it alone.

Our new PSA has been running on multiple TV stations across the state and we are in the midst of our spring fundraising campaign. Help encourage individuals in your life to donate therapy to a Maine family in need via the Mental Health Matters Fund by texting the word ‘SWEETSER’ to 366283 or by visiting https://sweetser.ejoinme.org/mentalhealthmatters.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month and Mike Andrick, Sweetser’s Senior Director of Adult Crisis & Residential Services, highlighted the resources and support that are available to someone who is in crisis on our weekly WMTW segment, Mental Health Moment.

Mother’s Day celebrates the vital role that mothers play and is a day to express love and appreciation, but it’s not a day that usually addresses the toll that motherhood can take on women. Sweetser’s Chief Growth Officer Joanne Grant was a guest on Maine Public’s Maine Calling show to discuss the mental health concerns that come with being a mom, from post-partum depression to stress from juggling too many responsibilities.

Listen to: Motherhood & Mental Health

Sweetser Medical Director Dr. Marc Kaplan discusses collective trauma six months after the Lewiston shooting.

Sweetser participated in the Start Summit: Teen Mental Wellness event co-sponsored by Pen Bay Medical Center and Northeast University’s Roux Institute. It was held in Camden and provided an opportunity for more than 40 professionals to explore possible solutions to the growing mental health crisis. Sweetser’s President & CEO Jayne Van Bramer was a member of the panel of judges that also included Kelly Barton, president of Maine Behavioral Health and Jess Berry, founder of the Midcoast Community Collaborative.

News Story: https://knox.villagesoup.com/news/community/pen-bay-northeast-university-hold-teen-mental-wellness-summit/article_dec22a5e-088c-11ef-b322-f721d8a8a06c.html

Sweetser’s Affiliate Manager Jan Dubois appeared on our weekly Mental Health Moment segment on WMTW to talk about the benefits of going into private practice.

Learn more about the benefits of becoming an independent affiliate: https://www.sweetser.org/affiliatenetwork/

Sweetser was also featured in a recent news story on WMTW about how we are addressing workforce challenges in the field.

In the 6 months since the tragedy in Lewiston, collective trauma can still be something people experience and need help with. Sweetser team members Dr. Marc Kaplan, Wendy Anders, and Steve Nesky spoke to Amanda Hill at NEWS CENTER Maine about how to process these feelings and the resources available. Together, we remain Lewiston Strong.

When individuals receive treatment for mental health disorders, it helps when the individual assisting on the other end of the phone, session or interaction has been through similar lived experiences. Sweetser’s Director of Recovery Services Alaina Knox spoke to WMTW about what Peer Support Services can offer those in need.

Our Director of Crisis Services, Alyssa Pelchat, received NAMI Maine’s “Caring About Lives in Maine” Award. The award recognizes individuals and organizations that promote suicide prevention through education, stigma reduction, active intervention, or by assisting survivors in the aftermath of death by suicide. Congrats, Alyssa!

Our monthly Mental Health Matters column in Saco Bay News highlights the need for school-based mental health support and why it is at risk in Maine.

Preview:

‘To set the scene, Maine is in the midst of a youth mental health crisis. Maine teen suicide rates exceed the national rates with Maine students who seriously considered suicide increasing to 19%. Nearly half of Maine teen girls reported feeling sad or hopeless with 36% of all Maine high school students reported feeling sad or hopeless. Around 14,000 Mainers ages 12–17 have depression.’

READ FULL COLUMN HERE