Instructor: Dr. Dawn-Elise Snipes, PhD, LPC-MHSP

Podcast Host: Counselor Toolbox and Happiness Isn’t Brain Surgery

~ Identify strategies for the prevention of mental illness including

~ Community education

~ Early intervention services

~ Community resource development

~ Improving accessibility

~ Improving cultural sensitivity

~ Enhancing protective factors in the environment

~ Drug and domestic violence courts to break the cycle

What “causes” mental illness

~ Stress

~ Poor nutrition

~ Poor health

~ Medication side effects

~ Low self-esteem

~ A lack of personal control

~ Isolation and a lack of supportive relationships

~ What else?

What is Needed to Be Happy

Community Education

~ Educate all individuals in the community about the effectiveness and social and economic benefits of prevention

~ Reduced health care costs

~ Disease

~ Weight

~ Smoking

~ Alcohol

~ Chronic pain

~ Reduced absenteeism

~ Improved productivity

~ Improved energy and mood

~ Improved relationships

~ Children are curious and eager to learn. They have an inherent desire to make sense of themselves, the world and others.

~ Children are active participants in their environment and learn through with all of their senses.

~ Children learn and express themselves through play, which is central to their well-being and development.

~ Each child has an individual pattern and timing of growth and development as well as individual styles of learning.

~ Children need to experience challenge, success, positive direction and positive redirection more than failure or criticism to form a positive self-concept.

~ Children learn best when active and interested. When they engage in a meaningful and relevant way, they can experience the joy of learning and feelings of success.

~ Children learn best when they experience warm and stable personal relationships with their caregivers.

~ Children develop holistically and benefit from integrated experiences and education.

~ The brain learns best when having fun.

~ When learning happens in a positive emotion environment, it is stored in the hippocampus. This is later transferred to the brain cortex, where long term memory happens- thus affecting our ability to remember.

~ Unpleasant events and fast learning, on the other hand are stored in the amygdala, the part of the brain that stores “what not to do”.

~ Children emulate positive models

~ Adults are autonomous and self-directed

~ Adults are goal and relevancy oriented

~ How does this help me meet my goals and objectives

~ Adults already have a wealth of knowledge

~ How does prior learning impact current learning

~ How does current learning enhance/build off of prior learning

~ Adults are motivated to learn by:

~ Social relationships

~ External expectations

~ Social welfare

~ Personal advancement

~ Escape/stimulation

~ Cognitive interest

Principles of Adult Education

~ Barriers to Adult Learning

~ Responsibilities

~ Lack of time

~ Lack of money

~ Lack of confidence or interest

~ Lack of information about opportunities

~ Scheduling problems

~ Problems with childcare or transportation

~ Case Management

~ Volunteers based at the health department, library, doctors offices or churches

~ State Economic/Workforce Development Boards

~ Jobs

~ Transportation

~ Career One-Stop

~ Job placement

~ Job coaches

~ Bonding

~ Unive