Mental Health is Health!
November Is Movember
Movember, the month formerly known as November, is when brave and selfless men around the world grow a moustache, and women step up to support them, all to raise awareness and funds for men’s health—specifically prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, and suicide prevention.
Men suffering from mental illnesses are less likely to receive mental health treatment or diagnosis. There are many reasons for this, and one of them is the pressure men face to “man up” or “tough it out.” The stigma of men seeking help is that it is seen as a form of weakness or not “manly.”
- Over 6 million men suffer from depression per year, but male depression often goes underdiagnosed.
- More than 3 million men in the US have panic disorder, agoraphobia, or any other phobia.
- 2.3 million Americans are affected by bipolar disorder, and an equal number of men and women develop the illness. The age of onset for men is between 16 to 25 years old.
(Source: Anxiety & Depression Association of America)
Meet One of Our Therapists
Wendy J. Silva, LMHC, State Qualified Supervisor
Wendy graduated with a BS in Mental Health Counseling from Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, Cum Laude, with President’s List award, and Academic Excellence award. She began working in the mental health field in 1993. She continued her education at Gannon University and graduated with Distinction in MS Mental Health Counseling in 2003, moving to Florida after graduation. Wendy became licensed in Florida in 2011 and became a state-qualified supervisor in 2016. She has worked with traumatized children involved in the child welfare system from 2003 until 2015. She then took on the role of FACT Team Leader for Charlotte/Desoto FACT Team, working with the severe and persistently mentally ill in the community. Previously, Wendy worked for The Center for Abuse and Rape Emergencies in Punta Gorda, Florida, as the Sexual Assault Program Manager. Wendy has developed working relationships with law enforcement, the State Attorney’s Office, the Office of the Attorney General, local hospitals, and crisis stabilization centers in her advocacy of victims’ rights. Currently, Wendy is a full-time mental health therapist for Twin Rivers Pathways, where she continues to serve the community.
What’s Happening at TRP
TRP staff celebrated Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.
Pictured from left to right: Mary, Amber, Tanya, and Wendy.
A lunch & learn was held at TRP in October. Stakeholders from the community came, had lunch, and toured the facility. And let’s not forget the Rainbow Witches of TRP who arrived on Halloween Day!
Pictured are Stephen, Jessica, Wendy, Mary, Bonnie, Amber, and Tanya.
DID YOU KNOW…
- November 3, 2023, is International Stress Awareness Day: With an increase in mental health issues, particularly loneliness and grief, this International Stress Awareness Day will focus on emotional management.
- November 13, 2023, is World Kindness Day: Make kindness the norm, not the exception.
- November 18, 2023, is International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day: Survivors of suicide loss come together to find connection, understanding, and hope through their shared experience.
Mental Health Unscramble
Grief, coping skills, bipolar, mania, trauma, loneliness, disorder, anxiety, depression.
- ODSREDRI
- RMTUAA
- IMNAA
- AILRPBO
- INSLOELSNE
- EFRIG
- C O P I N G S K I L L S
- ISDRNOPESE
- NAETIYX