In the film “Rocky Balboa,”
the aging prize fighter says to his son: “The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows.
It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there
permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't
how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much
you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done.”
I come from a tradition that sees nobility in Rocky’s struggle
and eventual triumph through strength, focus, heart and perseverance. This kind of
personal struggle is the stuff that Western legends were made of. It is part of the
American Dream.
In this latest movie, Rocky is hit low with grief and depression at
the death of his wife. He spends hours sitting in a chair at the cemetery. Rocky is beaten
to his knees with depression. With the help of a support team, he redirects his pain and
anger externally into his boxing. He symbolically triumphs over his pain by remaining
standing at the end of the final round.
We face many crisis in life that can take us down. Sometimes
training, coaching and support can help us triumph over life’s hardest hits. For
others, the struggle is an internal one of depression and other emotional issues. Some
detour along the way into substance abuse. The purpose of Proposition 63, the Mental
Health Services Act (MHSA) is to provide a team in the corner to help us when we are
struggling with these battles. This new program should be rolled out by June of this year.
Siskiyou County Behavioral Health Services (BHS) is partnering with
the nine Family/Community Resource Centers (FRCs) to provide office space and a clinically
supervised coordinator for each community outreach team. The team will integrate existing
faith-based, tribal and other organizational efforts to provide community education,
outreach and short term (up to 90 days) support services for folks at risk of a mental
health crisis or homelessness. Resources can be available to help with emergency food,
housing, utilities and transportation needs for those in such personal crisis. (Education
and employment resources can also be available for those in treatment or recovery.)
Professional assessment, counseling and therapy will be provided by BHS or by other
qualified professionals, with eventual plans to provide counseling services on site at
each of the nine FRC sites. Services and supports will be available for those with
substance abuse problems who also have a co-occurring mental health disorder, such as
clinical depression.
A Family Law Program will help serve the mental health needs of
children, adolescents and young adults who are impacted by divorce and are connected to
the Superior Court Family Law department. A
partnership with the County Office of Education will place Early Intervention Specialists
in the schools to provide services and supports to students.
Consumer-run drop-in centers
have been planned for the future in connection with three FRC programs, one of which will
be in Scott Valley.
The Scott Valley Family Resource Center in
Fort Jones is currently in the process of beginning to organize
its program. It is anticipated to be up and fully functioning by June. Steve Swanson has
been appointed as the outreach coordinator. He can be reached at 468-2450.
Siskiyou County crisis hot-line numbers are 841-4100 (work
hours) or 1-800 -842-8979 after hours.
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