“Trial and error is the hallmark of prescribing mental health medication. This test can help minimize, or even eliminate in some cases, that trial-and-error process.” — Anna Langerveld, president and CEO of Kalamazoo’s Genemarkers
Southwest Michigan Second Wave
Trained in the treatment of both physical and mental health needs, PMHNPs serve as a bridge between those worlds.
In Marianne Joynt’s new role as mental health initiatives coordinator for the district, she’s able to go wherever support is needed for staff and students and put together plans to meet their needs as best she can.
Conner McBride, a senior at Loy Norris High School in Kalamazoo and a Voices of Youth correspondent, examines what Kalamazoo is doing to protect the environment, and how teens can get involved.
A holistic approach to mental health may bring in medical, social, psychological, psychiatric, behavioral, and spiritual aspects as well as consider the lifestyle of the person. While some of these approaches may have a financial cost, many do not.
Recovery Institute of Southwest Michigan, Inc., at 1020 South Westnedge in Kalamazoo, is run entirely by peers. The nonprofit was established in 2006 on the peer support concept. The 16 staff members, with the exception of the executive director Shawn Harris, have all traveled the challenging path of recovery with various mental health and/or substance abuse issues.
A new program in Paw Paw is combining some tried and true therapies, in a new mix, to help military Veterans find their return to civilian life a bit easier.
You may be feeling sad, or lonely, or overwhelmed, or just confused about what to do next. You aren’t standing on the edge of a cliff, but you could really use someone to talk to. For you, a new initiative in Southwest Michigan, called the Warmline, was established in October 2021 by three local nonprofits: Gryphon Place, ASK Family Services, and Southwest Michigan Behavioral Health.