Behavioral Health Education

Behavioral Health Education

Sherman D. Webb & Yolanda Sims

Behavioral Health Education Team

Erie County Medical Center

Scenarios

1. You smoke a little weed and sip a little alcohol to unwind & don’t want to stop because you feel anxious and can’t sleep if you don’t use it. You are beginning to think you may have a problem but you think seeking help will lead to more anxiety.

2. You have worked very hard to take care & responsibility of your health resulting in you having an UNDETECTABLE VIRAL LOAD! You also have become obsessed with cleaning the bathroom. You have always been neat & tidy but now you are wiping down surfaces with antibacterial wipes several times a day even before & after using the sink or even things you haven’t touched. Some friends & family have noticed that you can’t keep things clean enough & suggested you may have obsessive compulsive disorder. You feel that you might have a problem but don’t want to seek care, because it might mean that you lose control of everything in your life & get sick from not taking medication or effectively taking care of yourself.

3. Your kids just got used the idea that you are taking medication for HIV. Now you are feeling depressed and anxious but are not sure if you should seek mental health support because you don’t want to add something else to the stressful life you feel you have created for them.

4. You are a young man who has sex with men. You go out a lot and been using coke, not cola most the time you go out. Some weeks you use it every day, you think you got it under control. But it’s hard for you to have sex without it so you feel you can’t stop using it.

Remember...

• People are NOT ALWAYS motivated by the "Healthy Choice"
• Research shows INFORMATION about "Healthy Choices" does not ALWAYS end in "Healthy Behavior"
• The most IMPORTANT ways around BARRIERS is...
• Role Models (Other People Modeling Positive Behaviors)
• Support from people who care about you
• Someone who goes to your appointments with you

1.“Friend brings you to a party. Host made a dish she is proud of and wants everyone to try it. You are allergic to nuts, and this DOESN’T look like it has nuts in it. The host introduces them self and puts the plate of food right smack in front of you.” –WHAT DO YOU DO?

2. “You are at Tops or Wegmans and there is a new “healthy version” of the cereal you and your family normally eats. You read the little blurb on the package about how healthy it is, but it doesn’t make sense to you. Do you buy it or not?

3. “Your neighbor’s house caught on fire. It appears most the family made it, you are not sure about the dog. Do you go into the house and look for the dog?

4. “You spent the weekend with a friend and their kids. You have been asked by different people to post the picture from your weekend on Social Media. But you don’t know if your friend wants pictures of their kids posted. However, you have seen pictures of thier kids before on Facebook. Do you post the pictures?

5. “You and a friend had friends for a day of shopping and lunch, and you have honestly been looking forward to this day for weeks. Then your sister calls &say she has been called into work and ask if you can babysit. You think there may be other people she can call to babysit but she wants an answer right now. Do you cancel your plans?

• DO YOU FEEL PRESSURED BY MESSAGES IN THE MEDIA & ADVERTISEMENT, TO DO AND BUY THINGS YOU DO NOT TOTALLY UNDERSTAND. Why do you or don’t you make certain choices?

What is this Behavioral Health Education?

The Behavioral Health Education Initiative here at ECMC is designed to make ourselves available as a referral source for those individuals that are HIV+ and need a little more support and encouragement to reduce stigma associated with HIV and mental health and substance use treatment.

Our initiative focuses on not only finding appropriate resources but emphasize follow through.

The goal of the BHE is to get our clients to a point where they don't need us, becuase they are in a place where they feel capable to self-manage their behavioral health & substance use issues.

Decision Making Activity

• HOW MUCH OF A CALCULATED RISK TAKER ARE YOU? DO YOU WAIT UNTIL IT MAY BE TOO LATE, ARE YOU QUICK TO ACT OR ARE YOU A PERSON WHO BELIEVES IN PROTECTING YOURSELF ABOVE ALL ELSE?

Motivators & Challenges to Seeking Services

Ok... In this activity we are going to go over a few more scenarios.

If you have your booklet, please DO NOT OPEN IT!

Wait, until we are all on the same page.

Then please, respond to each situation with a YES -or- NO answer.

We want you to pay attention to your initial responses as this ACTIVITY WILL MOVE RAPIDLY!

APPRECIATE IT!!!!

• HOW DO YOU NAVIGATE THIS SITUATION? DO YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE CONFRONTING THIS ISSUE?

Session 1

This activity will focus on having a real & open dialogue about what STOPS people from getting treatment & what HELPS people get & stay in treatment.

First I'm going to split you into two groups,

• The LEFT SIDE will come up with reasons why a person WOULD NOT seek services.
• The RIGHT SIDE will come up with why a person WOULD seek services.

We will take 2-3 min to let you discuss each scenario. Then we will move on to the next scenarios

So what we will be doing today...

• Introductions
• Reasons to seek Mental Health & Substance use Treatment
• Benefits of HIV/AIDS, Mental Health & Substance use Treatment
• The Behavioral Health Education Initiative
• Closing

• HOW WILLING ARE YOU TO MAKE A SACRIFICE FOR YOU FAMILY OR FRIENDS? WHAT ARE YOUR VALUES AND WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU? HOW BIG OF A ROLE DO YOU PLAY IN THE LIVES OF OTHERS?

Thank You!

FAQ & Answers

Now Lets Process This!

Don't forget...

• Sign-up sheets
• We are available after the session
• We can set up an appointment ASAP
• Contact Info
• Sherman D. Webb Behavioral Health Educator Erie County Medical Center Buffalo, New York 14215 (716)-898-5379 Office (716)-225-0514 Work Cell

How long is the program?

• 6 Months

How many education sessions do I receive?

• Up to 3 Sessions

How long is each session?

• Around 45-60 Minutes

What happens during the education sessions?

• You will have an opportunity to discuss openly topics such as; Stigma, Beefits, Seeking Mental Health or Substance Use (all depending on your needs)

Roles of the BHE Initiative

To address STIGMA & DISCRIMINATION let us consider the following questions...?

• Looking at both list, which items do you see MOST?
• What are some of the SIMILARITIES between the list?
• How do people around you feel about these services?
• How does your community feel about these services?

So what is STIGMA? Well it is defined as; "Negative, unfavorable attitudes & the behavior they produce. It is a form of PREJUDICE that spreads fear & MISINFORMATION, LABELS PEOPLE & PROMOTE STEREOTYPES."

Behavioral Health Educator: Will conduct up to 3 education sessions. These sessions focus on reducing barriers such as; fear, anxiety, transportation, phone etiquette, stigma & prejudice.

Peer Navigator: Supports client's efforts to obtain & maintain linkage to services. They do this by; answering client's questions, preparing for visits, accompanying them to appointments, making reminder calls, debriefing visits with clients & share personal experiences wih mental health and/or substance use services.

BUT WHAT DO WE THINK?