Group plans to launch mental health clinic for youths
Their new nonprofit, Shelby's SafeSpace, plans to open a center in downtown
SafeSpace is modeled after a 10-year-old Australian program called Headspace. The women --
Tanti said Headspace has helped to normalize mental health issues in
"To get (mental health) care here or anywhere really, you've got to be really sick," Tanti said. "No one would do that in any other area of medicine, but in psychiatry, you've got to be acutely unwell before anybody gives you attention."
By then, it could be too late.
Drazan lost a 17-year-old daughter named Shelby to depression two years ago. That sparked the SafeSpace idea. Drazan, who became aware of her daughter's depression during her junior year of high school but later learned it dated back as far as seventh grade, said if SafeSpace existed then Shelby might still be alive.
"We only knew about (the depression) a year before and by the time we even found out, she was already in crisis," said Drazan, who described Shelby as smart, outgoing and empathetic.
A close friend of Shelby convinced her to open up to her mother.
"I found out that she was cutting and two weeks later found out that she was having suicidal ideations," Drazan said.
SafeSpace will be geared to people 12 to 25 years old.
"Adolescence is a complex period psychologically, emotionally, biologically," Tanti said. "Think about your first relationship breakup. It's significant because you're asking yourself questions about yourself and what it means. ... A lot of the things that happen during adolescence are the first time you have these experiences and you have no road map for any of it.
"There's a lot going on and then, on top of that, the majority of mental health problems begin during that age range. ... In a sense, it's a high-risk category. If they're attended to early, there are not a whole lot of other problems that can emerge later."
If the problems aren't dealt with, they don't go away, he said, and can eventually lead to secondary problems such as withdrawing from social groups, dropping out of school and getting kicked out of home.
"The prison system is full of people who have a primary mental problem that has never been detected," he said. "What we're trying to do is, we're trying to change the course of that illness, if you like, through intervening early and potentially preventing that problem. This is what it's all about."
SafeSpace intends to work with as many high schools as possible in
Youths will be involved in every aspect of SafeSpace.
They will help craft policies, design the center, and even be part of a panel interviewing prospective clinicians to work at the center. The goal is to make SafeSpace as comfortable for the youths as possible, including making sure they are matched up with the right counselor.
"If you come to a SafeSpace center and the person you are seeing ... just doesn't feel right, you can see someone else," Tanti said, adding that if youths stop coming for services, staff will follow up to find out why. "The customer service response in mental health has just never been there before."
Bird said no one who seeks help will be turned away, even if they don't have health insurance or can't afford the co-pay amount.
SafeSpace also plans an online health component, allowing people to get assistance from clinicians via video conference.
Bird added that once the program is synced up with high schools, SafeSpace will push into middle schools.
SafeSpace is hoping to raise
It has hired
"BACA is eager to work with SafeSpace and PrairieCare to build upon what we've already accomplished here in the
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