LAKEWOOD –Western State Hospital is hosting an education event Saturday, Aug. 12 for anyone interested in discussing mental illness and behavioral health services.
Open to the public, this event provides friends and family members of hospital patients as well as community members a better understanding of mental illness and how a supportive family/community can help someone with a mental illness recover.
“Beyond hospital treatment and therapy, the support and understanding of family and friends often provide our patients with the best chance of long-term recovery and a fulfilling and successful life when they transition back into their local community,” said Cheryl Strange, Western State Hospital Chief Executive Officer. “Programs such as the hospital’s Community Conversations help patients’ families and the community as whole understand the role they can share in helping patients maintain successful recovery and community living.”
The event takes place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the hospital, located at 9601 Steilacoom Blvd. SW in Lakewood, in the facility’s Organizational Development Department in Building 10, off Sentinel Drive.
Check-in starts at 11 a.m. and lunch is provided. The sessions begin at noon. Online registration is available.
Carla Reyes, assistant secretary for the Department of Social and Health Services Behavioral Health Administration, which oversees the hospital, will be on hand to discuss the future of mental health in Washington state. Representatives from the local chapter of National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI) also will be there to discuss advocacy on behalf of people with mental illness.
Scott Mannering, chair of the hospital’s Patient and Family Education Program, says participants will learn techniques to foster hope and recovery; help reduce family stress; improve communication with patients who are family members and friends; and strengthen those relationships.
For the past 37 years, Western State Hospital’s Patient and Family Education Services program has supported the role of family members and friends in patient recovery from mental illness. Families have found support by meeting others experiencing similar situations with their loved ones.
For more information on the program, please contact Scott Mannering at mannesc@dshs.wa.gov.