Category: mental health

Giving thanks every day

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In celebration of our 50th anniversary, each month we will be sharing a story that highlights one of our programs or treatment populations. This month we would like to introduce you Marjorie, a member of our Tinton Avenue supportive housing community who has been a part of Odyssey House for almost four years and is celebrating her fifth year of sobriety.

Supportive housing tenantAlmost four years ago, at the age of 50, Marjorie had a major psychotic breakdown, leading to hospitalization and a diagnosis of schizophrenia. On top of that she was also struggling to maintain a fragile sobriety. For over 30 years, Marjorie had found solace in illegal drugs as a way to cope with her traumatic childhood. Realizing her situation was critical, she knew if she was going to save her life it was now or never. She grabbed hold of that chance.

After several relapses and treatment attempts, Marjorie started on the road to recovery in 2013 when she was admitted to the Odyssey House Harbor, a transitional mental health housing program. During her time at the Harbor, Marjorie improved her physical and mental well-being and began to regain her confidence. She made such progress in following her treatment that she was offered permanent housing at Odyssey House Tinton Avenue the following year.

Since moving into Tinton Avenue in 2014, Marjorie has been a conscientious tenant and neighbor. She handles her responsibilities as a tenant with respect and enthusiasm; participates in group activities; and provides helpful insights to her fellow tenants.

Outgoing and approachable, one of her neighbors describes her as “woman who cares passionately for everyone.” Another adds, “Marjorie is known for being supportive of her neighbors who are struggling with addiction and mental illness and freely lends her time and compassion so we don’t feel alone.”

When asked what she wants to do with her life, Marjorie is clear: she hopes to become a peer counselor and put her experience and professional training to work to the benefit of others who, like her, have struggled against enormous odds to lead independent lives.

In her pursuit to become a peer counselor, Marjorie completed training in overdose prevention and recovery coaching at our outpatient services and established a peer support network at Tinton Avenue.

She’s also made it a priority to continue her journey of recovery. She attends Narcotics Anonymous meetings and is a regular attendee at the Odyssey House-sponsored outpatient recovery network where she participates in therapy sessions, smoking cessation workshops, and yoga classes, and stays involved in her local church.

This year Marjorie achieved something she never thought possible: graduating from the Resource Training Center as a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor Trainee (CASAC-T).

Living in a secure and safe community surrounded by people who support her recovery is something Marjorie gives thanks for every day.

“Housing & recovery are joined at the hip”

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In today’s edition of The New York Times, Odyssey House President Dr. Peter Provet comments on a recent article examining New York City’s response to an earlier investigative report (A Choice for Recovering Addicts: Relapse or Homelessness, May 30, 2015) on the deplorable conditions of three-quarter homes. 

NYT masthead 
Housing for Addicts

To the Editor:
Your investigative report on “three-quarter” homes (front page, Aug. 3) exposes flaws in a system that places vulnerable people with substance abuse and/or mental disorders in living situations with providers who at best do nothing to support their recovery, and at worst propel them toward drug use and chaos through crowded, substandard living conditions.

It is troubling to all of us who provide treatment services that people who leave our programs with the tools to live sober and independent lives are just one bad placement away from falling back into addiction. But the fact is that housing and recovery are joined at the hip.

Within long-term recovery, however, stable housing is necessary but not sufficient. Quality outpatient and recovery services are essential to maintaining successes achieved in what can otherwise devolve into a chronic relapsing disorder. That some corrupt providers may exist should not obscure the fact that hundreds of others offer critical community-based services that allow thousands in recovery to flourish.
PETER PROVET
President and Chief Executive
New York, April 3, 2014

Caring for Every Child’s Mental Health

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Last week, the Odyssey House Manor Family Center joined communities across the country in celebrating the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day to highlight the importance of caring for every child’s mental health. This year marked the 10th anniversary of Awareness Day and focused on the needs of children, youth, and young adults with mental and substance use disorders and their families.
To commemorate Awareness Day, the Manor Family Center held a book reading and activity for the children and their mothers. The book, Our Gracie Aunt by Jacqueline Woodson, concerned young children coping with their mother’s mental illness. They then participated in an art project where they illustrated different emotions.

Children react to a passage from Our Gracie Aunt.
 “Awareness Day is an opportunity for us to celebrate the positive impact that we can have on the lives of children, youth and young adults when we are able to integrate positive mental health into every environment,” said Dr. Peter Provet, president and CEO of Odyssey House. “When we focus on building resilience and social-emotional skills in young children from birth, we can help young children, youth, and their families thrive.”

Mentally Ill, in Prison and Outside

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In Saturday’s edition of The New York Times, Odyssey House President & CEO Dr. Peter Provet is one of several experts commenting on a recent article examining the growing number of people with severe mental illness who are coming into contact with the criminal justice system in the absence of adequate health care services.

To the Editor:
Police Confront Rising Number of Mentally Ill” (front page, April 2), there is no mention of the intersection of drug abuse and mental illness, and how such use exacerbates psychiatric symptoms and leaves the individual far more unstable, symptomatic and volatile (though not necessarily more violent.)
As services for the mentally ill retract, greater disturbance will be evidenced, and increased demands will be placed on emergency personnel, police officers and prison guards. Unfortunately, it often takes a tragedy to secure adequate treatment funding to confront one of our biggest social challenges: the degree to which self-harm and harm to society are compounded by untreated and undertreated substance abuse and mental health disorders.

Total Wellness: The Key to Behavioral Health

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BEHAVIORAL HEALTH NEWS

By Peter Provet, PhD President & CEO Odyssey House

The term “behavioral health” is often used to describe the connection between behavior and the health and well-being of the body, mind, and spirit. Substance use disorders, mental illness, homelessness – these are all behavioral health problems that need a multi-faceted treatment approach. The path to recovery requires us to see the connection between substance abuse and related problems and to take the necessary steps to address these issues in a comprehensive and effective way. That is why Odyssey House provides high quality, holistic treatment impacting all major life spheres: psychological, physical, social, family, educational, and spiritual.

Established in 1967, Odyssey House is a nonprofit behavioral health care organization with a mission to provide comprehensive and innovative services to New Yorkers struggling with substance use disorders, mental illness, and homelessness. With 10 substance abuse, mental health and supportive housing facilities located in East Harlem and the South Bronx, Odyssey House provides a range of direct and supportive services, including residential and outpatient substance abuse treatment, trauma-informed services, case management, primary health care, dental care, mental health care, supportive housing, recovery coaching, housing assistance, vocational and educational support, and more.

Treating the Whole Person

At any one time, Odyssey House is home to more than 1,000 men, women, and children. Some of these residents are young mothers who enter treatment with their children, seeking a drug-free life for themselves and a brighter future for their families. Older men and women come into treatment to break a lifetime habit of addiction, while teens are attempting to get back on track and succeed in school and at careers. For all of these clients, Odyssey House provides a chance to recover from addiction and mental illness and, along with that, to experience the psychological and physical well-being that comes with recovery.

Throughout all programs, Odyssey House provides holistic care with wraparound services. Recognizing that there is no “one size fits all” treatment model, Odyssey House does not simply place clients in housing or treat them for their substance use disorders or mental illness. We provide ongoing, personalized support to teach daily life skills, reunite families through NYC Administration for Children’s Services mediation and family therapy, attend to educational needs through GED preparation and classes, and care for the body through our health clinics and on-site gym facilities.

This complete continuum of care stabilizes clients and puts them on the path to lasting independence. Through Odyssey House’s licensed medical clinic and dental clinic, clients of all programs are able to access a range of health care services, giving our clients a crucial opportunity to manage their health before their conditions degenerate into an emergency situation.

Managing Mental Illness

Men and women suffering from mental illness are especially prone to substance abuse. The effects of addiction combined with the challenges of chronic mental conditions can be devastating, isolating these men and women from family, making it almost impossible for them to lead productive lives in the community, and often rendering them homeless.

At Odyssey House, case managers and counselors enhance treatment in our supportive housing communities with intensive mental health services and coaching in life skills ranging from personal hygiene to financial management. Up to 250 residents, most referred from city and state psychiatric facilities, partake in supported community living plus group therapy, medication management, vocational counseling and job training—all part of preparing themselves to take control of their lives and re-enter the community.

When the time comes, Odyssey House helps these men and women make the difficult transition into permanent housing. Residents in treatment attend workshops that teach such real-life skills as budgeting, making rent payments on time, and grocery shopping. Once participants have successfully completed the workshops, a placement specialist helps them find affordable housing, accompanies them on interviews with landlords, and helps negotiate rental contracts. In this way, Odyssey House helps break the cycle of relapse and homelessness.

Beyond Treatment

At Odyssey House, recovery is more than just sobriety. Recovery includes engaging in regular physical activity, taking responsibility for your health, and expressing yourself creatively.

Research shows that exercise not only improves cardiovascular function and has other physical benefits but can also elevate mood, alleviate stress, and even improve brain function. Exercise makes us feel better, both mentally and physically, and that is why physical fitness is such a big part of the Odyssey House experience.

Facilities are equipped with exercise equipment and weights, and residents are encouraged to enjoy yoga, Pilates, basketball and other team sports. Especially popular is Run for Your Life, a program that brings residents of all ages together several times a week in New York’s Central Park to walk or run. Many clients also choose to participate in marathons and other races.

Creating art provides a way to access and express feelings, and helps relieve a sense of isolation. Residents at all Odyssey House facilities are encouraged to express themselves through art and writing, and also enjoy readings, film screenings, and museum visits. The Odyssey House Art Project engages residents in painting, sculpture, and other forms of expression. Every year, works by these residents are showcased in the Haven Art Gallery, occupying a handsome, lightfilled space in an Odyssey House facility on East 121st Street in Manhattan.

These activities provide residents with a chance to develop relationships with one another, improve their self esteem, gain control over their bodies, and get a change of pace from the strenuous, day-to-day routine of recovery. Most important of all, they introduce residents to yet another component of a richer, fuller, more satisfying substance-free life.