Episode 11

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Published on:

7th Oct 2020

Unmask Your Feelings

Today, I am joined by three individuals involved in improving the mental health services and supports for youth and young adults living in Broward County, Florida. Tiffany Lawrence, Latrice Richards, and Crysta Snyder. They are working under the umbrella of the One Community Partnership 3 System of Care Grant and Broward Behavioral Health Care Coalition.  

Tiffany Lawrence, LMFTTiffany is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Florida who has been working in the behavioral health field for 7 years. She works at Broward Behavioral Health Coalition as the Project Director for Broward County’s One Community Partnership 3 System of Care SAMHSA grant. Her expertise is in assisting communities to develop programs that promote success for transition-age youth with behavioral health needs. Tiffany values an integration of traditional and non-traditional methods in her work to help others. She is a certified Regional Transition to Independence Process (TIP) model trainer and fidelity reviewer as well as an Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Supported Employment trainer and fidelity reviewer.

South Florida Wellness Network:

South Florida Wellness Network (SFWN) is a recovery-focused support network run and driven by youth, adults, and family peers. We are a community of individuals who have been strengthened by our lived experiences with behavioral, emotional, mental health, trauma, and/or substance use. Our shared experience united and empowers us to help others discover their unique path to recovery. The peers go into jails, treatment centers, mental health receiving centers, Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC), and the child welfare system to provide peer support and outreach to adults and children.

Crysta Snyder, CRPS is a Certified Recovery Peer Specialist at South Florida Wellness Network and identifies as a person in recovery. She has been providing direct services for the last four years utilizing the TIP Model in the community. Crysta hopes to share her experience as a young person serving young people and her perspectives on youth culture. She currently attends Palm Beach State College majoring in Social Work and enjoys fine cuisine and cross-fit in her spare time.

Latrice Richards, LPC-S, CLC is the System of Care Clinical Integration Coordinator for the One Community Partnership 3 (OCP3) grant program at Broward Behavioral Health Coalition. OCP3 is a community grant program funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in partnership with Broward County.

In this episode, we talk about the innovative social marketing campaign called, Unmask Your Feelings. How their team is helping youth and young adults learn to express their feelings through masks. Especially during this time of Pandemic, where wearing a mask is a must.

What You'll Learn

  • The implications of wearing a mask to one's mental health, especially the youth and young adults.
  • What the social marketing campaign Unmask your feelings is all about. 
  • Helpful tips on how to look after your mental health during these difficult times.
  • And much more!

Favorite Quote

“I want us to relay a message of hope behind these masks. Sometimes we can feel alone. Some people don't even want to wear them. Some mental health conditions are exasperated by putting on these masks, I've seen people who struggled to breathe behind them as they got anxiety behind their masks. So I wanted to say you have this mask on, but we understand what you're feeling, you're not alone.” - Tiffany Lawrence 

This episode is sponsored by:

In 2011, the State of Florida’s Department of Children and Families designated the Broward Behavioral Health Coalition, Inc. (BBHC) as Broward’s local Managing Entity. BBHC is responsible for the contracting, monitoring, clinical quality oversight and performance improvement of the DCF/State funded behavioral health services. BBHC provides a comprehensive system of care for substance use, mental health, and co-occurring disorders for individuals in Broward County. As a non-profit organization, BBHC also manages local and national grants to develop evidence-based practices and practice improvement for providers and persons served. One Community Partnership is a SAMHSA system of care grant contracted through the Broward County government to BBHC. This podcast is brought to you through these grant dollars. 

For More Information: 

Tiffany Lawrence, LMFT

Project Director

Broward County’s One Community Partnership 

3 System of Care SAMHSA grant

https://ocp3.org

Unmask Your Feelings Campaign

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The Optimistic Advocate
Making a difference in advocating for better mental health services for children and families
Hello, and welcome to the Optimistic Advocate! The Podcast that brings you just a bit closer to recognizing your full potential as an advocate for change – yours, mine, and everyone's! I’m your host, Scott, Bryant-Comstock, and I’m CEO and founder of the Children’s Mental Health Network. For the past 40 years, my journey as a mental health advocate has traveled from volunteering at a suicide and crisis center, professional roles as a therapist in an outpatient clinic, in-home family therapist, state mental health official, Board Chair for a county mental health program, and national reviewer of children’s mental health systems reform efforts. As the founder of the Children’s Mental Health Network (2009), I lead the Network’s efforts to grow a national online forum for the exchange of ideas on how to continually improve children’s mental health research, policy, and practice.

This podcast features conversations with inspiring advocates who help individuals and families make positive changes in their lives and communities across the globe. The episodes typically run from 45 – 60 minutes in length, so give yourself some room to breathe and get inspired when you listen to these. Who knows this could be the gamechanger that will unleash the advocate in you. You won’t regret it!

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About your host

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Scott Bryant-Comstock

For the past 40 years, my journey as a mental health advocate has spanned working at a suicide and crisis center, as a therapist in an outpatient clinic, an in-home family therapist, a state mental health official, Board Chair for a county mental health program, and a national reviewer of children's mental health systems reform efforts. As the founder of the Children's Mental Health Network (2009), I lead the Network's efforts to grow a national online forum for the exchange of ideas on how to continually improve children's mental health research, policy, and practice. Through it all, I remain optimistic that the voice of advocates can, and will, be heard. We need strong advocates now, more than ever!

If you're like most of my listeners, you're committed to making significant contributions to your work and seeing sustainable change. But it's not easy–you know it, and I know it. Let's face it - it's downright hard! My passion is helping to shape policy and practice in children's mental health, and my mission is to introduce you to innovative efforts taking place across the nation that are making a difference in the lives of children and families.