Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Event puts spotlight on mental health
SPRINGDALE — Professionals from mental health services and programs from around Northwest Arkansas gathered Saturday at Shiloh Square to raise awareness to the public, an organizers said.
“The main mission of the Mindfest event is to raise awareness for mental health and to destigmatize it and get people talking,” said Nichole Gutierrez, co-organizer of the event and site director at Woodland Research Northwest in Rogers.
Residents had the chance to talk with about 25 vendors about various avenues of treatment in a fun environment of live music, food trucks, art installations. Interactive booths included yoga, flashing light therapy and horses from Courage Therapeutic Riding Center.
Another mission of the event was to bring mental health facilities, support groups and advocacy groups together, Gutierrez said.
Randall Shakir with Springwoods Behavioral Health said it’s important for everyone to collaborate so Northwest Arkansas can have continuity of care and prevent gaps.
“We deal with acute care, which means the crisis just comes out of nowhere, and we want to stabilize that and then get them to the next resource,” Shakir said. “Continuity of care is very important in continued support of patients with their mental
health. We are just one tool in the tool belt of mental health.”
Rita Cruz-Collins is a therapist in Fayetteville and came to the event to see who she could connect with to better help her patients, she said.
“I think it’s awesome and it’s great to see more brought to the table,” she said. “I think there is just not enough out there about mental and behavioral health and there needs to be less stigmatized so people will seek help when they need it. So being able to have all these resources together and just seeing what’s out there is a value to everyone.”
The Mindfest NWA is a MIND — or Mental Illness and Neurodevelopmental Disorders — Coalition licensed event. The coalition is a nonprofit group focused on breaking the stigma of mental health, representative Luke Kramer said.
Kramer is also the executive director of the Starr Coalition, a forum to bring together professionals in mental health treatment, advocacy, research and recovery. Many visitors at Saturday’s event participated in an interactive simulation of what it is like for some people who suffer from schizophrenia to perform ordinary tasks such as filling out a job application or adding up bills.
The coalition first put on a Mindfest event last year in Little Rock with about 40 vendors and several speakers in a TedTalk style presentation, Kramer said.
They have another event scheduled for Oct. 21 at Riverfest Park in Little Rock.
Gutierrez said they would like to make the Northwest Arkansas event an annual one.
The coalition first put on a Mindfest event last year in Little Rock with about 40 vendors and several speakers in a TedTalk style presentation, Kramer said.