The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
A HELPING HAND
Wellness center in Oneida focuses on peer support
ONEIDA, N.Y. >> Nobody can offer better support than someone who has gone through and lived with it.
That’s the premise behind Liberty Resource’s newly opened Pathways Wellness Center where three full-time peer specialists are on hand to assist Madison County residents who may be struggling with mental illness.
The Pathways Wellness Center provides peer support to adults who may be experiencing barriers to achieving their per- sonal wellness and recovery goals. Because the peer specialists have dealt with their own personal barriers while fighting mental illness, Liberty Resources believes they are better suited to help those who may have lost hope. Peers offer empowerment, modeling, and meaningful relationships, providing assistance to individuals in managing the struggles of day-to-day life.
Pathways Program Director Janelle Powell and fellow specialists Lisa Fish and Julie Mosley will serve as the three full-time specialists at the wellness center and the search has started for an- other, part-time peer specialist to round out the staff.
Powell advocated for the importance of peer specialists by sharing her own struggles with mental illness, detailing that with- out peer support she may not still be alive today. As a young child, Powell’s parents divorced early and her father was a drug addict. Following his death, Powell recalls
surfing couches for most of her teenage life before she entered two consecutive abusive relationships. Powell found strength in the form of her daughters, conceived as a result of those abusive relationships, and left the abuse behind. She began advocating for mental health awareness, “for them and for myself,” she said.
Then, Powell encountered perhaps her largest hurdle to her personal wellness and mental health when her youngest brother took his own life on the 19th anniversary of her father’s death. She began to contemplate suicide herself, but fortunately, Powell was able to reach out to peer specialists during this dark time.
“Because of peer support, honestly, I didn’t carry it out at that time.”
Now, she is on a mission to help others in need. Since then, she has advocated for suicide prevention, and since 2015, has served as the Out of the Darkness suicide awareness walk chairperson. Her goal at the Pathways Wellness Center is to “open up a center for people who are really in need” and to “establish relationships with people in the community who have barriers to wellness.”
Powell is determined to do away with the “learned helplessness” that those with mental illness can fall victim to, instead hoping to connect those with mental illnesses to a network of support, resources and specialists with similar stories.
Divisional Director of Liberty Resources Melissa Jillson explained that the concept behind utilizing peer specialists was born some ten years ago when the Maxwell House began an Oasis Services program in which three of the House’s most stable clients
Divisional Director of Liberty Resources Melissa Jillson explained that the concept behind utilizing peer specialists was born some ten years ago when the Maxwell House began an Oasis Services program in which three of the House’s most stable clients in recovery from drug addiction were hired by Liberty Resources to share their personal experiences and work with people who had less control over their addictions.
in recovery from drug addiction were hired by Liberty Resources to share their personal experiences and work with people who had less control over their addictions. The results of those three peer specialists being added to the staff resulted in fewer setbacks with drugs and alcohol for those involved in the program, as well as fewer trips to the emergency room and more community engagement, Jillson added.
“I’m confident we’ ll make a positive impact in the community,” Jillson said.
Designated a recovery center by the Madison County Office of Mental Health, the Liberty Resources Pathways program provides a venue where peer specialists assist individuals with navigating the ever changing and complicated network of services, acquiring benefits, developing natural supports and social relationships, and achieving their life goals.
“We are excited to launch this new program to support residents of Madison County along their pathways to wellness and recovery,” Powell said. “Peer connections are vital for maintaining our own wellness. By sharing our personal experiences, we are able to inspire hope and empower individuals to improve their quality of life.”
Peers provide access to a range of resources that enable individuals to explore their personal passions, interests, and recovery needs and connect to their community. The Pathways Wellness Center also offers many wellness programs and resources, including: linkages to community resources and treatment systems; wellness recovery action planning; whole health action management; peer- run support groups and wellness activities; wellness lending library; computer access; literacy training; parenting support, and more.
Nearly 1 in 5 American adults deal with some form of mental illness during their lifetime. The most recent data from the National Institutes of Health shows 17.9 percent, or 43.4 million, of the country’s population aged 18 and up were living with a form a mental illness, excluding addiction, in 2015.
Pathways Wellness Center at 148 Main St. Oneida, will be open based on community need for adults 18 years or older who are struggling with a mental health condition. Self-referrals and walk-ins are welcome.
Referrals are also accepted from community providers, family members, or friends. Hours of operation are as follows:
• Monday - Friday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Saturday and Sunday: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.