As PSA often considers learning to include soft skills that are needed for effective coping and overcoming of mental health challenges in the community… it is dismaying that this group of “learners” is consistently caught up in less than optimal provision of support by the powers that be.
Kris and John met with Janette Espinola, a psychiatric nurse, to discuss the provision of soft skill trainings for the families and individuals with mental health challenges. In our region, these often include returning veterans from recent combat and war zone service.
Ironically, it is this group that is likely to suffer most from this current scuffle between Martinez administration and Mental Health service providers, whatever is the source of the present problems, or whoever is the “bad guy”. Which is, to say the least, clearly going in the wrong direction.
Unfortunately, there’s still a stigma connected to mental health services, and it’s not just NM that finds it hard to deal with providing those services adequately and appropriately. Sometimes it appears that mental health is poorly supported because people are so scared they want to dissociate themselves from even discussing it, let along support a program for it through state funding.
When one sees that stats on mental health in the US, the reality is huge numbers are involved and could use services. A growth market for learning. And as we have learned, it’s all connected… lack of eduction, unemployment, poverty, poor health care, mental health and softskill problems… one thing leads to another and around and around it goes.
We at PSA hope that eLearning done right can have a powerful impact on this matrix of misery, and help release latent capabilities to achieve, cope, learn, and prosper.