Transcription
0:00:00
We want to welcome to the program this morning, Marisa Mittelstaedt and Josh Licursi from McCall. Good morning to you both. Good morning. Thanks for joining us on the show.
0:00:40
Marissa here is Director of Development and Marketing and Josh as Prevention Facilitator and Digital Marketing Specialist. Again, welcome you both to the program, a week out from Christmas. Yes.
0:00:51
You know, even if you do this holiday well, And like the weather that we’ve been experiencing, it can be a real emotional roller coaster this time of year. Josh, you want to speak to that?
0:01:02
Yeah, great way to describe it. I think, you know, I felt it this morning. We are feeling all the feelings right now. We’re one week away. Some people are already having their holiday celebrations. And this time of year brings on immense feelings of joy,
0:01:16
happiness, togetherness, but for some, it could be strong feelings of grief and loneliness and challenges with family and friends, mental health challenges, physical challenges, financial, it could be a lot. And some people listening right now might be thinking,
0:01:32
I’m feeling all these things. And for some, the holidays come and go and you sit on your couch and you think, man, I am exhausted right now. And then life moves on. But for some, it could be really tough. And some people need extra support. And that’s where we come in at the Paul Vavreau Health Network.
0:01:47
I mean, for every Christmas movie you watch, and of course there’s 1,500 of them right now, there is always some dramatic interplay between characters. And that really is reflective of real life, isn’t it? That’s really
0:02:04
where we are at Christmas time. Yes. Yeah. So it’s a lot. It is a lot. And with those two, it’s like the movie ends and some random person is Santa Claus. That’s how every Hallmark movie ends, pretty much. But with, you know, I think you said it earlier when you played Blue Christmas. Yeah. And, you know, there’s a lot of times we don’t talk about some of the struggles that people experience this time of year.
0:02:28
We don’t talk about the challenges that people have with other people in their family and their own personal challenges with mental health or substance use disorder. And it can just be overwhelming this time of year. And so we’re here to try to help people get through this time of year, but also success and healing beyond.
0:02:49
I think it goes without saying, Marissa, that the holidays amplify our emotions. I think you can speak a little bit to that as we contemplate this time of year, so to
0:03:00
speak. Yeah, absolutely. I think everything that Josh just pointed out is something that I’ve been kind of feeling personally. I came on the radio a few years ago and talked about one of my brothers who has some mental health and substance use challenges in the past two years have been, you know, just
0:03:17
increasingly difficult with, you know, some of the choices that he’s made, but also his mental health. And, you know, recently, you know, things kind of came to a head the day before Thanksgiving where he was kind of involuntarily placed into, you know, a state hospital. And I love this time of year. I love being with my family. I love the traditions of it all. But when you have someone that you care about and you love so much going through one of
0:03:45
the worst moments of their life, it’s really hard. It’s hard to watch. It’s hard to be joyful. I have two little kids at home. Well, they’re not so little. They’re tweens and a teen.
0:03:58
But you want to be that parent and not upset their holiday experience. So it’s hard, right? It’s been very hard. And I noticed myself reaching for more food to eat, or drinking more wine, or doing these things that I know just aren’t healthy
0:04:14
to somehow give me this relief that doesn’t come with those choices, right? So I was talking to our lovely CEO, Maria, who’s been on many times and You know It’s funny because we work in behavioral health care, but like I need to reach out for help
0:04:31
Yeah, you know I’ve come to this point. We’re like I can’t manage this on my own anymore I feel guilty for my decisions and choices that I’ve made and how I handle the situation with him And there’s just so much there’s just so many so many feelings, and so I just ask everyone who’s listening, you know, take this as a sign, right? If you’ve been thinking about reaching out for help, do it. I’m going to. Today I’m going to call at McCall.
0:04:58
We have an EAP assistance program where I can have six free counseling sessions, which is wonderful. And I’m going to call. And I’m going to come back, Dale, maybe six months from now.
0:05:11
I wish you would because this story is heartbreaking and I feel so bad for your family because that’s a, like you said, especially at the holidays because it’s a time of family. And when one of your family is suffering like that and you all have to deal with it, plus you have to do the holiday for your own family, you know, it’s a very conflicting thing and it must be immensely difficult.
0:05:35
Yeah, it’s really hard and especially, you know, with the stress of not knowing what was going to happen to him the day before Thanksgiving, and now knowing that he’s probably going to be in the hospital for Christmas. It’s just heartbreaking. He’s in a different state than my parents and myself, so it’s not like we can easily go see him in all the visiting hours that he has.
0:05:57
I know there’s so many listeners out there that are dealing with similar situations and missing loved ones, whether they’re in a hospital or at home or whatever it is you’re dealing with. But yeah, just reach out. Reach out. McCall’s a great place.
0:06:13
Families are a lot and can be a lot at the holidays. Because the holidays are a lot. And like you said, Josh, it tends to just pile on. So the services at McCall, you guys are all about communication and about compassion and we need both in abundance into this year, don’t we?
0:06:31
Yeah, and at the end of the day, it really comes down to connection and how we are connecting with others and those that are lacking it, how can we provide that connection to them. And so, you know, at McCall, it’s this time of year is our annual appeal, which runs until December 31st, and it’s an opportunity for folks to donate to our services and our promise is that anyone that comes through our door will receive the help they need regardless of their ability to pay
0:06:58
and this year more than ever is, you know, more urgent for people to help support that mission and it goes beyond just the counselor that is connecting with the client or our team in a department. McCall as a whole, it really takes a village to come together because these are our friends, our family members, our neighbors, our colleagues that need our support.
0:07:22
And I think there’s many people out there that have been touched by substance use disorder or mental health challenges.
0:07:29
Marisa Mittelstaedt, Director of Development and Marketing, Josh Licursi is Prevention Facilitator and Digital Marketing Specialist with McCall Behavioral Health Network. Marisa, thank you for sharing that story. You’re welcome. Unfortunately, I think there’s a lot of people out there who can identify with what your family is going through. Yeah. So that’s a, that I I hope you’ve touched on them and they’ll reach out to McCall for the
0:07:52
help and Josh for sharing what McCall can can do to help people and what can be a joyous but ever-challenging time of year. Absolutely. Thank you both and the best of the holiday season and thank you to McCall for all the great work you guys do throughout the year. Thanks, Al. to McCall for all the great work you guys do throughout the year. Thanks, Al.
0:08:08
Thank you.