In the News

0:00:00
Hey 22 on FM 97.3 WZBG smack dab in the middle of December 3rd Wednesday in December. And with that we always have a conversation with folks from the McCall Center for Behavioral Health and Health Bank. And today on the line with us is Leanne Mitchell Leanne is the Director of Family Services at the McCall Center. Good morning Leanne. Good morning. Thanks for having me on. Well thank you for being our guest this morning and as we get on the airways this morning and talk about our topic here with the McCall Center. You know we’re in the holiday season. This is a family time of year. And of course the mission at McCall is to help folks find a way to recovery and substance use and mental health disorders. We’re going to talk about the family impact on this because as I think anyone who’s been in this fight before knows it goes beyond the individual and to all those folks in the family who are trying to love them through this right?

0:01:01
Yes. Yes. And so what I often talk about in my work as the Director of Family Services I get a lot of phone calls. We get a lot of phone calls throughout McCall. Some people who are coming from a place is caring and comparing but also more specifically is what more maybe they could be doing to be helpful. And so I often describe this process as recovery is really a parallel process. Recovery for somebody who’s trying to manage substance use or struggling with mental health. They themselves are trying to search for a pathway and what I often tell you is that there’s at least five but most of the time many more who are trying to also love that person and they themselves are if needed to go through a recovery process. Well, it’s not an easy thing because it can be an extremely frustrating process for the family that are trying to be supported. So let’s take a look at a two ways.

0:02:15
The one is just maybe emotional exhaustion as this person maybe they’ve been struggling for a while and it’s harder for a family member to understand where that person is sometimes. And the other is a feeling of helplessness too. It’s like I don’t have the tools. I don’t know how to help and I guess McCall can help with that. Absolutely. So we do also through McCall Center, we do also a huge piece of what we try to do when somebody enters their doors to receive support and help is that we do try to write off the bat, start the initial conversations with is there anyone else in their life that they want to involve? And sometimes from the coming from a perspective of the person who’s struggling, there’s some hesitation with that. Often there’s a lot of emotions that come with deciding to get some sort of passive recovery and there’s sometimes shame and guilt that’s involved. And there might be this feeling that if I get my family member involved or someone who I view as support, is this only going to increase the shame that I feel?

0:03:24
And often what I try to explain is that with building, understanding around mental health struggles and some of these struggles, it actually creates a lot more empathy and compassion in the whole process. So do we get the folks together in a room and try to reach an understanding of where the parties are? So you’ve got the person who is, let’s say, battling addiction and trying to get into this fight. Again, it has it to bring on the shame of bringing the family in closer into this battle. And then you’ve got the family in the room that are trying to understand their role and how they can be the most helpful. Is this kind of a scenario that McCullough tries to create? Yes. So McCullough can offer a couple of different paths in what I kind of described. So McCullough can offer to actually do family therapy, which would involve just the family unit with the person who is struggling.

0:04:26
But then McCullough also offers a group. It’s a peer support and education group called Recovery Together. And in that group, what we really try to do is we bring topics around substance use, mental health, and recovery. And when they’re helping people build their understanding about the process, while I’m also really honing in on specific skills that will help bring about change. I often describe changes being very difficult. And that’s, you know, the family in the recovery process, ultimately, what’s happening is that they’re being forced to change or asked to change as well, some of their behaviors. Often with substance use and mental health, we fall into these patterns of how we operate within relationships. And when the person is trying to get on a better path, the family members might have to change and adjust some of the ways that they operate within that relationship. So more specifically, one of the most common questions is around not giving someone money anymore.

0:05:36
First fear that we’re continuing to contribute, maybe, to the substance use problem. And then when I cover it together, we really talk a lot about deciding on a change, but a change that you’re able to commit to and to stick with. And so it’s not helpful for someone to suggest a change that you would never be able to follow through with. And so we try to start small in setting some boundaries. And within setting boundaries and learning the ways to operate within relationships, ultimately, what you’re doing as the family member or the loved one is you’re learning how to take care of yourself. Often, I find that people are so worried and so overwhelmed by what their loved one is going through that they forget to, I often use the analogy about when you go on a plane, you have to put your oxygen mask on first before you can help anybody else. And so a huge piece of what I’m trying to encourage and really help people understand is that it’s important to take care of yourself as well. All right.

0:06:50
So it’s that self-care. You’ve got to be in your best place if you’re going to be of maximum benefit to the person who is in that battle. You mentioned recovery together when for folks who are hearing this and they’re in the family unit and they want to get some of these tools, let’s talk about when recovery together meets and how they can be included in it. Oh, sure. So anybody who would be interested in recovering together, either in a contact me directly or you call the recall name number 84062100. The group meets so on Zoom due to just all of the madness with COVID. Sure. So we’re still meeting them virtually. And so really it’s just a matter of calling. You know, at this point, I’m the point person for that group. So I’m more than happy to have further conversations about the group.

0:07:48
But really it’s just a matter of them. They get sent to you link and it gets one thing from 5.37. All right. And there’s no charge for this. I understand for folks who want to get involved. There’s no charge. I will give credit to we do receive some grant funding through DMS, which we are very grateful for that we can. If we’re going to see opportunity to offer this support at no charge and no cost to the individuals. Well, Leanne, we appreciate it. Our time runs out here and our interview time talking about their talking with director of family services at the McCulls Center, Leanne Mitchell. And talking about how families can be better equipped, get some tools, get some perspective to help that person in their lives who is in the battle.

0:08:34
And Leanne, we appreciate the help and we hope that families will reach out if this is the kind of thing that they need to make all their lives better. Especially at this time of year when we’re all supposed to be enjoying family company that we get the tools to truly work together to get to that successful end. Absolutely. Well, and thank you so much again for having me on and I wish you and everybody at CBG and everybody listening very happy holidays and a safe new year. Leanne, thanks so much for your time. All the best to everyone at the McCulls Center for Behavioral Health and Health Inc. We look forward to our interviews coming up in the new year on the third Wednesday of the month, all the best to you and yours for the holiday as well. Thank you, Dale. Thanks, have a good day. Thank you, too. Leanne Mitchell from the McCulls Center for Behavioral Health and Health Inc.

0:09:23
On FM 97.3 WCBG, run it just a minute later so we’ll head to the newsroom now. Hey Jeff. Dale Log.

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. . 822 on FM 97.3 WCBG. Third Wednesday of the month, we have a visit with the folks from the McCall Center for Behavioral Health and Helping. And this time we actually have two guests in studio. We don’t normally do that, but we’re happy to have from the development and marketing project manager, Marissa Middlestadt, Marissa, welcome to the show. Thanks for having me. Thanks for joining us. And we welcome back Dante Gore. I’m Dante, he’s been a guest of bars in the past. We think it’s been a couple of years since he joined us. He’s an addiction case manager at the McCall Center. So Dante, welcome back. Thank you very much.

0:00:42
Now I think the last time we talked, we got topical about the fight for substance abuse. And we’re going to revolve a lot of our discussion this time around perseverance and what that means in this battle. Marissa, we’re going to come around to you as well because we’re in the annual appeal phase here. Are we on the backside of Tuesday? That’s right. So we’re going to touch on that a little bit. I may bounce back and forth between the two of you a little bit here this morning. But Dante, starting with you, when we talk about perseverance, I imagine that is two sides, both in your practice and what you do, and on the part of those who are addicted. And it’s got to be both hands working together, correct? Yes, sir. So little experiential, what you’ve seen in that actual application. Perseverance. First, let me start saying it’s the honor to be here. Thank you.

0:01:32
Glad to have you. Very grateful for the work you do with your message. It’s very vital in the fight that we do. Well, obviously your work is as well, which is why we’re happy to convey it. So we’re glad we can be a part of getting that message out there. And we know that this is a very tough time in the battle of addiction. Yes. And we’re kind of taking a back seat to COVID, but we know that the numbers are just really, really appalling. So let’s talk about what you’re seeing day to day in that application of perseverance and how we apply that. Perseverance is hard. Yeah. It’s like, you know, it’s easy to tell people, you know, you can get through things, you can get through things. But if a person doesn’t see it themselves, it’s hard for them to believe it. Right. And it’s like, you know, I may not be the best salesman.

0:02:19
And that’s why we work hand-to-hand with agencies like help. You know, if I can’t help them, can we do a warm hell no? Right. And then that’s the perseverance. From time we can’t help everybody come in contact with, but we can’t help them by persevering to find where they fit in in their basic need. And then we can hand them off. I’m saying that it’s like it’s a very, very hard job. And you know, what is the most important thing that we do is to help people with the work you do with your work? What is the best way to sell that if you’ve got someone who is skeptical of their own abilities in this battle? What’s the best tool to give them to get that fight started or to give them that extra leg up in that fight, to get them to believe in that perseverance? First of all, we have to meet them where they’re at. You know, we have to look at their successes. We have to deal with clients, I say like me, I deal with clients on the continuum. I don’t look at what they may have done in the past. I look at what they’re trying to do with them and I meet them where they’re at at that point. And then, and sometimes when we meet clients, they have been through so much that they lost not only the belief in themselves, they lost the meaning of what their existence is.

0:03:28
Like, you know, if you look at Victor Franklin, he says, like, you know, a person can persevere through anything if they find meaning in that at that moment. And what I do is I try to help people find meaning in their struggles because we all have to find meaning in our struggles in order for us to persevere. Because it’s not like you’re going to say back here, say, you know, I’m going to get through what is going to happen. It’s not osmosis. It’s practice. And every day, you know, I tell clients, don’t look at the big battle. Let’s take the small fights. And then if a person can see that they can get through the small fights, then that helps them build self-efficiency. Self-efficiency is a priming, is like a priming greeting as perseverance. Because if I can believe in me, then I can get through this. And it starts with we showing them that I believe in you. Because sometimes that’s what a person’s first belief comes in at. It’s a person that comes in contact with them. Because if that person believes in their heart of all hearts, not in their head, because I always say there’s two cases you can believe at. If you believe in your head, you could believe in your heart. If you believe in your head, you know, we can sit back here and come up without a thousand or one thoughts in a matter of how many minutes. I’m saying so we can sit back and confuse it. We can dilute it. But if you believe in your heart, that’s what a purest essence of persons live, I believe. And if you believe in your heart, that you believe in you, then you can persevere through anything. And people sit back and say, you know, that sounds complicated. No, it’s not. All you guys do is get a person to see one small accomplishment. When a person sits here and tell you, you know what, I thought about using today. But I call this person. I went to a meeting. See, somebody else that might not seem big, but going one day, one minute, one second, and not using. That’s one of the biggest accomplishment for anybody with substance use. And people, as some people can’t grasp that. That’s the big accomplishment. And that’s the, that’s the pure description of perseverance right there is going to get through those individual moments. And that’s what gives everybody hope. And that actually is the theme we’re working with Marissa, I believe, for the annual appeal reflections of hope.

0:05:30
And so let’s talk about that and how that appeal works on the backside of giving Tuesday here for the folks at McCall Center and helping. Yeah, giving Tuesday really kicks off our annual field this year and it’s titled reflections of hope. Because I think sometimes when you’re inside of a mental health disorder or substance use disorder, finding hope is really a challenge. It’s really, really difficult. You know, I’ve experienced it that with my brother. And sometimes you just don’t know how it’s going to end. And thankfully my brother is in recovery and at McCall and help, you know, we find hope every day within the clients that we serve. Because they do have these successes that Dante’s, you know, speaking of. Yeah, perseverance and hope. You can’t really have one without the other. You know, and if you don’t have that sense of hope, then it’s a lot harder to persevere. If you’re sitting there and you’re saying to yourself, what’s the point? And you don’t know what the point is getting back to you to find that one thing, you know, that keeps you going. And then you build on that moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day. And whatever. Glad to hear that your brother is in recovery. Thank you. And again, day by day, the fight goes on. And but that’s really the essence of it isn’t it is perseverance means every day you got to, you got to begin it. So every day you need to know what that point is, right? Yes. And I like I stress that clients is like, you know, we know what it is. We know what it is. Equate. We’ve been there. Sure. You know, and I always tell them, if you want, if you’re comfortable in that feeling, then you know, we can’t complain about it. But we have to not be comfortable and quick. We have to be comfortable and succeed in perseverance, getting through it.

0:07:17
Because it feels great. And you see it like in their eyes when they make like one that that accomplishment, you know, and even like us working this field, we have to persevere the things because we have personal lives. Right. You know, and we have to get through things. And if you want my to share a little bit like what I went through like last year, get persevere. You know, last year, my, my, my little brother, he got murdered. I’m sorry. And I’m. I had to get through that. You know, and I got through that, you know, with finding meaning in it all. And I got through that help with the help from the call. Every day I was getting phone calls every day people call me. You know, I’m doing cards and stuff like that. You know, and that’s the great thing about, you know, having people with their with you to help you get through it. To help you push through it. Then right after that, my mother called COVID. And that was like a shocker. You know, and I got through that with the help of my call. It’s like, well, I’m trying to say I’m not going to always like we all have to persevere and we all have to dig deep like I was reading this thing on my calls. Website, it was says like, you know, sometimes we have to did deep inward deep inward. And that for all of us, we have to deep, did deep inward. And I tell clients, this is what we have to do. We have to go deeper, deeper, deeper in order to find what we’re going to use to get through that day. Don’t take on as an addiction case manager. Perseverance is our overarching topic here this morning. Before we run out of time, because boy, it flies at love to keep the two of you in here for about another 20 minutes. I don’t have that luxury. Marissa, I wanted to give you a chance just to remind people if they want to help support the causes and things you’re doing at McCall and helping a way to do that. Yeah, absolutely follow us on Facebook at McCall is at McCall Center CT or help us at help CT. You can go to our website, www.McCallCenterCT.org, donate slash donate now. Really, your donation is more than just money. You’re letting your clients know that they’re capable of the hard work it takes to heal and sustain recovery. Marissa is development marketing project manager at the McCall Center and helping thanks for joining us on the show. Nice to have you live. Don’t take glad to have you back.

0:09:41
I admire your perseverance through you on personal struggles and the work you do at McCall. Thank you for being our guest. Thank you. Remember, we all need to persevere as it were. Alright, back to the newsroom just a moment late. Hey there, Jeff. Hello, Dill. Thank you.