Behavioral Health Help for Challenging Times
Impact Communities has received funding to help communities most impacted by COVID in two ways: 1) By implementing stress-reduction/trauma-healing activities. Examples of such projects might include community yoga, mindfulness apps, craft distribution, and informal peer-to-peer support groups; 2) By shifting the physical design of the environment or enhancing systemic processes to promote behavioral health and wellness. These examples would include planting a community garden, renovating an outdoor space to host behavioral health/wellness activities, and providing transportation to/from community wellness activities including COVID-19 vaccinations.
Our team has designed activities for residents of Dallas, Ellis and Navarro counties that fall into one of these categories:
- Life Coaching--Designed to reduce stress and improve mental health, provide one to one support sessions to individuals or to parents and their children. Specific topics will include relaxation techniques to improve sleep, self-guided meditation, daily task management, and avoidance of emotional eating
- Art Classes--Activities to include painting, pottery, knitting, glassblowing, etc. (Can be one-time or a series of classes targeted to individuals through churches, schools and community organizations)
- Health and Wellness Events--These activities promote mental and physical wellness among all individuals and may include Build-A-Bear, stress-busters, gardening, budgeting, healthy eating and active fitness such as yoga, Zumba, etc.
- Social Emotional Learning Activities--Designed to increase optimism and self-sufficiency to those who are isolated or have been isolated and increase their social skills. Activities include calming packs, gratitude packs, sobriety milestones, encouragement packs, parades, and pet therapy. (Targeted for those in hospice care, nursing homes, treatment, schools, health care professionals and first responders)
To inquire about our services, or to suggest an activity not listed here, please contact Wendy Luo at wluo@impactcommunities.org. If you're interested in learning about social wellness and want downloadable resources, click here.
