“Embracing Hope for Mental Health”, Free, public event to kick-off Mental Health Awareness Month

Chattanooga, Tenn. Embracing Hope for Mental Health is an opportunity to hear inspirational stories, discover local resources, and make powerful connections for our community’s shared journey toward mental wellness and healing. The evening event will feature the Be Vocal Documentary: Beyond Silence followed by an informed conversation from people who have expertise, experience, and are embracing hope for mental health. This event takes place on May 1 at 5:30pm at the Camp House and kicks off a month of community activities as part of national Mental Health Awareness Month in the greater Chattanooga area.

Jeff Fink, the keynote speaker, has struggled with depression since he was a teenager. When traditional treatments alone weren’t providing relief for Jeff’s severe and persistent anxiety and depression, he looked for a more holistic path. Jeff began training a golden retriever named Earl to be his mental health service dog, adding to his whole-person approach to wellness. Over time, Jeff realized the positive effect Earl had on himself and others and he launched Go Fetch Wellness, an organization dedicated to introducing others to how the human-animal bond can support their journey.

After the film, Jeff Fink will speak briefly about his experience with mental health recovery, treatment challenges, stigma, and support. “Having lived for the last 18 plus years with treatment resistant major depression and severe anxiety, I realized the limitation in mental health treatment. For many, medications and psychotherapy provide substantial relief, for others, like me, they don’t do enough.”

Jeff will then join a panel of three local experts in holistic approaches to maintaining mental health. Elizabeth Kabalka, MSW is Executive Director for the Center for Mindful Living, where she serves as Chief Ambassador of Mindfulness, speaking about the benefits of mindfulness individually and for our community. Lee Solomon, MD, a Psychiatrist with Behavioral Health Associates, is Board Certified in both Adult and Adolescent Psychiatry. He specializes in panic and anxiety disorders in adolescence through adulthood. Tabi Upton, LPC has worked with families facing all types of life challenges, counseled military children living outside the U.S., and met with inmates in a local jail. In addition to being a regular guest on local radio stations, her column, Mind Matters, ran in the Chattanooga Times Free Press for 13 years.

Embracing Hope for Mental Health will be open to the public at The Camp House, 149 East M. L. King Blvd, Chattanooga, TN 37402 on Tuesday, May 1, 2018 at 5:30pm. More information is available on the Parkridge Health System’s Facebook event page.