October 8-11, 2007 is Mental Illness Awareness Week. There is a longstanding relationship between the arts and mental health. Many famous artists suffered from brain disorders and found a deep well of creativity in their pain. We invite you to participate in our events (see home page for more information.)

Our theme this year is a quote from the French artist Georges Braque: “Art is a wound turned into light.” It is this thought that we celebrate as we explore any and all ways that we bring healing to those in recovery, and bring a joyous quality of life to persons with mental illnesses.

The following descriptions of the use of the arts in recovery is from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA).

Art Therapy: Drawing, painting, and sculpting help many people to reconcile inner conflicts, release deeply repressed emotions, and foster self-awareness, as well as personal growth. Some mental health providers use art therapy as both a diagnostic tool and as a way to help treat disorders such as depression, abuse-related trauma, and schizophrenia. You may be able to find a therapist in your area who has received special training and certification in art therapy.

Dance/Movement Therapy: Some people find that their spirits soar when they let their feet fly. Others-particularly those who prefer more structure or who feel they have "two left feet"-gain the same sense of release and inner peace from the Eastern martial arts, such as Aikido and Tai Chi. Those who are recovering from physical, sexual, or emotional abuse may find these techniques especially helpful for gaining a sense of ease with their own bodies. The underlying premise to dance/movement therapy is that it can help a person integrate the emotional, physical, and cognitive facets of "self."

Music/Sound Therapy: It is no coincidence that many people turn on soothing music to relax or snazzy tunes to help feel upbeat. Research suggests that music stimulates the body's natural "feel good" chemicals (opiates and endorphins). This stimulation results in improved blood flow, blood pressure, pulse rate, breathing, and posture changes. Music or sound therapy has been used to treat disorders such as stress, grief, depression, schizophrenia, and autism in children, and to diagnose mental health needs.

Work is important. Most Americans not only work to pay bills and provide for themselves and their families, they actually define themselves by what they do for a living. Most conversations between new acquaintances quickly ask the question, “What do you do?”  In addition to providing a living, work gives people a sense of belonging and community. It also creates a network of friends and colleagues.

People with severe mental illnesses benefit greatly from the security and self-sufficiency that come with stable and fulfilling employment. The key to maintaining good mental health is flexibility in scheduling, job duties, and office procedures. This is true, of course, for everyone, not just people who have mental illnesses.

The American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates that all people have a fair chance to pursue their dreams. The Act prohibits businesses from discriminating against a qualified candidate on the basis of his or her disability-including mental illness. Businesses must also make reasonable accommodations - such as adapting training materials and providing flexible work schedules or routines - for qualified people with disabilities.

The following article is reprinted from ABC News and Good Morning America and discusses great ways to implement flexible work environments.

Flexibility Equals Productivity

There Are Better Ways to Balance Your Work and Outside Life -- Just Ask Your Boss

Compressed Work Week: Some employers -- ranging from retailers and grocery chains to banks and government offices-- allow employees to work a compressed work week. Instead of working eight-hour days, five days a week, they'll work four days at 10 hours. This frees up a day a week to focus on personal/family needs or to save on child care costs on that fifth day.

In addition, some employers -- including the federal government -- will allow employees to devise an alternative schedule for start and stop times. If you want to see your child off to school, you may elect to come in later. You can put the kids on the bus yourself and save the cost of morning child care. In such a case, the worker stays later at the office.

This is also great if you live in a city with terrible traffic. Coming in an hour or two later could save you time -- and sanity. By avoiding the rush hour, you'll get to work faster and save that dead time on the road, which you don't get paid for.

Vacation by the Hour: This really works well for workers paid by the hour. If they miss a shift, their pay is docked. It's also ideal for small businesses because it doesn't cost a penny to implement. For example, you might need to take your child to the doctor. Instead of missing an entire shift, you could take off the hour you need and then return to work. Your vacation time becomes like a debit account -- you deduct the hours you needed to take. This allows you to take care of family matters without losing a day's pay. And it works well for the company because doesn't lose out on a full day of your productivity.

Some companies will allow you to convert unused sick days into vacation days. Most employers only let you use sick days if you, the employee, are sick. If you don't use them, you lose them. This tweak in policy allows workers to use them if children are sick or for doctor's visits, instead of cutting into vacation time. The computer maker Dell gives all its employees -- from factory workers to management -- up to 10 personal business days instead of calling them sick days. This is something that many small businesses are willing to do as well. It costs nothing, but is a big help to staff.

Working at Home: It's the dream of moms everywhere -- to work from home! Telecommuting has grown in popularity. In 1999, only 18 of Fortune's best companies to work for offered telecommuting. Today, 79 do. Some people just do it a day or so a week -- so there are lots of options.

What's in it for the employer? Smart companies do these types of things to keep good employees, and to keep them happy. It's not all altruism -- it makes economic sense too. The average cost of losing an employee is 1.5 times the employee's annual salary because of lost productivity while the position is open, plus the cost of recruiting, hiring and training a replacement. By implementing these programs, employers benefit from increased retention and improved employee satisfaction, which boosts productivity and the bottom line.

Employers like Ernst & Young say their retention rates are currently at historic highs because the company culture embraces flexibility for employees at all levels.

Approaching your boss.

·        Before you knock on your boss's door, ask yourself honestly if your job performance is good enough to warrant this perk. These flexible benefits are accommodations, not entitlements. The stronger your performance, the better the chance of receiving such perks. If you've been a slacker, you can't walk in and say I want to work from home five days a week. It won't work.

·        Think of it as a business proposal. You have to present it in a way that's a win for your boss and for you. How will your department or company benefit from such a program? If high turnover is a problem, this could be a solution. If you're overstressed but great at your job, it behooves your manager to work this out instead of losing you.

·        Do your research. If similar companies in your field or location offer flexible benefits, present that as part of your proposal. If other companies offer these benefits, but yours doesn't, it can help you build your case.

·        Propose benchmarks. If your employer were to allow you to work from home or use hourly vacation or any of the other programs, how will the success of this benefit be measured?

·        Suggest a trial period. You're more likely to get a yes if you say let's try it for three months than if you ask for a permanent change.

·        And, of course, have confidence. Change can start with one person and one conversation, but only if you have the courage to speak up for yourself in a confident and persuasive way.

By TORY JOHNSON
April 13, 2006