Events

November 8, 2015 By Suruchi Saini

SAMHIN Health Fair

On November 1, 2015, an annual health fair was held at BAPS in Robbinsville to provide the community with basic education about potential health concerns. The setting for such a noble event was beautiful and serene. I had the opportunity to participate in the health fair as a team member of South Asian Mental Health Initiative and Network (SAMHIN).

Founded in 2014 by Dr. Vasudev Makhija and co-led by Dr. Prakash Amin, the aim of SAMHIN is to educate the South Asian population on the importance of appropriate mental health care and to provide them with resources that are available in the community.

SAMHIN attempts to address a broad range of mental health concerns of the growing South Asian population nationwide, starting in New Jersey. Its mission is to:

Educate, engage, and empower the South Asian community to promote mental health literacy.
Serve as a resource to provide consultation to health care policy makers and health care delivery facilities.
Increase collaboration between existing mental health organizations that address specific aspects of mental illness, increase awareness of the existence and roles of these organizations, and decrease fragmentation in services provided to the community.
Promote and conduct research on mental health to serve the South Asian community in the U.S.
Develop a searchable database of South Asian mental health care providers, social services, and mental health resources to improve access to mental health care.
Overcome stigma of mental illness.
Explore ways of making affordable treatment services available.

Visitors to the health fair were of various ages and backgrounds, yet they all seemed motivated to obtain as much information about mental and physical health issues as they could.

SAMHIN screened numerous people, and educated them about depression, insomnia, substance abuse, and other mental health issues that can easily go unnoticed by family members and friends.

It was a great affair in which many volunteers—including Psychiatrists, counselors, social workers, and nurses—offered their skills, knowledge, and time in an attempt to help the community become healthier and more educated.

May 31, 2015 By Suruchi Saini

Metaphors of Healing

On April 29th, 2015, I had an opportunity to represent Dr. Harish Malhotra, MD and talk about the importance of good Mental Health by using a Recovery Model. Dr. Malhotra is a great Psychiatrist and author of the books, “Metaphors of Healing” and “Pathways to Hope”.

We talked about the great Recovery Model that can come in handy while exploring and understanding what parts of our lives are doing well and what parts of our lives need some work, our strengths and weaknesses. It also gives a perspective to another person that when we make mistakes, that doesn’t make us the bad person; we just didn’t dig deeper in one of the dimensions. More importantly, if somebody makes a mistake, don’t dislike the whole person, just don’t accept the wrong behavior and if you have to, take a stand.

Sharing experiences

During the talk, a member in the audience mentioned that her partner is a Mental Health worker and that at times, “she comes to me for help when exhausted or emotionally burnt out”. “Is that okay, because I have my own mental health issues?” At that moment, I mentioned that it’s absolutely healthy to seek help when needed from family and friends.

However, it is also equally important to be aware of the support group/members’ strengths and weaknesses. For example, if in your support group, you have three people A, B, C and out of them A’s strength is financial matters. You encounter a problem and need emotional support. Will it be fair with yourself and with A to seek help from one another? You and A will end up getting frustrated, which will result in a strained relationship, when it could have easily been avoided. THINK!

During this event, the audience was a wonderful group of people who took time out of their busy schedules to share their journeys and to listen and participate in other people’s journeys. Every single person was an advocate or aspiring to be an advocate of well being with a special focus on Mental Health that evening. This evening reminded me of past group therapy sessions at Rutgers where I mentioned that every person who is seeking help is an advocate, not only for her/his mental health but also of her/his life.

Take care of yourself and then others

I believe when you take care of yourself, that doesn’t only help you, it helps your immediate family and friends. It also helps your community and on a macro level, the state, country, and the world. Yes, we are supposed to think on a macro level and work on the micro levels to achieve our goals.

Whatever we do, it contributes towards human involution and evolution!

When you take good care of yourself, whichever way that you can, you become the inspiring and aspiring drop in the pot (world) to fellow beings who will stay hydrated and afloat.

As a human being and a Mental Health professional with a Holistic approach, I am very grateful to you dear reader especially if you are taking good care of yourself or you are wanting or planning to do so.

Become that drop, keep filling the pot, and keep inspiring others!

May 19, 2015 By Suruchi Saini

My Experience at the NJCA 2015 Conference

Ah the Galaxy of mental health providers and educators on the planet reunited at the New Jersey Counseling Association (NJCA) conference for 2015 ! At the conference I was looking around and I realized that everybody was a star twinkling from within. They were spreading their light in their own unique way. The power of these stars not only gave light to others, but they also paved the way for aspiring counselors and educators. They get together at least once a year to celebrate their contribution and life!

Meeting up with my peers

Once again, I was there with my fellow counselors. The counselors come from all walks of life, different colors, and experiences. I got many opportunities to share and learn at the same time. It’s always satisfying to see the number of attendees increasing and above all, the enthusiasm steering in the right direction.

While attending presentations, every time I heard a story of great resilience or powerful humility, I got goosebumps and my heart began beating faster. Yes, even after being in this field for a decade, this hasn’t changed a bit. Occasionally, the stories of clients as well as counselors still bring tears of joy and sorrow.

It was an honor to meet women and men who have been tirelessly helping people for over three decades and still going strong. Their stories, words, thinking lines on the forehead, and smiling lines manifested their struggles as well as celebrations. What an inspiration!

“Holistic Living with Mindfulness and Neuroscience”

I presented on, “Holistic Living with Mindfulness and Neuroscience: Next Level Holistic Living.” The mind can heal the body, if we have the capability of understanding it appropriately. During the presentation, I felt the enthusiasm among the attendees and gratitude in my heart for having this opportunity to share what I have learned. Attendees actively contributed and were eager to learn. Most of us wished there would have been more time together. This will motivate me to go back in 2016 as well. It was a great experience!

Right after the presentation, a thought came to my mind; in the past 70 minutes, if that room would have turned into a high-tech Neuro-laboratory where I had a way to measure the brainwaves or the connections between everybody’s brains, I bet the room would have looked like a multi-level Laser show (without music). I could sense the positive vibrations.

It was an awesome experience and I am looking forward to the 2016 NJCA conference!!!