Updates
June 14, 2023
We're thrilled to be planning the 2023 Prince William County Mental Health Awareness Event! We've got some new faces on the planning committee with lots of new ideas and energy!
We will have lots of interesting community resources represented, as well as the tranquility spa and interactive stations. Bring cash with you to support the artists and crafters.
Our keynote speaker will be Jacob Moore from the 5 Bridges program https://www.the5bridges.com.
We will also be presenting the 2023 Voice of Recovery Award. If you would like to nominate someone for this award, please send an email to MHAETeam@pwc-mhae.org. The committee is looking for individuals or agencies who exhibit these characteristics:
Honesty/ Respect; Collaboration/Teamwork; and Advocacy. Candidates can be consumers, providers, family members and or agencies who promote and facilitate Mental Health Recovery.
Please stay and have a barbecue dinner with us, free of charge, after the formal portion of the program. There will be a vegetarian option.
August 4, 2021
The planning committee is deep into laying out the details for this year's event. We have some amazing plans falling into place. The energy at our meetings is wonderful. I can't wait for you to see what we have in mind.
September 25, 2019
The event is in just two weeks. There is a flurry of preperation activity going on. I'm really excited about this year's event. There will be so much to see and do, and of course, a delicious dinner from Shawn's Barbecue. If you are vegetarian, there will also be delectable vegetarian options.
A Voice of Recovery Recipient has been selected. There are many who deserve to be recognized, but only one award each year. Come find out who it is and the wonderful work they've been doing in Prince William County.
September 10, 2019
We're less than a month away from THE EVENT of the year! I would like to introduce you our keynote speaker. This is her bio from the George Mason University website:
Dr. Molly Davis is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work. Davis’s research interests are diverse and include gerontology and geriatrics, trauma across the life course, disaster behavioral health and cultural competence models. She is the developer of the Lifeways model, a model used to train professionals to promote increased cultural competence. Davis is an expert on personal safety risk management for students in practica as well as professionals working in child welfare, health care and human service settings. She has been an innovator in developing models to integrate our understanding of trauma with special populations such as older adults, disaster behavioral health, faculty of color in academia and child welfare. She has presented frequently on her own trauma transformation model. She has an established reputation in developing innovations in field education and has provided leadership for a number of years to other field educators. Davis has been involved in curriculum training for students and faculty, to integrate SBIRT, an evidence based, public health protocol to identify, prevent and support early intervention of risky substance use. She is currently coordinating Social Work in the Mason and Partners Clinic(MAP) which serves as a training site for students from Social Work and multiple health disciplines within the College of Health and Human Services. This integrated care setting has provided an interprofessional learning opportunity for primary health and behavioral health disciplines. A special project she developed called the College Dream Tour, planned by students as an assignment, reached hundreds of at risk children, encouraging them to go to college one day. Before coming to Mason, Davis had experience as a clinical social worker in mental health settings and as an Associate Professor in a University in Florida.
July 26, 2019
There are many people in Prince William County who are dedicated to making a difference for people in the mental health community. The MHAE Planning Committee recognizes one of those people or agencies every year at the Event. If you want to recommend someone for the award, email their name to Paige, PCrislerSmith@pwcgov.org.
There is an opportunity for mental health consumers who create art or crafts to sell them at the event. Space is limited, so contact Nee Allison at 571-235-2456 or NAllison@pwcgov.org as soon as possible.
April 29, 2019
The planning committee is hard at work on the the 14th Annual Mental Health Awareness Event! It will take place on October 9, 2019, from 3-7:30. The theme this year is Resilience: Opportunity to Grow. We will have some new interactive stations and community partners, as well as some returning ones.
September 21, 2018
Voice of Recovery Award
The cut off has passed. The Nominations are in.
Come to the Mental Health Awareness Event on October 20th to find out who has been chosen for this year's award!
September 17, 2018
Voice of Recovery Award
Every year, the Mental Health Awareness Event Committee seeks nominations for the “Voice of Recovery Award”. This award was established in 2011 in memory of Jenny Bates. The committee is looking for individuals or agencies who exhibit these characteristics: Honesty/ Respect; Collaboration/Teamwork; and Advocacy. Candidates can be consumers, providers, family members and or agencies who promote and facilitate Mental Health Recovery. Award presentation will occur at the 13thAnnual Mental Health Awareness Event Wednesday, October 10, 2018 at the Ferlazzo building.
The cutoff date for nomination submissions will be Thursday, September 20, 2018.
To nominate someone, please submit the name and a brief description, as to why you believe they should receive the award.
September 10, 2018
We are in full swing getting ready for the 2018 Mental Health Awareness Event!
We have some exciting new interactive stations and have brought back some favorites. Many new organizations will be represented. There will also be a wide variety of consumer artwork for sale.
The keynote speaker for the formal portion of the program is Kelly Davis, an engaging presenter with an inspiring story.
September 11, 2017
We've got an exciting line-up of stations, service vendors, artists and keynote speaker. Come join us!
August 5, 2016
MHAE 2016
Our theme for this year is Relax & Recharge!
The committee is busy once again planning our 11th Annual Mental Health Awareness Event. We have a great mix of veterans and new people this year on the committee. This group is doing great and had our theme picked out on our very first meeting!
Our format will be similar to recent years, with Relaxation Stations, consumer vendors & a formal event. This year we are including service vendors with Relaxation Stations. We took a break from it for a couple of years and now they will be back! Our service vendors are organizations in the community who offer services. They will have information to hand out and a representative to talk with our attendees.
For our formal part of the event, this year we hope to get a keynote speaker, or may stick to our panel presentation. It's still up in the air, negotiating with a potential keynote speaker. Whichever we choose, the speaker(s) will talk about the effects of stress and how to manage it in a health way.
We are beginning to seek nominations for the annual Voice of Recovery Award. If you know someone who makes a difference in the mental health community, please be sure to nominate them.
TalkToUs@pwc-mhae.org or Online Nomination
November 3, 2015
If you missed the program at the 2015 Mental Health Awareness Event, click here for the video!
July 1,2015
After much discussion, The 2015 Mental Health Awareness Event Committee has settled on a theme for this year's event. This year is particularly special, as it is our 10th year of holding the Event.
The theme is...Celebrate: Finding Your Purpose!
The committee discussed the fact that a person does not have to receive a paycheck to have purpose.
Although the wording of the Event is 'finding' your purpose, the fact is that each of us has a purpose. It's already there. Some people don't recognize that this is real for themselves. This year's programming for the Event will hopefully help members of the audience to come closer to thinking about their own purpose, while listening to stories of purpose from others.
More programming to come.
The Very First Blog Post of the Mental Health Awareness Event Planners!
April 15, 2015
What's going on with Prince William County, (Virginia's) Mental Health Awareness Event? This is a place where we will be posting updates about the very thoughtful planning that goes into this fabulous special Event.
You may be wondering what the Prince William County Mental Health Awareness Event is. Over the years the Mental Health Awareness has become a real celebration of life and recovery from mental illness.
In the past, we have had such programming as stations with recovery-oriented mini-workshops such as journaling, a jewelry craft station, mindfulness, massage and accupuncture, yoga, and so much more.
Then many of us gather in the auditorium for additional programming. In the past, we have had various speakers, but the most wildly popular was last year's panel of people with lived experience with mental health issues.
The members of the panel talked about their journey in mental health recovery, discussing darker days and then how they individually conquer and triumph on a daily basis. Many people in the audience found that panel to be really inspirational and many audience members really took what they needed from that experience.
We have so much more to come and we are so excited to share with you and get you excited about the event. See you soon!!
Comments
Prince William County's Mental Health Awareness Event mission is to bring together the mental health community with the community at large to educate, inspire and dispel myths about mental illness.
Contact Us Today! MHAETeam@pwc-mhae.org
Mental Health Awareness Event
Like us on Facebook
Share
Print 