We are a nation in crisis when it comes to mental health. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, an estimated 23 percent of all adults in the U.S. report experiencing a mental illness each year – that’s 1 in 5 adults. Thousands of Americans experience mental health disorders, including the most commonly reported anxiety and depression, as well as other conditions such as bipolar disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder.

When you’re experiencing a mental health crisis it can feel like you’re alone, but the numbers show it’s more common than you may think. And that’s why we need to talk about it.

The World Health Organization has designated each October 10 as World Mental Health Day, an annual effort to raise mental health awareness and change. This year, the Winter Park Health Foundation invites you to a special panel conversation that will give you the opportunity to hear from mental health leaders from our community.

The panel will be moderated by Shainna Ali, Ph.D., a regular Center for Health & Wellbeing presenter and a mental health counselor, educator, and advocate who is passionate about destigmatizing mental health counseling and helping individuals worldwide recognize the importance of fostering mental wellness. She’ll be joined by:

• Caitlin McDonald, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and the Coordinator of the CHILL Program in Orange County Public Schools

• Sejal M. Barden, Ph.D., Executive Director of the UCF Marriage and Family Institute

• Yasmin Flasterstein, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Peer Support Space, Inc.

We invite you to listen and learn, including tips on how to cultivate mental wellness, how to know when to seek help, and information on mental health resources available right here in our community.

This program is presented by Shainna Ali, Ph.D., and is hosted by the Winter Park Health Foundation.

About the Panel:    

Moderator:

Shainna Ali, Ph.D., a mental health counselor, educator, and advocate who is passionate about destigmatizing mental health counseling and helping individuals worldwide recognize the importance of fostering mental wellness. She is the host of the Mental Wellness Practice Podcast and author of The Self-Love Workbook, The Self-Love Workbook for Teens, Luna Finds Love Everywhere: A Self- Love Book for Kids, The Self-Love Planner, and Designing Healthy Boundaries. Dr. Shainna regularly offers commentary on self-care and mental wellness for outlets such as ABC, CBS, NPR, Washington Post, Insider, and Bustle. You can learn more through her website www.DrShainna.com or follow along on Instagram (@DrShainna).

Panelists:

Sejal M. Barden, Ph.D., is a Professor at the University of Central Florida in the Counselor Education program. Primary roles at UCF include Doctoral Program Coordinator as well as serving as the Executive Director for the Marriage and Family Research Institute. She earned her doctoral degree in Counselor Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and completed her masters and education specialist degrees in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Florida. Dr. Barden’s primary research interests include: supporting healthy relationships for individuals and couples from underserved populations and improving quality of life and wellbeing for chronically ill and marginalized persons. Dr. Barden has secured more than $20.1 million dollars of full indirect research awards as Principal Investigator/Co-Investigator focused on improving relational and individual outcomes for couples and has published over 60 scholarly works in refereed and/or peer-reviewed dissemination outlets. Dr. Barden is deeply involved in community engaged research and serves on numerous boards at the national, regional and community level.

Caitlin McDonald is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and the current Coordinator of the CHILL Program in Orange County Public Schools. Caitlin has worked with children, teenagers, and their families in the Central Florida area for 10 years. She loves to travel, try new foods, and spend time with her friends and family.

Yasmin Flasterstein is a Central Florida leader in mental health and LGBTQ+ advocacy living with cPTSD, Depression and Dissociative Disorder. She has been in social justice leadership positions since she was 14 and, in college, brought membership of a mental health advocacy group from 20 to over 200 members in one semester. After supporting the mental health response to the Pulse tragedy for years – today Yasmin works as the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Peer Support Space, Inc. a nonprofit which has created peer led resources that focus on communities that fall through the cracks of our mental health system for over 15,000 individuals in five years, across 22 states and 18 countries. Yasmin wears many hats including being a founding member of the National Peer Respite Coalition, serving as an Advisory Council member to the Black Health Commision, and being a part of the Orange County Mental and Behavioral Health System of Care Implementation Team. Yasmin has received countless recognitions including getting recognized as UCF’s 30 under 30, a Everyday Hero by News 13, LGBTQ+ Leaders of Tomorrow by Watermark and having her biography read into the congressional record for Women’s History Month.