Hello, and welcome to "Your South Florida."

I'm# Arlene Borenstein.

Mental health affects all of us, and our needs can look very different# depending on where we are in life.

From young adults facing pressure to find their place in# the world, to midlife adults balancing careers, family and personal change, to older adults# navigating loss, retirement, and identity.

The mental health journey is never one-size-fits-all.# On today's program, we're taking a closer look at mental wellness through life's different stages,# and the local resources helping people feel seen, supported, and understood.

We're starting# with midlife, a time that can bring major transitions often silently.

To help us understand# the unique mental health challenges facing women in this stage and how to better support them,# we're joined by two experts: Katherine Murphy, CEO of NAMI Palm Beach County; and Shari Warner,# a licensed marriage and family therapist, and Founder of Serendipity Women's Mental# Wellness Center.

Thank you both for being here.

Thanks so much for having us.

Thanks for having us.

Of course.

Katherine, we'll start with you.# You deal with mental health challenges across all age groups.

Tell us what that looks like.# As we said, it's never one-size-fits-all.

So we serve people, generally 18 and up, but# a wide range of conditions and different life experiences.

All of our programs are# peer-led by people who understand what it's like to go through similar challenges.# We have support groups, classes, education, different presentations, just to try to reach# people where they're at across the lifespan.

So if we're looking at middle age, we offer a# lot of programs for people in that age range, including the support groups, wellness programs,# we have an incredible resilience training program.

Just a lot of different options for various# people on different stages in that journey.

And Shari, your center focuses# exclusively on women's challenges in midlife.

What inspired you to do# that?

And tell us a little bit more.

Well, our center actually works a lot with# women and adolescent girls and teens as well, but our focus on women's challenges through# midlife kind of came as a result of my own experience and being forced into surgical# menopause, and not understanding what I was facing.

And that led to me asking questions about# how other women are experiencing the same things; and if I had questions, how many other women# had questions as well.

And so we decided to put together programs and events that# would focus on situations that women experience during midlife, first and foremost# being menopause, the symptoms, experiences, behaviors, and the impact on their family.

Katherine, I know that you also deal a lot with caregivers.

That's right.

Women who are going Right.

Through these things, and they ha.. a stigma around this time of life, but imagine# also having to care for another human being.

Mmhmm.

So how do you approach that?

This is a majority of the people that we serve# as caregivers, and you might call it the sandwich generation Mmhmm.

Where you're taking .. and then also your aging parents.

And so a lot# of the people come to us, they feel alone in what they're going through because they're caring# for their family on both sides of that.

Mmhmm.

And then they might also not feel that same support any longer.

They# .. through at work with their colleagues, they might# be trying to live up to a certain presentation in their community, and might not feel comfortable# about the challenges that they're going through.

And so we try to offer a place where people# can come and just be authentic, and share about the different experiences that they're# having with other people who really get it.

Wow!

I bet the heaviness of that can often# propel like anxiety, depression.

They come in wanting help, not just for them, but also# because they're caring for others.

How does your organization help deal with that?

We have a support group every Wednesday night for the family caregivers of somebody# living with a mental health condition.

That support group's free, it's very easy to connect# with.

You just go to our website and you can sign up and really get that support right away.# And it's other family caregivers who understand what that experience is like.

They understand the# stigma, they understand the isolation.

A lot of times there can be shame or privacy or secrecy or# even just not knowing how to talk to somebody.

Ah!

But what it seems to happen is that once individuals start to talk# about what they're going through, the.. "Wow, you're going through that too."

Mmhmm.

And the more that you talk about and the more you# find out that everybody's going .. and it's okay to talk about it.

You're not alone.

You are not alone.

Definitely.

Wow!

Shari, your Serendipity Women's Mental Health Wellness# Center, I think I got that right.

What services do you provide in that same sense, and also# dealing with women in midlife that can help?

We currently offer primarily individual# services, so groups are wonderful, support groups are wonderful, there's unity in numbers,# but there are a lot of women who are feeling that sense of shame.

Mmhmm.

And they are not quite comfortable# speaking up about some of .. Hmm.

That they're experiencing in a gr.. theirs alone.

They're not at home with the family,# they're not sharing with others, they come into a space that they have said where they feel like,# "This is my space for the 45 minutes or an hour, and I don't have to think about anyone else but# me.

And I can say whatever it is I wanna say, I can say how I wanna say it, or I can sit and# say nothing because this is my space and my time, and this is a place for me to feel heard."

Something you mentioned is shame, and how do you deal with this?

How do different generations# of women going through these different things approach that, that some things are just# more taboo for certain generations than others.

How do you guys look at that and# help them through in different ways?

I think it's different based on who you# are and your upbringing, your background, the environment in which you were raised.

We# are all taught shame based on our culture, culture being family, culture being ethnicity,# culture being region.

And so what may be taboo or shameful for one may not be taboo or shameful# for another.

I like to work with women and go back to the source of the shame.

What was it that# transpired back in your childhood or your teenage years that made you feel that this particular# issue was something to be shameful about?

Hmm.

How has that impacted your life throughout?

How is it continuing to impact# your life today?

Let's work through that to help you overcome shame Hmm.

So that you can continue to live the life that# you wanna live, how you wanna live it helping you become your best self, helping you heal.

How has NAMI Palm Beach County been seeing these numbers?

Are more women coming in for this# type of support?

What have you seen so far?

In general, we're seeing great increases in# the amount of people who are seeking help.

Be that therapy Mmhmm.

Or support groups, telehealth, there's a lo.. and destigmatizing around help-seeking.

[Arlene] Mmhmm.

We also see a lot of women who are the ones who# are reaching out for help and support.

So we've definitely seen our numbers increase in the# last couple of years.

During the Covid era, we saw a lot of people reaching out for the first# time, and I think we've really seen that continue.

People who maybe they weren't comfortable# reaching out for help and support in the past, I think that so much has been done to help# people feel like it is not your fault Mmhmm.

It's not a weakness of character, it's nothing that you've done to bring you to# this place, but it's okay to go and get support, and to reach out for help for it.

And there are peer-led programs where you have maybe women helping other women as# well to make it feel a little more normal.

Absolutely.

We have one group that's# specifically for the more mature ladies.

They meet every other week, and they have# lunch and they socialize, and they talk about the experiences that they have being# mature women, and how that's a bit unique.

Shari, you are an attorney.

[Shari] I am.

And so how does that help you with your therapist# career, and that end of the industry where people are coming to you with maybe emotional life# changes, but yet you can bring in this other knowledge you have to help with barriers# people are facing.

Tell us about that.

It has helped especially with the women in the# nonprofit at the center who are experiencing some sort of depression or anxiety symptoms as a# result of maybe a legal issue that they're facing.

So we've had women through the lifespan, whether# they're young women in their 20s going all the way up who are having anxiety or depression, or# just feeling dysregulated because they're going through a divorce Hmm.

Child custody issue, maybe a DUI, shoplifting,# whatever it is that they've gone through, and they don't understand the legal process.

And# so my background in law kind of helps to placate them a little bit Yeah.

In terms of being able to give so.. and how they can navigate the process.

The more# information they have, the less anxiety they have.

Once we reduce the anxiety, then we can help# them by working with them through whatever other issues they're experiencing.

So that's where# my legal background has come in.

Also on the administrative side, being a lawyer, I've worked# in different areas of the law as a litigator, I've worked as a transactional attorney,# real estate.

And so all of that background comes together in building the organization,# so that it's solid, and it can do what it needs to do for the women who come to us.

Katherine, there are women who are silently struggling, what would be your message# to them?

Where would be the best way to take their first step?

And how to take that# first step?

How would you encourage them?

One incredible resource that we have is the 988# helpline.

So 24 hours a day, wherever you are, you can call 988 from anywhere in the country and# get connected to immediate support.

And whether you're in Palm Beach County or in Hmm.

Another county in Florida, or you're anywhere# in the country, you can call that number and get help right away, and then they can# connect you to local resources.

With NAMI, we're a national organization, there's# over 600 NAMIs throughout the country.

Yeah.

So it's very easy to get connected to a local NAMI, and then we can# he.. And it may or may not be something that we offer# at our NAMI, it might be referring to a local partner, helping people to find the right type of# treatment or right type of resource for them.

Wow!

Thank you so much.

Yeah.

And Shari, what about you?

How would you en..

Call us at Serendipity, we are available,# and we're here to help you.

And the fact that you're picking up the phone and making that# call tells us that you have reached that point where you're tired of being tired, and you're# ready for help, and we're here to help.

Thank you guys so much for being here and# encouraging women to just step forward, right, and get the help they need.

Mmhmm.

Katherine, Shari, thank you so much.

Thank you, Arlene.

While mental health awareness has grown# in recent years, many young adults, especially those in college still struggle to# find affordable accessible support.

One South Florida nonprofit is working to change that# though.

Beyond Grey founded by Bianca Natali provides free mental health services and community# programs tailored to college aged young adults.

Inspired by her own struggles with mental health,# Bianca set out to create the kind of support she wished she had.

We spoke with her to learn more# about her journey and how Beyond Grey is helping young people feel seen, heard, and supported.

I started Beyond Grey right in the midst of the pandemic.

I was doing a lot of mental and physical# healthcare practices that were really helping me get out of feelings of anxiety and depression.# And I started the platform really to share ways that mental and physical health was helping# me.

It later grew into creating programs for recipients here in South Florida, and we have# a therapy program that's curated for college students to receive one-on-one therapy.

And we# also have a half marathon sponsorship program to run your first half marathon.

If you're a# college student, you're enrolled in a South Florida college, you can go straight to our# website to apply for our program.

And if you don't have access to mental healthcare, we will# connect you to one of our therapists in network, and you'll receive nine sessions with a therapist# to use within 90 days.

And then from there, after your 90day program, we also offer group# therapy.

We act as your beneficiary, we cover the cost with our therapists.

A lot of the times,# we're working with students that are not very familiar with mental health, which is also one of# the reasons why we started Beyond Grey.

For me, I didn't know what mental health really was# until I had no other option.

So really our goal is to create this awareness around mental# health before it's essentially too late.

When we're looking for a community partner, our main# focus is, first of all, noticing what separates them from the others.

Here at Open Door Yoga,# we really focus on creating a safe space for everyone that walks through the door.

And for# Beyond Grey, that's the most important thing, to make sure everyone feels safe and welcome for# them to heal and to connect, and to process their emotions and their feelings.

When we're looking# for new therapists, we like to check and see also what differentiates them.

So for example, one# of our therapists, Carolina, she works through somatic healing, and she also does art therapy.

I think while mental health is something that is so important, it's unfortunately something# that can be challenging to get access to, whether that be because of pricing, whether that# be insurance, whether that be cultural factors if people are not really understanding what the# experience is.

And so when Bianca from Beyond Grey came to me with this idea for this program# to provide free therapy for college students, I thought it was just such a great idea because# that time in college is such a formative time for all of us.

It's when we tend to really focus# on finding ourselves, on figuring out who we are, what we wanna be.

And that can be challenging when# we have experiences from our past that we're still holding onto.

The way that I like to describe art# therapy, it's that the use of artmaking and the creative process.

So anything in the visual arts# related to drawing, painting, coloring, collage, etc.

really helps to enhance the client's# experience in their process of healing.

Somatic healing is a mindfulness-based practice that# allows for us to come into our physical bodies to understand its sensations, its experiences,# and its memories.

Generally speaking, we always start the practice with finding a sense of safety# within the body, feeling grounded, really knowing where we are in that time and place.

And then from# there we shift into some exploration, right?

So what are the sensations that are coming up in the# body, starting to get curious about what some of those can mean, and then really listening to the# desires of those experiences, right?

So what does that sensation want?

How does it wanna move?

What# does it wanna say?

To really bring that sense of clarity, and over time using that for tools to# then help us keep using it in everyday life.

The first workshop we ever hosted and the# introduction to our therapy program was with Carolina, and she hosted a art therapy workshop.# It was a group therapy event called Create Color.

We were able to connect to color pencils and# markers and pastels, and we started by doing a somatic healing meditation to get into our bodies.# And then from there, we colored with the markers, the color pencils, and the pastels, sort# of like how we were feeling.

And then as a group, we were each able to explain# a little bit more about our drawing.

Everyone had their own journals, there was# art materials spread out throughout the table, and I just started us all with a mindfulness# practice.

So really coming into the body, noticing where we were, what we were feeling in# that moment, and then from there coming up with images, visualizations through that practice that# then the students were able to draw, create within their journals.

It was so beautiful to see the# students really open up about their experience, things that they were noticing that they# hadn't really thought about in awhile, really finding a way to connect with the art# material, with each other, with themselves was just something really special to experience.

I've had people come to their first day, or one of our first work, or one of their# first workshops that they're attending, and they've told me things like, "Oh, it was a lot# for me to show up here, but I'm so happy I showed up today because I'm feeling so much better."

And# then I've seen them like to continue showing up for themselves.

Now there's some students that# are looking into becoming yoga instructors, and also bringing their friends along with them.# So by showing up for yourself, you're also guiding the way for someone else.

A line that's always# helped me is, "Right now is, and not later."

So if you're feeling something right now in# this moment, just know that you're not going to be feeling this in a few hours, a few days,# a few weeks, a few months.

There is always a different lining, there's always a Beyond Grey.

Mental health challenges don't discriminate by age, but the support we need can look different# at every stage in life, whether it's teens struggling with anxiety, young adults facing life# transitions, midlife adults managing stress and burnout, or older adults coping with loss and# loneliness, access to care is essential.

The Faulk Center For Counseling in Palm Beach County# provides free and low-cost mental health services for people of all ages.

Joining me now to talk# about these resources and the unique needs that arise across life's different stages is Dr. Holly# Katz, Clinical and Training Director at the Faulk Center.

Dr. Katz, thank you for being here.

Thank you so much for inviting me.

Of course.

Tell us a little bit# more about the Faulk Center.

Well, the Faulk Center for Counseling was# initially founded by Elizabeth Faulk.

She was actually the first woman to get a PhD in# Psychology from the University of Florida.

And her belief was that everybody should receive# quality mental health services regardless of an inability to pay.

So our agency is a more# than 50yearold not-for-profit agency serving children through older adults, everything# in between, serving those individuals in a variety of mental health programs.

One of your core missions is to provide free or accessible care.

Tell us# about some of those services.

Well, we provide counseling groups either# on telehealth or in-person, and our group counseling is either free of charge or very low# cost.

And when I mean low cost, I mean like $5 a session.

So that's amazing, so that anybody can# receive services.

We also do individual therapy and family therapy and couple therapy, and those# services are $65 a session, but anybody has an opportunity to request a reduction in fees, and we# provide those based on their level of income.

You work with age groups, and it could be teens,# midlife, older folks like we were saying.

Let's start off with teens though.

What are some# of the biggest challenges they're facing?

Well, I'm sure you know Yeah.

Today's social media has really done damage to# that population because people are looking at other individuals and basing their lives# on what they see others are showing their best selves or their fake selves.

And# so that level of competitiveness and feeling like maybe I'm not good enough,# is something that is very, very damaging to teenagers.

And what we know is we've seen# over the last decade, a huge rise to the mental health challenges for teenagers.

Depression and# anxiety is now 20% of the teenage population.

Wow!

And in the age group of 10 to 24yearolds, suicide is the second leading cause# of death, which is just not acceptable today.

Oh my gosh!

I feel like the next follow-up should# be, what do you do?

How do you encourage them?

And as a parent, what do you look out for?

Right.

So one of the things that you wanna really do is create an open conversation for your# teenagers, and not be afraid to discuss with them that sometimes talking to a mental health# professional is a very, very brave thing to do.

And it would be a shame Hmm.

For anybody to not receive services because# to.. are absolutely treatable.

So we have programs# that bring teenagers together who have challenges with coping or challenges connecting with other# teenagers.

So for example, in our COPE group, teenagers are gonna learn skills for emotion# regulation, problem-solving, any kinds of skills that are gonna help them to deal with very, very# uncomfortable feelings.

And in our Connect groups, we teach individuals how to make friends, how to# keep friends, how to have appropriate boundaries.

And those skills really Hmm.

Set into teenagers up for future success.

Right.

Challenges evolve as we get older, and folks coming to you in their# 40s or 50s, what are you seeing in that age group?

And how are you helping them?

So one of the challenges, particularly in midlife is the challenge of, for many people caring# for an older adult parent and also a child Mmhmm.

And we call that the sandwich generation.

So you're really feeling# li.. between caring for your parent and caring for your# child, and really having very little selfcare.

Right.