A program in Prince George’s County, Maryland, provides mental health services to those already facing big intellectual challenges.<\/p>\n
Anjolene Smack-Whaley\u2019s son can struggle to control his anger and his emotions, which is understandable since the 24-year-old is on the autism spectrum. <\/p>\n
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Unique program provides mental health services to those who can\u2019t express themselves well<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s not any less difficult for her to have to deal with.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe would make a facial expression. He would talk really loud,\u201d she said. \u201cHe would also threaten, \u2018I\u2019m going to do this. I\u2019m going to do that.\u2019 He\u2019ll run outside\u2026 running down the street.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also works, which means dealing with people who might have different personalities, which sometimes don\u2019t always help situations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen he has problems, especially with dealing with people, especially with the job, it was stressing me out,\u201d said Smack-Whaley, who lives in Bowie.<\/p>\n
But about a year ago, she started getting her son mental health treatment as part of what\u2019s known as Project LIVE (Living with Intention, Vision and Empowerment) through The ARC of Prince George\u2019s County.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I didn\u2019t have it? Ooh, I don\u2019t know. I don\u2019t know,\u201d she said. \u201cI just can\u2019t imagine. It\u2019s just been such a blessing to me and my family with him in this program, because I see a difference in him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sometimes the mental health challenge might just be anger or frustration, but the loss of a parent or other traumatic experiences can cause the same sorts of mental health challenges that anyone else might deal with when things upend our lives.<\/p>\n
Project LIVE helps with extra challenges<\/p>\n
For most people, an unwillingness to express their feelings isn\u2019t the same as being unable to. For those in Project LIVE, that inability is an extra challenge that needs to be addressed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found that three and five youth and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities have a co-occurring mental health condition,\u201d said Dreu Lindsay, the project coordinator with The ARC of Prince George\u2019s County. \u201cYouth and young adults between this age group are not comfortable with going to a therapist or there\u2019s barriers or stigma related to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The program aims to bridge all of those gaps, or plow through those barriers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s this idea that when you have an intellectual and\/or developmental disability, a lot of the behaviors that present are related to that disability and not that the behavior could be a presentation of something else going on, like depression or being suicidal or isolation,\u201d said Lindsay.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes they\u2019re not able to express it, which is part of what leads to the misunderstanding, because they\u2019re not able to say, \u2018I\u2019m feeling this way,\u2019\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
But even when correctly diagnosed, the treatment that\u2019s offered will often have to have a different approach. And finding someone willing to provide it can be a challenge too.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of mental health therapists would not are not so comfortable or feel knowledgeable supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, because they cannot approach it in the same way as someone who is neurotypical,\u201d Lindsay said. \u201cSo the approach to treating them or even building rapport may take a lot longer for them to even get comfortable and open up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we first started out, we would do kind of more of an office setting. They (the patient) would come in and have therapy in an office setting, but our therapist quickly learned that they\u2019re not comfortable coming to the office, so what she does is meet them in the community,\u201d Lindsay said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo therapy looks like walking around the track. It may be going to a local park and sitting at a bench like anywhere that\u2019s comfortable for the student. It\u2019s really more meeting them where they are, getting them comfortable in their element.\u201d<\/p>\n
The training and approach is unique<\/p>\n
Most of the young adults they work with, who are between 16 and 25 years old, have autism, though sometimes it might be someone with Down syndrome or another disability.<\/p>\n
The grant that helps fund Project LIVE also helps provide training to other therapists willing to lighten the load carried by the therapist working with The Arc. Nationwide, there are very few programs similar to what Project LIVE does.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can participate in talk therapy,\u201d Lindsay said. \u201cWe are seeing differences made. We have families coming to us thanking us for our services.\u201d<\/p>\n
That includes Smack-Whaley, who said her son looks forward to his therapy sessions, which are done virtually at her house.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe looks forward to when she schedules appointments. He makes sure he gets on for his appointments,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes me feel good. It really does,\u201d she said, adding it\u2019s now one less thing she has to worry about while parenting a special needs child. \u201cBecause now I don\u2019t have to worry about him. He\u2019s learning how to deal with people and and their personalities, because he has these coping skills.\u201d<\/p>\n