Thank You From the Fountain Hill Center

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note from Amy
Amy Van Gunst
Executive Coordinator
I am thrilled to write to you in celebration of a fantastic year so
far at the Fountain Hill Center—Lakeshore Office! Last year we
celebrated more than doubling our service hours, this year we’ve
gone further.
616-456-1178
Information about great new programs at the
Fountain Hill Center—Lakeshore Office!
622
Free or Reduced Cost Hours Served
Like us at www.facebook.com/thefountainhillcenter
Follow us @ FountainHillCen
The Fountain Hill Center —Lakeshore Office
534 Fountain St. NE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
$31,100
Free or Reduced Cost Services
INSIDE...
Recipes for your brain! Rosalyn Baker, Fountain
Hill Center Neurotherapist shares some of her
favorite summer brain foods!
Tips for having a great vacation with your kids
from Fountain Hill Center’s children’s specialist,
Tracy Thompson.
Thank You
We’re excited to announce the beginnings of a Family Support
Services Program that will provide counseling support services to
families facing crisis in the court system. You can read more
about this program inside. We are so grateful to the Oceana
Youth Fund, the Child Neglect and Abuse Prevention Fund and
the Bessie E. & Ethan Allen Gray Health Fund of the Community
Foundation for Oceana County and to our generous partnership
with New Era Reformed Church for making it possible to create
Oceana County’s only supportive supervised parenting program.
We’re also so humbled at the success of our first Annual Laughing
Matters fundraiser. So many Oceana County businesses partnered
with us to raise nearly $7,000 — that’s almost 140 sessions of
therapy for families who otherwise have nowhere else to turn for
help overcoming abuse, trauma, mental illness. The success of
the event goes further than that, though. We are thrilled to see
Oceana County prioritize our mental health. At Fountain Hill
Center—Lakeshore Office, we know that when we aren’t wholly
well — emotionally, mentally, intellectually, spiritually and
physically— then we can’t grow as a community.
We look forward to growing with you in the coming months!
to Our Laughing Matters Business Sponsors
Scenic Sky Alpacas
Country Dairy
Oceana Veterinary
Clinic
Vintage Salon
Ann Byl
Lynnette Lentz
Shelby Public Schools
Shelby State Bank
Harbor Design
Mercy Health
Partners
Tammy Carey
Newago County Regional
Educational Service Agency
Community Foundation for
Oceana County
Thomas Reed Elementary
Shelly Comstock
Theresa Mead
Keehne Hardware
Shelby State Bank
JPF Consulting
Rev. Tony Homes-Curran
Beth Pranger
New Hope Community Church
New Era Elementary School
Chris Eldredge
Paula VanDuinen
Wickstra Realty
10%
50%
Of us will develop a
mental illness
sometime in our lives
www.cdc.gov
More free or reduced cost services
offered than this time last year.
Thank You From the Fountain Hill CenterLakeshore Office Advisory Committee
Gales Agency
First St Market
VanDuinen Builders
for making mental health options a priority in Oceana County
Dannielle McGuire
West Michigan CMH
Wickstra Realty
Pat Fanberg
Lisa Wagner
JPF Consulting
Pentwater Public Schools
prioritize joy
Family Support Service Pilot Program
In 2012, the World Health Organization released a report charting mental
health needs across the globe. Many people were shocked to discover in
that report that the United States has a higher prevalence for mental
illness than any other country on the planet. Mental health is defined as
overall flourishing, “a state of well-being in which every individual realizes
his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can
work productively and
fruitfully, and is able to make a
contribution to her or his
community.” In a given year,
75% of us can say that we are
not mentally ill. The amount of
us who can say that we have
good mental health...that’s
probably a lot smaller. Good
mental health means you feel
whole enough to know and
realize your dreams, to reach out and shape your community and to cope
easily with the twists and turns life throws in your path. Don’t wait for an
illness or a crisis to get the support you need to flourish.
Thanks to a Grant from the Oceana Youth Fund, the Child Neglect and Abuse
Prevention Fund and the Bessie E. & Ethan Allen Gray Health Fund of the
Community Foundation for Oceana County and to our generous partnership
with New Era Reformed Church, we are beginning a pilot supervised
parenting program in Oceana County this summer.
playing to heal by Sarah Rapisarda, Fountain Hill Center Writing Intern
Chances are that if you’re a parent then you’ve wished you could
understand what’s going on inside your child’s head. Everything from the
timing of their neurons to the storing of their memories works differently
for kids than for adults. So, how and what kids are thinking can really be
mysterious to parents. When kids struggle or when they have to
overcome trauma or a mental illness, parents can feel at a loss. Play
therapy can be missing link between our kids’ needs and our ability to
understand and meet them.
Play therapy uses play as a tool
to identify and aid children
dealing with difficulties.
Children often struggle to name
and articulate worries and
troubling events — play therapy
offers kids a language to express
their concerns and signal their
needs. Things like trauma,
natural disasters, abuse and divorce can cause stress that may hinder a
child’s potential to thrive. Play therapy intervenes in this stress, so that
kids get the support they need, “Play therapy is the most developmentally
appropriate and empirically based method for working with students in
schools,” says Cara Kuipers, Fountain Hill Center’s play therapist. “It is an
approach that allows the child to gain self confidence and tools to help
deal with the stressors and issues they are faced with.” Play therapy helps
children of all ages who are experiencing interpersonal, emotional, and
behavioral difficulties.
This pilot program will help us test our parent coaching curriculum and work
with court agencies to ensure that Oceana County families get the support
they need to build a bright future for their kids. Currently, there are no
agencies supervised parenting options in Oceana County. With this pilot
program, we will change that. If you would like to be a part of ensuring that
Oceana County parents have the support they need to reunify with their
kids, please get in touch. 616.456.1178
eat for your brain!
Just like the rest of your body, brains need nutrients. Rosalyn Baker, LMSW,
Fountain Hill Center’s Neurotherapist, brings you this recipe for:
Black Bean & Sweet Potato Burritos with Mango Ranch Drizzle:
This is a really brainy recipe. Just about every ingredient is packed with nutrients your
brain needs to work well. Just about every ingredient in this recipe gives you a key
nutrient your brain needs to perform at its best. Black
beans are an excellent source of glucose, which works
as “brain fuel,” helping our brain move information
efficiently and effectively —they also have some omega
3 fatty acids which have tons of benefits for your brain.
Sweet potatoes are packed with carotenoids which have
lots of cognitive benefits. The mangoes and red
peppers are great sources of vitamin B6, which helps to increase our ability to focus
and improve memory. Greek yogurt also helps the brain build the healthy fat it needs
for cells to communicate efficiently. So often, we forget that what we put into our
food can determine what we get out of life, so eat well, think yummy & live your best!
Makes approx. 4 servings.
Mango Ranch Drizzle
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 medium sweet potatoes (peeled and diced )
1 ½ cups cooked brown rice
1 medium sweet onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, chopped
1 tsp salt, or to taste
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 15-oz cans of black
beans
½ to ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tsp (or more to taste) of dried dill weed
1 small clove of garlic
6 tbsp. olive oil
½ cup diced mango
Sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste
Preheat a very large
pan over medium heat.
Add the olive oil and sweet potatoes to the pan
and stir them around. Let the sweet potatoes cook
for about 5 minutes while you prepare the rest of
your ingredients. Add the onion and garlic to the
yams, cook for about 5 more minutes stirring
occasionally. Add the seasonings and cook for 1
more minute. Add the chopped red pepper, black
beans and rice and sauté for another 10 minutes
on low or until the sweet potatoes are easily
pierced with a fork. Wrap in a whole grain tortilla ,
drizzle with yogurt dressing and enjoy.
Put yogurt, garlic and spices in a blender or
food processor and blend until smooth.
Very slowly, add the oil so that it emulsifies.
Stir in diced mango—Tada! A delicious
occasion for your brain and belly!
that was supposed to be fun, right?
by Tracy Thompson, LLPC, Fountain Hill Center, Children’s Specialist
Adults ideas about what vacation looks like without kids is a lot different
than what a vacation looks like with kids. Kids are full of energy, they
want to move non-stop with lots of exciting activities. Adults tend to
think of vacationing as a way to slow down and reduce the amount of
energy we use so that we can release the stress we build up from a full
life of work. The best option is to find a location or routine that meets
the needs of both.
Parents should begin by changing their expectations a bit on vacation if
they are taking their kids. You won't sleep in, you probably won't stay
out late, and having a nice relaxing
Last year, American Travel Association
nap by the pool may not be an
reported that 43% of the country did not option if your kids are little.
take a vacation. All that work isn’t
necessarily good for us. The Framingham
Heart Study indicates that women who
take vacations once every six years or less
were almost eight times more likely to
develop heart disease.
Before you even leave for vacation
start by having a family meeting to
discus where you will go, what
you will do and how you will
spend your time. Most often
everyone has different expectations, so getting those out in the open
before you are at your destination will help make the experience more
enjoyable. If you don't plan ahead there could be disappointment which
may lead to arguments.
Listen to your kids ideas about what they want to do. Try some fun
activities with them. Adults need to play as much as kids need to play. It
reduces stress and anxiety when you play, and it builds a strong
attachment between kids and adults.
Vacationing with kids does not have to make adults stressed out. If you
plan ahead and come to agreements as a family the relaxation part will
be more likely to happen. Don't just assume your kids know how you
want to relax. Tell them and let them tell you how they want to relax.
Find places to go
where your kids
can get out lots of
energy while you
sun yourself nearby
and supervise. If
you are at the
Call 616-456-1178 to learn how
beach or pool make
your getaway can provide
counseling options to someone
sure your kids have
who otherwise couldn’t afford it.
proper attire for
safety, this will
make your experience way more relaxing.
There’s Still Time
to make your
Lake Michigan vacation
matter
Enjoy being together as a family. These moments are precious and they
are the building blocks of great memories. Find ways to enjoy your
children and they may not stress you out so much.