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Marie Rupert believes in building a foundation of hope – beginning with people who take the time to listen and understand.
It’s been over two years since Marie and her husband Floyd started a support group for people dealing with mental health issues ranging from depression to bipolar disorder. One of the program’s main pillars would be including family members and friends of those with mental illness.
The group meets twice a month – on the second and fourth Tuesday – at Opportunity Christian Church on Pines Road in Spokane Valley. There is no charge for the meetings.
Marie said the gatherings have been a welcome haven for those who are dealing with the isolation that sometimes accompanies mental illness.
“This is inclusive,” Marie said. “It provides a great insight to both clients and families. I believe that educating people about mental illness is so important in changing those negative stigmas.”
As facilitators of the group – the Ruperts and their son and daughter-in-law Doug and Verona Rupert – each went through training with the local branch of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, a nonprofit organization that sponsors its own support groups at Deaconess Hospital.
Rosemary Stewart, director of the Peer-to-Peer program with NAMI in Spokane, said the addition of the Spokane Valley support group has brought a welcome resource for those with mental health challenges as well as family members who are trying to help.
“These support groups are a safe place people can go,” Stewart said. “It’s here where they find information that helps with their own journey of recovery.”
Stewart emphasized that such meetings “don’t take the place of counseling” but provide a constructive setting “where everyone is sharing their wisdom.”
“It’s not just for the person who has the mental illness, it’s for the family as well,” Stewart said. “It helps foster better conditions for everyone.”
Floyd and Marie’s son, John, experienced behavioral problems growing up, but wasn’t diagnosed with mental illness until he was 22. Marie gives credit to Family Services of Spokane for identifying an appropriate treatment approach that included psychiatric care and medications.
“It answered every single question we had when he was growing up,” Marie said.
Now 36, John lives on his own and receives counseling. Floyd and Marie check in with his caseworker for updates on their son
Marie said understanding about mental illness has improved significantly over the past 20 years. Still, some of the lingering stereotypes about conditions like depression and schizophrenia continue to act as hurdles for individuals and families, Marie said.
“Sometimes people get labeled with a mental illness,” she said. “If you get to know them as a human being, you see the person, not the mental illness.”
Rupert said the availability of resources for those with mental health challenges and their families continues to increase. She pointed to programs like First Call for Help – a 24-hour mental health crisis line sponsored by Spokane Mental Health – that provide reliable outreach and support. Last month, in recognition of Children’s Mental Health Week, a variety of local organizations sponsored activities and educational programs emphasizing the importance of identifying and treating mental illness. Participating organizations included Family Services of Spokane, Passages Family Support, a program of Volunteers of America, Spokane Mental Health, Statewide Action for Family Empowerment and Tamarack Center.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended that all adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 should be screened for major depression. The Institute of Medicine has advised Congress that early screenings will be a key in effectively dealing with cases of mental illness.
“There’s just a lot more awareness out there,” Rupert said.
Attendance at meetings of the Spokane Valley support group ranges from five to 20 people, with the average around a dozen. The group always begins promptly at 7 p.m. and dismisses at 8:30 p.m.
“It helps with the structure,” Marie said.
Those who attend the meetings are not required to contribute to the discussion. The group often concentrates on various themes and participants are encouraged to keep a journal that includes everything from a listing of medications to situations that may cause stress or instability.
“It’s about being in tune with those symptoms,” Marie said.
Marie and her fellow facilitators continue to get the word out about the meetings, putting up posters in area grocery stores and churches. There has been talk of starting another support group in the near future.
The Ruperts also have launched a Web site – www.cornerstone4hope.com – that includes information about the support group, a listing of helpful resources, poems and articles, and educational material about mental illness.
Marie said the support group continues to be a source of education and nourishment.
“We’ve just learned so much about these conditions, about what people go through,” Marie said. “We try to let them know they’re not alone.”
Want to find out more?
To learn more about the Spokane Valley mental health support group, contact Marie Rupert at 926-5247. The group meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month from 7 to 8:30 p.m at the Opportunity Christian Church, 701 N. Pines Road. To find out more about the Spokane chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, call Rosemary Stewart at 838-5515. To learn more, visit www.nami.org. First Call for Help can be reached at 838-4428.
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By
Craig Howard
