Diaz Dixon, President and owner of Performance Driven Consulting, opened up an important discussion about mental health at the Brain Health Summit on May 14.
The Brain Health Summit, hosted by Age & Dementia Friendly Winnemucca and Humboldt Connections Suicide Prevention Task Force, presented many different community stakeholders and brain health advisors to highlight the vastness of mental health.
Mental health affects thinking, feelings, and actions, and responses, relating to others, and making healthy choices, which are highlighted throughout May, designated as Mental Health Awareness Month.
“[Mental Health affects us all differently,” said Sixth Judicial District Court Judge Michael Montero during the opening of the Summit.
The information panels included informative sessions and expert speakers sharing their stories and tips on optimizing and understanding brain health.
Opening motivational speaker Diaz Dixon discussed mindset, both fixed and growth, intentionality, and effective communication.
His decades of experience and education with at-risk youth and adults and advocacy for mental wellbeing and substance abuse resources has shaped his understanding of brain health.
Nevada licensed marriage and family therapist Jake Wiskerchen explained emotions and how they impact mental health.
“Once we have that increased awareness and knowing who we are and why we’re here, we have a greater opportunity to have a much larger impact. It is through those experiences and the environment that we have the opportunity to be able to share in those things that continue to make us stronger and ultimately will add to understanding our own mindset,” explained Dixon.
Other important sessions and expert speakers included Nevada licensed marriage and family therapist Jake Wiskerchen discussing emotional intelligence, social emotional learning and mental health in teens, the role of emotions in decision making, roles in human behavior, emotional controls and reactions, managing emotional states through cognitive therapy, trauma, loss, and resilience in childhood and adulthood, emotional intelligence, mental health, and counseling.
Licensed Master Social Worker and Mental Health Counselor and Humboldt County Juvenile Services Alexis Kranovich discussed grief, explaining through her own personal narrative about suicide her ambitions to break the stigma surrounding mental health and substance use issues.
Additionally, Humboldt County Librarian Jessica Anderson provided examples about local resources at the library that can help improve the community’s mental health literacy and Nevada Outdoor School Executive Director Melanie Erquiaga explained the healing benefits of nature-based education and exposure to nature.
Sessions about the connection between physical movement and brain health, experiences that shape living with dementia and other cognitive disabilities, mental health and medication and substance abuse, first responder brain health, mental health and educational trends and many more topics painted a picture of the significance of mental well-being to individuals and the community at large.
“This is a community that cares about a very significant issue such as mental health and if we didn’t, we wouldn’t be doing this,” said Judge Montero.
Other mental health awareness activities for May include the annual Frontier Community Coalition Family Bingo Night at 6 p.m. on May 24 at the Winnemucca Boys and Girls Club and the Veterans Breakfast at the Humboldt County District Court at 9 a.m. on May 31.
Humboldt Connections Suicide Prevention Task Force Chair Pauline Salla said previously “Our brain controls every aspect of your life, so keeping it healthy is essential!”