Jones has one son.

Tell about your background, family, etc.

Peoria is my birthplace, and I attended District 150 schools, completing my senior year at Peoria High School. Active in swimming, pompon, and Spanish Club, I was a young person who wanted to fit in and be liked. Working for the State of Illinois Department of Motor Vehicles for 25 years, my mother, Becky, taught by example the importance of respecting and honoring people from all walks of life. My dad, Ron, who, with my stepmother, built their insurance firm from the ground up, taught me to reach for the stars. He was always challenging me, asking, “What about medical school? Don’t you want to fix little babies’ hearts? Have you considered law school or politics?” I never felt limited in my career due to my gender, and I credit both of my parents for supporting my career choices. I hope to share the same values with my son, Gus, who recently turned four years old.

As a young person, I enjoyed a life-changing two-week trip to Spain. Traveling with my minister, Gary Weber; his wife, Liz; and a number of students from area schools, I learned there was more to life than what I saw in my backyard. We visited ancient cathedrals and learned about customs and norms different from our own Midwestern American values. It was a terrific experience that I’d recommend to any young person.

A mentor and former swim coach of mine, Paul Beiersdorf, is someone with whom I get to work in my current capacity at MHAIV. At Peoria High, he taught us swimmers to practice conscious, deep breathing prior to a big swim meet. What he was really teaching us was meditation, a tool that would serve me later during stressful times.

Who or what inspired your passion for the mental health field?

Many factors influenced my decision to make mental health my chosen field. First and foremost, I enjoy the study of psychology. As a high school student, I wanted to become a high school guidance counselor, and I served as a counselor’s page for four years. Peoria High School counselors and teachers such as Bill Adams and Val Scheifeling showed me by example the importance of genuine care and concern for students, and I wanted to emulate that kind of caring.

As I entered college at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, I became more interested in social psychology. I was motivated to study conflict theory and conflict resolution, hoping to understand what it is in human nature that so divides us along lines of race, religion, and gender. I began a graduate program at the University of Kansas in the hopes of obtaining my graduate degree in sociology and possibly working for an institution such as the Southern Poverty Law Center or the Anti-Defamation League. Midway through that program, I took a hiatus to ascertain my true professional direction. I worked for a year as a secretary at a mental health center and then re-entered the University of Kansas as a graduate student in social work. It seemed that a more applied, less academic trajectory would better fit my style and desire to do hands-on, community-based work that would really make a difference in people’s lives.

Tell us about your career in social work and how that transitioned to mental health.

As a graduate student at KU, I discovered my true passion. KU’s social work department is known for promoting the new paradigm in mental health known as the “recovery movement.” In a nutshell, it aims to shift the cultural mindset from lifelong disability and pathology to recovery and wellness, from long-term institutionalization to community-based, recovery-oriented services. KU’s social work department is also a leader in advocating for those afflicted with mental illness. This is sometimes called the “consumer movement” because it promotes the active participation of the consumers of mental health services. It turns the traditional medical model for mental health services—the top-down, doctor-directs-the-care-model—on its ear. I’m proud to have learned these concepts at such a progressive and renowned institution.

As a clinical intern at the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, Kan., I had the opportunity to work closely with individuals struggling to recover from severe mental illness. The courage these people demonstrated was awe-inspiring. Particularly impressive to me were those who had made it through a combination of mental illness and substance abuse, what we in the field call “dual diagnosis.” With dignity and grace, I witnessed triumphant victories over debilitating psychosis, major depression, and chronic anxiety. These people were heroes to me.

When I attended a conference for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) later that year, I listened to personal accounts of several individuals who shared their stories of recovery and what helped them to sustain their wellness. At that moment, I understood this would be my livelihood—giving “voice” to recovery from mental illness. As it turns out, I’m back in my hometown, promoting mental health by doing just that. It’s a privilege to give back the kindness and caring that was given to me as a young person.

Discuss the Mental Health Association of Illinois Valley: its history, its mission, its programs, etc.

Our mission is to promote mental health through education, awareness, and advocacy. We want the community to dialogue openly about mental health—about common mental health problems and, most of all, about how achievable recovery from mental illness is once you get the help you need. The more we can reduce the stigma and shame associated with having mental health problems, the more people will get help early on.

Since 1969, the Call for Help hotline has been provided by MHAIV staff and volunteers. Volunteers answer hotline calls in their homes and in our office to provide a listening ear to those who are hurting. They offer support, information, and hope. It’s a very powerful experience to transfer hope to someone who’s struggling. I can’t express how rewarding it can be to spend 20 or 30 minutes listening to someone talk about the stress in her life and to feel like you can help her through simple solutions and information on where she can get additional help. We offer words of encouragement and talk to people about the strategies they’ve used in their lives to get through the rough times. We ask them about their faith, and if they have one, we ask about whether they find strength in prayer or in talking with their minister.

For those who don’t have a faith, we ask them about others in their life on whom they’ve relied. Do they have a best friend or a colleague they trust? Are they willing to see a professional counselor about these problems? Finally, we offer them solutions for where they can get counseling. We ask them about how they might pay for services. If an individual is uninsured, we help them locate services available on a sliding scale. Several mental health providers in our area, such as the Antioch Group, Chapin & Russell Associates, John R. Day, PhD and Associates, Joy Miller and Associates, and OSF Saint Francis Behavioral Health have sliding scale fees. MHAIV applauds their efforts to ensure all Peorians have access to mental health services.

In some cases, with specific at-risk populations, we partner with select providers. One example is our Children’s Mental Health Matters programs, wherein we provide comprehensive school-based youth suicide prevention programs to area school districts. John Day and Associates and Counseling and Family Services are two of the local providers with whom we’ve worked. We also provide community-based mental health education, made possible through the Heart of Illinois United Way and the United Way of Pekin, wherein we go into homeless shelters, shopping malls, and Rotary Clubs and make presentations about issues related to mental health. As mental health services are increasingly moving from institutions into the community, so are the prevention programs. We’re taking the message “into the streets.”

Describe your job as executive director.

As the head of a small non-profit agency, my job allows me the opportunity to answer the phone, greet visitors, make the coffee, and report to the board on our community-based programs. When local media want to interview someone on the latest research on the positive effects of anti-depressant medications, I quickly go online or to my e-mail to see if the National Mental Health Association has advised its affiliates of the latest pertaining to the topic. I try, however, not to be an expert on all things related to mental health. Indeed, our agency has moved away from being a “generalist” mental health association. We’re now focused on specific target populations, such as depression among men and teen suicide prevention, so we may develop areas of expertise and lean on others to share their knowledge on topics about which we know little. We gain more credibility by focusing our scope to areas wherein we can specialize, rather than trying to be all things to all people.

Most notably, my position has given me the opportunity to collaborate with people from many different disciplines on the common cause of promoting mental health. Working with law enforcement, high school principals, mental health providers, local concerned citizens, school board members, and elected officials gives me the chance to think about how issues related to mental health affects all segments of the community.

One example is the work we’re doing with the Stark County Rural Mental Health Initiative. In a dramatic show of citizen activism that’s effectively mobilized the government and the mental health system, the Stark County Rural Mental Health Initiative has been an amazing project to serve. Beginning in November 2004, a small group of concerned citizens in rural Stark County—population 6,300—came together to raise questions about why their citizens seemed so isolated from mental health services. In July 2003, there were five suicides in eight days throughout the county in seemingly unrelated deaths. The townsfolk simply considered it to be a result of a lack of prevention programs and available direct services. They effectively lobbied their state representative, who, in turn, helped them bend the ears of the right state mental health officials. Within eight months, the available direct services were in place. The state official who was developing the program wondered, “What agency can promote a suicide prevention hotline, provide community-based education, skills training, and school-based screening and linkage to services?” MHAIV is that agency.

Adolescent mental health seems to be an area about which you feel strongly. Can you explain why it’s so important to focus on?

According to Dr. Tom Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), our nation’s mental health system is a “system in shambles.” It’s true, our system is terribly fragmented and severely under-funded in many areas—and the Peoria area is no exception. Rather than having the mental health providers housed in one location, as is done in some communities, adult services are separate from child and adolescent services, and services for severely emotionally disturbed (SED) youth suffer from demand that far exceeds supply. The result of these limitations is that youth suffer from even greater isolation than adults. Many youth are without a voice when it comes to their mental health.

It’s estimated that one in five young people has a diagnosable mental illness in America; the real tragedy that affects these youth is that only about 20 percent of those youth have access to services. Many obstacles exist that prevent youth from getting the mental health services they need, ranging from simple lack of awareness of what’s problematic; denial due to feelings of shame and stigma; lack of adequate health insurance; waiting lists at many providers; limited transportation, particularly in rural areas; and parental denial and/or parental impairment such as addiction or untreated mental illness.

Many parents are shocked to learn suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24. Suicide kills more teenagers and young adults in America than AIDS, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, birth defects, and pneumonia combined. For far too long, our community has mirrored the response of the rest of our nation by putting this issue on the back burner. Suicide prevention services are poorly funded in comparison to direct services, and it’s only recently that we’ve begun to understand the best practices recommended by the latest in research being done on teen suicide, in particular.

Dr. Madelyn Gould of Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute recommends early identification programs as one of the most effective and more widely researched programs aimed at youth suicide prevention. MHAIV currently is working with Brimfield, Princeville, and Stark County high schools to implement Columbia University’s TeenScreen, the nation’s model program for early detection of the mental health problems—including untreated depression, anxiety, and substance abuse—that can lead to suicide. As part of a five-year strategic plan for implementing comprehensive youth suicide prevention programs in central Illinois, MHAIV is joining with the Tim Ardis Foundation for Hope, Whitney’s Walk for Suicide Prevention, Joining Forces for Children, and Survivors of Suicide to promote best practices in youth suicide prevention programs. We’ve assembled a multi-disciplinary advisory council to oversee the development and implementation of these programs, as funds are available. An annual report is delivered at the annual Protecting Our Youth Suicide Prevention Symposium, wherein we bring in the nation’s leading experts to help us in our efforts.

To raise funds to implement these programs, MHAIV has taken over the reigns of Whitney’s Walk for Suicide Prevention, with 90 percent of the funds coming back to MHAIV to administer for suicide prevention programs. Ten percent of the annual proceeds will be returned to the Whitney Grotts Fund of the Community Foundation of Central Illinois, and these dollars will continue to be distributed into the community, as before. The Walk this year takes place July 29 at Jubilee State Park in Brimfield.

We’re also working with the Illinois Suicide Prevention Coalition to provide consultation and training to other communities throughout the state on how to implement programs similar to TeenScreen. Every school district should evaluate what needs it has and what programs it wants to implement. The key isn’t choosing a program as a one-size-fits-all solution. We’re currently talking with District 150 about what resources might need to be in place to allow MHAIV to provide these programs for Peoria high schools. We already provide the suicide prevention skills training program Question, Persuade and Refer (QPR) for teachers and administrators of several local high schools, and the Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program has been provided for Illinois Valley Central, Manual, Princeville, and Woodruff high school students. We look forward to a day when all of the schools in our area have a strong combination of skills training for staff, suicide prevention programs for students, and voluntary screening programs for students whose parents will consent to their participation. Because not all young people respond to the problems of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation in the same way, we have to offer young people myriad ways to ask for help.

What are some of the signs of mental illness or depression people should note in themselves, family, friends, or co-workers?

Fatigue, trouble concentrating, insomnia or excessive sleeping, sadness or anger, increased isolation, and withdrawal from activities are all symptoms of depression across the lifespan. Different specifiers come into play with different types of depression, and certainly there are many other mental health conditions that can affect an individual, such as general anxiety disorder and bipolar disorder. A great resource for anyone interested in learning more about issues pertaining to mental health is www.nih.nimh.gov, the web site for the National Institute of Mental Health. Another great resource I mentioned earlier is that of NAMI at www.nami.org.  

Are signs/symptoms in children and teenagers different than in adults? What about women versus men?

Sometimes we think that if we’re experiencing success in our personal, school, or professional lives, we must be fine. People tend to minimize the mental health problems they have, and men particularly are reticent to seek help. Men are taught to mask their feelings of sadness, leaving them more isolated and four times more likely to commit suicide. The NIMH Real Men Real Depression campaign is one MHAIV has developed into an awareness, outreach, and screening campaign, wherein we promote basic education about depression among men. We then engage the audience in a discussion about the symptoms of depression, where they might go for help, and why they might want to feel better. We ask men about what gives them joy, which generates terrific discussion. Then we provide screening to anyone who wants it after the presentation. All participants complete evaluations, and we find participants are very pleased to have this topic brought up. They say it’s a relief to those suffering to be given permission to discuss it among their colleagues and loved ones.

The fact is this: depression and other mental illnesses are brain disorders—not personal weaknesses. That’s the most important message for people to hear. It doesn’t reflect poorly on your character. Your brain is an organ, just like your heart or your liver. If your heart needs fixing, you go to a doctor and get it fixed. It doesn’t mean you aren’t strong or fit or that you should simply re-dedicate yourself to your personal devotions. While physical fitness and faith can assist you in your recovery from mental illness, recovery usually comes from a combination of counseling, support groups, medication, and personal education about mental health problems that empowers that person. Add physical exercise and a strong connection to one’s spiritual community, and your chances of recovery are bolstered. But you can’t wish it away or bury your head and try to avoid it. It doesn’t just go away.

What are some misperceptions of the mentally ill?

Certainly, many think people with mental illness are those who “look” mentally ill. In other words, people who suffer wear the evidence of their psychic pain outwardly. While this is true in some cases, it’s often not the case.

People also think only those who are severely disabled need treatment. The truth is that many people go through their lives experiencing great anxiety or great sadness without knowing they can feel better if they reach out and ask for support. Recovery from mental illness is attainable, with 80 to 90 percent of those with depression progressing into active, sustained recovery and full citizenship. We all deserve to experience joy in our lives, and if we support one another to get the help we need, early on, we can better face the challenge of mental illness and reduce the incidence of suicide in our community.

Are there new therapies for mental illness, or are there some on the horizon? What do you see in the future for the treatment of mental illness?

The President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Illness issued it’s final report in July 2003 entitled, “Achieving the Promise: Transforming the Nation’s Mental Health System.” These are the goals of the plan, or what I like to call the “treatment plan for the mental health system.”

In a transformed mental health system:
• Goal 1: Americans understand that mental health is essential to overall health.
• Goal 2: Mental health care is consumer and family driven.
• Goal 3: Disparities in mental health services are eliminated.
• Goal 4: Early mental health screening, assessment, and referral to services are common practice.
• Goal 5: Excellent mental health care is delivered and research is accelerated.
• Goal 6: Technology is used to access mental health care and information.

Goals 1, 3, and 4 are goals on which MHAIV is focused. Barb Runyan, the much-respected executive director of MHAIV for 35 years and my mentor as I began in this position, advised me, “Katie, the bottom line is suicide prevention. Don’t forget it.” This is critical. Goal 1 reminds us that as we begin to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness, we can better encourage people to get help early on. By reducing stigma, we can prevent suicide.

MHAIV is helping reduce disparities by providing outreach to rural areas, as is advised in Goal 3. We’re also taking care to promote culturally inclusive programming, so as to provide services with professionals and materials who resemble the audiences we serve. We want to make certain no one feels alienated or forgotten when we promote our services. We’re working with a team of male medical students from the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria to help us provide outreach to the men of the Peoria Rescue Mission, Phoenix House, and The Salvation Army. In this way, we serve the target audience of men who may have lower incomes and may be unemployed while also serving the provider audience of up-and-coming physicians.

Indeed, the October 28, 2005, edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association featured a systematic review of suicide prevention strategies. The researchers concluded physician education about the signs of suicidal ideation and behaviors should be the top priority for suicide prevention programming. No fewer than 66 percent of suicide victims had seen a primary care physician in the month prior to their suicide, and 83 percent of victims had seen a physician in the year prior to suicide. MHAIV is working with medical students and others to address Goal 4, which includes the expansion of school-based programs such as the nation’s model program, TeenScreen. In the same way you’d call for immediate help if you had symptoms of a heart attack, we want people to get assessed as soon as possible. It’s critical that physicians and other health care providers such as nurses, school counselors, and mental health providers are taught exactly what to do when faced with a suicidal crisis.

In your career, what’s been the greatest challenge?

The greatest challenge for me has been related to the assistance I’ve provided to organizers of Whitney’s Walk as chairperson of the Media Relations Subcommittee. Here was this incredibly courageous family—Karen, Earl, and Carrie Grotts—who were willing to open up their lives to increase the awareness of teen suicide. Along with numerous friends and family members, they hosted Whitney’s Walk in memory of 16-year-old Whitney Grotts, who fell victim to suicide in March 2004, in hopes that the community would become more aware of this tragedy and address this epidemic head on.

I wanted so badly to protect them from any carelessness or exploitation they might encounter from local media representatives. Overall, the coverage of their loss, the Walk, and TeenScreen and other programs provided with proceeds from the Walk has been very good. Krystal Morris of WMBD-TV, Matt Buedel of the Peoria Journal Star, and Sarah Smiles from the Peoria Times Observer were several of the many media representatives who handled the story with great sensitivity and compassion while staying true to their journalistic integrity.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve heard when dealing with mental illness?

Carole Ackerman, our returning MHAIV Board president this year, shared a few words of wisdom with me the other day. She recalled a message from a church service she’d visited in Florida, where the minister reminded the congregation that we all have midnight moments throughout our lives, and our choice is whether we stay in the darkness of night or move toward the light of morning. As people make their way through their recovery from mental illness, they gain strength from many tools including—but certainly not limited to—spirituality, self-advocacy, and becoming more educated about recovery from mental illness. Most importantly, they must have a sense of hope and willingness to keep trying to move toward the light. That’s what we try to share with callers on the hotline, with the kids served through TeenScreen, and with the first person accounts of recovery such as Carole’s.

Is there anything else you wish to discuss that hasn’t been addressed?

It’s a privilege to serve my community in this capacity because as a teenager, I struggled with depression and got the help I needed without hesitation. I believe I chose to get help because I’d seen examples of others who’d made it through their depression with the help of support groups and counseling. That’s why I have such a passion for this field. I want to make sure others have that same chance.

As Pat Minster, my good friend and a member of the Stories of Recovery Speakers’ Bureau, says, “If I can help just one person by sharing my story, it will be worth it.” I hope through our work at MHAIV, through our collaborative partnerships with others focused on the common cause, and through my personal story of recovery, we can help our community achieve the promise of improved mental health for all.

To learn more about MHAIV or volunteer for any of its programs, call 692-1766 or visit www.mhaiv.org. TPW