Multicultural Outreach Team Updates!

This month, PPAL's Multicultural Outreach Coordinator Johana Rodriguez visited Boston's Chinatown and met with the community to introduce PPAL in various places, including a martial arts studio! Where will Johana go next? Stay tuned for next month's newsletter!

Johana also met with the Partners for Youth with Disabilities (PYD), based out of Boston. They spoke about the impact of additional disabilities on top of mental health needs, specifically sensory loss such as visual impairment/ blindness.

Sensory Loss & Mental Health: Do You Have A Story To Share?

Sensory loss is the overarching term for a variety of disabilities including full or partial visual impairments, as well as hearing loss/deafness and deaf/blind folks. Just like anyone else, individuals with sensory loss may experience challenges with mental health. Sensory loss complicates the experience and diagnosis of mental health.

Is this your experience with your child?

Please contact PPAL to let us know how it's going!

Did you know that in addition to English and Spanish, we also have staff who speak Haitian Creole and Cape Verdean Creole?

Want to learn more about PPAL and family mental health? Contact us at info@PPAL.net, or by visiting our website at PPAL.net!

What Is Psychosis?

PPAL meets with M-PATH and you should too!

PPAL’s whole team met with Dr. Emily Gagen and her team from Massachusetts Psychosis Access and Triage Hub (M-PATH) this month with the goal of learning more about psychosis in order to support more families experiencing it. While some PPAL staff have lived experience in this area, we wanted to ensure that all of our staff are working from the same basic, factual, stigma-free information. M-PATH is a great resource! We were glad to learn more about this important resource in the community.

So, What Is Psychosis?

M-PATH is a free service that is committed to helping individuals, families, and providers who are concerned about early psychosis to access the support they need when they need it. M-PATH is a referral and consultation service available to anyone concerned about early psychosis for themselves, their loved one, or their client. We are an experienced team who specializes in working with youth, young adults, and families experiencing early psychosis.

M-PATH is a part of the Brookline Center for Community Mental Health.

-https://www.brooklinecenter.org/centers/mpath/

Psychosis can be a scary word, especially when it is used in pop culture. Often, people misunderstand what psychosis is and why it occurs. Psychosis, itself, is not a diagnosis. Psychosis is a term that describes a number of experiences that cause distress, may be disorienting, and make it challenging to tell what is real and not real. Because psychosis can carry significant stigma, people often wait before seeking support. M-PATH wants you to know that early diagnosis, treatment, and support is critical when dealing with psychosis!

If you or someone you know is experiencing any of these symptoms, please contact PPAL or M-PATH as soon as possible.

Feeling like your mind is playing tricks on you.

Seeing or hearing things others do not.

Worrying that others may be out to harm you.

Worrying about troubling beliefs.

Isolating from friends or family.

-https://www brooklinecenter org/centers/mpath/