United Advocates for Children and Families (UACF) to Host Faith Based Pre-Conference at the Annual C

MONTEREY, Calif. - May 2, 2014 - PRLog -- Monterey, CA –Currently across California, there are 1 in 10 ten children and 1 in 20 adults currently living with a mental health challenge. In any given congregation, there are approximately 1 in 4 members that are struggling with a mental health challenge and need support. To address this powerful need, United Advocates for Children and Families (UACF), a California-based, non-profit organization with a mission to improve the quality of life for all children and youth with mental, emotional, and behavioral challenges will be hosting the first annual faith based pre-conference event at the annual California Mental Health Advocates for Children and Youth (CMHACY) Conference at Asilomar Conference Grounds on Tuesday, May 6, 2014 from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

Gigi Crowder, Ethnic Services Manager for Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services will present Faith and Mental Health: Strategies for Creating Caring Congregations & Community Support. This presentation will provide information to faith leaders about the current statewide implementationand planning efforts that are underway in many counties which include faith/spirituality as a key mental wellness tool. A program of the California Institute for Mental Health (CIMH), California Mental Health and Spirituality Initiative, will be highlighted. Ms. Crowder will discuss the work in Alameda and Los Angeles Counties that actively engage diverse faith leaders as essential partners. She will describe theMental Health Friendly Communities Project and how it complements the United Advocates for Children and Families (UACF) Faith 360 program and other efforts currently underway at UACF.

Faith leaders will gain the understanding of the essential role they play in the mental wellness of their congregations as they are often the first responders when families are in crisis. We will discuss how they can support the current efforts to promote the role of faith and spirituality by playing a role in their respective communities through utilizing the power of the microphone. A riveting tale from a Pastor who now devotes his life to this work will be shared.

About CMHACY: The theme for this year’s conference is “New Partnerships, New Strategies: Embracing the Wellness of Children, Families and Communities”. Children, youth, and families facing emotional and behavioral difficulties deal with more than just Mental Health services, they deal with Education, Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice, and Alcohol and Other Drug services. The focus and goal is that those children and families have coordinated access to the right combination of services. To that end, this year’s conference offers a broad and impressive set of speakers and workshops from parents, youth, policy-makers, and professionals across the service spectrum. It continues 34years of advocacy for the strengths and outcomes of inter-agency collaboration, and 34 years of bringing you timely information so that you can stay abreast of what is happening and, to the extent possible, see what is coming.