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Libraries for A Better You
Written By: Deena Bouknight | Issue: 2021/11 – November | Photograph By: Tori Fielding
Both local libraries are offering free resources to monitor and maintain good mental and emotional health.
Many people think of libraries as providing vast resources, but few may consider them to be go-to spots for mental health information as well.
Both the Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library (ACCCL) and Hudson Library in Highlands have upcoming, free, mental health programs at their sites offered by Vaya Health, a non-profit mental health organization serving Western North Carolina.
The schedule for ACCCL includes:
November 10 at 12:30 P.M. Dementia & Psychosis Behavior: What You Need to Know; Tips for caregiving are provided.
December 8 at 12:30 P.M. Commonly Misused Medications: Effects on the Brain; This course sheds light on the growing problem.
Hudson Library will also offer the Vaya Mental Health program Dementia & Psychosis Behavior: What You Need to Know, but earlier in the month – on November 2, at 2:00 P.M. Scheduled on December 14 at 2:00 P.M. is Depression: From Surviving to Thriving, which focuses on not only navigating the upcoming holiday season, when depression can be a barrier to full enjoyment and participation, but also examining different types, common causes, symptoms, and treatment methods for depression.
Anyone can register for the libraries’ Vaya programs online at vayahealth.com/calendar (click on the desired class to register) or call the library at (828) 526-3031 (Highlands); or (828) 743-0215 (Cashiers).
Also online, Universal classes are also free to library cardholders and include everything from Anxiety Therapy 101 to Emotional Healing 101.
Yet, mental health information is not just for adults. Children have been especially affected by the pandemic and other cultural and world-related issues. In May 2019, Carlyn Morenus, branch librarian at Hudson Library, wrote an informational piece that has become particularlly relevant for today: fontanalib.wordpress.com/2019/05/08/picturing-mental-health.
Some of the titles mentioned in her Picturing Mental Health piece include The Rabbit Listened by Cori Doerrfeld and Me and My Fear by Francesca Sanna.
She noted, “We have some lovely picture books and children’s books that deal with emotions. We also have Launchpads, digital devices with no internet connection that have pre-loaded learning software. Those include several that are pre-K level, with a social/emotional focus.”
