The Border Area Behavioral Middle hosted its eleventh Annual Psychological Well being Consciousness occasion on Friday, Could 23, 2025.
The Border Area Behavioral Middle hosted its eleventh annual Psychological Well being Consciousness occasion final week, which included a proclamation and an artwork exhibit showcasing paintings from the Shira De Llano Artwork in Well being Program.
Roughly 80 items of artwork created by purchasers of the Border Area Behavioral Middle as a part of the Shira De Llano Artwork in Well being Program have been showcased on the market to help this system’s initiatives.
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Maria A. Sanchez, Border Area Behavioral Middle government director, welcomed attendees and stated they have been celebrating Psychological Well being Consciousness Month with the artwork exhibit.
“We’ve been having this program for 17 years and Patricia Orduna has been the trainer by means of all this time and you may see all of the expertise that now we have,” she stated.
Laura Palomo, Grownup Behavioral Well being Unit director, stated Could was the month to boost consciousness about psychological well being, cut back stigma and promote help for all of the people and households affected by psychological well being situations.
“This yr’s theme is ‘Flip consciousness into motion,’” she stated. “We’re being challenged to maneuver ahead understanding psychological well being points, to actively help these affected and advocate for change, whether or not it’s by studying extra about psychological well being, checking in with a pal or household, or supporting neighborhood initiatives regardless of the stigma that continues to be a major barrier to hunt assist.”
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She emphasised that psychological well being is essential for general well-being all through each stage of life.
“No matter age, background or expertise, prioritizing psychological well being power as people, households and communities is significant,” she stated. “Robust psychological well being is for everybody, and help needs to be obtainable for all. It’s our duty to boost consciousness and to advertise open conversations by participating individuals to speak about their psychological well being and share their expertise.”
Palomo stated it was necessary to interact in some kind of exercise reminiscent of train, leisure or inventive actions reminiscent of artwork, writing or music to advertise psychological well-being.
“We’ve the artwork lessons right here for our purchasers they usually discover a approach to categorical their feelings. The artwork lessons assist them handle their stress and likewise assist them foster self-awareness and emotional feeling,” she stated. “There are a lot of varieties of actions that may promote well being care and well-being. It’s important that you simply keep targeted and wholesome. There are issues that can deliver you pleasure and make you are feeling full and with goal.
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“We would like this for everybody, however we would like you to do that as a result of there isn’t any well being with out psychological well being. So keep in mind, psychological well being is simply as necessary as bodily well being and collectively we are able to make a significant distinction.”
Jackie Lopez, Border Area Behavioral Middle director of youngsters’s companies, stated it was additionally time to acknowledge Youngsters’s Psychological Well being Month.
“Many youngsters face challenges with their psychological well being, however you will need to do not forget that we are able to all assist by making a supportive surroundings, educating them coping abilities and inspiring them to achieve out for assist,” she stated. “It is very important normalize psychological well being conversations with our kids identical to we train them to speak about our bodily diseases. We have to create a secure area for them to precise their feelings. For instance, asking them how they’re feeling immediately, or just saying, ‘I really like you.’
“Little phrases like these could make an enormous distinction of their life. We will present them that it is OK to have feelings and to hunt assist when wanted, follow self-care and mannequin wholesome behaviors.”
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She added that as an company, you will need to proceed supporting native faculties and the neighborhood.
“By partnering with them, we are able to proceed to advocate for early psychological well being intervention and help,” she stated. “Though Could is a month to boost consciousness, I consider that every single day is a time to not solely increase consciousness but additionally to take motion.
“Let’s do not forget that each little one has the proper to really feel protected, secure and supported. So collectively let’s construct communities the place psychological well being is valued and the place youngsters really feel secure and have the braveness to hunt assist once they want it.”
A proclamation declared by Webb County was additionally learn in the course of the occasion.
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Paty Orduna, Shira De Llano Artwork in Well being Program teacher, stated that within the 17 years of this system’s existence, they’ve served greater than 200 purchasers.
“Artwork is simply a part of the remedy plan, however the individuals who take part on this program expertise a change of their lives,” she stated. “This remedy begins once they determine ‘I’m going to my artwork class.’ Whereas they’re on this artwork remedy, they interact in shade after which they will see their paintings on show, and it’s nearly like the tip of the remedy for his or her delight in themselves.
“And once you admire their work, and even pay for his or her paintings, it is a part of the therapeutic course of.”
Orduna thanked the purchasers for his or her dedication and dedication to artwork and their households for the help they supply to these dealing with psychological challenges.
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Some purchasers taking part within the artwork exhibit commented on their work and the significance of the Shira De Llano Artwork in Well being Program.
Marcia Ramirez, a shopper of the Shira De Llano Artwork in Well being Program, stated this system has vastly contributed to her well-being.
“I have been attending this system for eight years, and I can say it has helped me really feel higher. My thoughts focuses solely on portray, with mushy music, and I do not miss a single class,” she stated.
Ramirez stated she painted 4 work for this exhibition.
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“I like to recommend this program as a result of it is the very best and it helps loads,” she stated.
Cristina Arevalo stated she has been attending this system for 9 years.
“I’ve advanced loads. I keep in mind that previously, I did not wish to exit; I all the time needed to be at midnight, I did not exit to see if it was sunny or raining, however this class has all the time motivated me to maneuver ahead,” she stated. “Should you undergo from melancholy or are very burdened, this program will aid you really feel higher in all facets of your life. Artwork is not nearly utilizing paint and your creativity; you set all of your feelings into it.
“Thanks, Paty Orduna, as a result of with out you I do not assume I might have made it.”
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Eva Perez Rojas, who artistically calls herself Madame Simone, stated she has been attending the artwork class for seven years.
“I got here right here with facial paralysis, and it was by means of bodily remedy and portray that I recovered,” she stated. “Whenever you paint, issues come out. Whenever you see the completed work, you understand that it captures what you have been carrying and that you have turned it into one thing stunning.”
