ABOUT JUDY GARDNER:
Judy Gardner is the Executive Director of NAMI Washtenaw County, the local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation's largest grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by mental health conditions.
Inspired by her own experience as a caregiver for a loved one living with a serious mental health condition, Judy is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness, inclusion, and access to care. She has led community initiatives that expand support and reduce barriers to services for individuals and families throughout Washtenaw County. Her work has helped earn NAMI Washtenaw County a Congressional Commendation for its commitment to advancing mental health advocacy and education.
RESOURCES:
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TRANSCRIPTION:
Decky Alexander: This is 89.1 WEMU, and welcome to our weekly conversation on equity and opportunity in our county and in our community. I'm your new host, Decky Alexander, and I'm honored still and always to welcome to this week's edition of Washtenaw United. Mental health challenges don't care about city borders, and they do not discriminate based on one's background or culture or clique or gender and economic mobility. But right here in Washtenaw County, a person's mental health journey can look radically different, depending not just on where they live, but also on who they are. We are focusing on a critical angle of equity – men and mental health. Today, we're skipping the global headlines to talk about the micro-level realities in our own backyard from the societal expectations keeping local men isolated to the boots-on-the-ground efforts, breaking those barriers down. Joining us is Judy Gardner, Executive Director of NAMI, National Alliance on Mental Health Illness, Washtenaw County. Judy, welcome back!
Judy Gardener: Thank you! Thank you for having me back! I love the way you grounded us as we started!
Decky Alexander: Let's begin with the people, its essence, specifically you. Can you tell us about your involvement and personal and a professional connection to NAMI?
Judy Gardener: Absolutely! So, I've been the Executive Director for NAMI Washtenaw County for the last 10 years, and I consider that to be quite an honor. Of course, for those who don't know, the National Alliance on Mental Illness is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization, dedicated to building lives--better lives--of millions of Americans affected by mental illness. And here in Washtenaw County, we are one of the 700 affiliates across the country. And I started with NAMI...I was drawn to NAMI because of a personal journey, our life experience. About 15 years ago, I was supporting a family member who experienced extreme social anxiety and depression. And I sought out NAMI for education and some support, through a friend who suggested that I call them up. And the rest is history!
Decky Alexander: Well, that's some of the sort of essence of NAMI is that a lot of....it's a peer-led organization, correct, and a lot individuals that work in it have lived experience that have led it to it, as you have. Well, thank you for sharing. We want to get a little bit into some of key nuances of this particular interview. So, in our opening, we highlighted that identity plays a really massive role in how experience mental health. Are you and your NAMI colleagues seeing more men or stepping forward to join your support groups and seek counseling?
Judy Gardener: We are seeking to encourage more men. Since post-pandemic, we are seeing a little more, but traditional, well, since I've been there, it hasn't been a lot. So, we're being very intentional in partnering with some of the organizations in our community to draw men because, as we all know, progress in mental health, for men's mental health, is often hindered by stigma, societal expectations, and the belief that men should handle problems on their own. So, many men are reluctant to seek help and may have difficulty expressing emotions or experience symptoms that are not easily recognized. In addition to that, additional barriers, such as society, social isolation, work and financial pressures, cultural attitudes and limited access to mental health services, can further prevent them from getting the support that they need. So, reducing stigma, increasing awareness, and improving access to care are essential for us, and we're being very intentional about it in the work that NAMI Washtenaw does.
Decky Alexander: There still then seems to be a little bit of this lingering sort of Zeus complex, right? You're saying this kind of intense social expectation to be unshakable or to handle financial pressures or social isolation. Because of that pressure to hide it, Judy, a mental health crisis for man doesn't always look like what we expect. So, right here in Washtenaw County, what does a mental-health crisis maybe look like for a man? And how does it maybe manifest differently than what we might traditionally see someplace else?
Judy Gardener: Now, just anecdotally from my own experience, I see a lot of behaviors that mostly represent anger, a lot of anger and frustration, in our men who need that type of support, if that's what you're leaning to. We're, of course, not clinicians, so sometimes, when men will come through our education programs, I am also a trained facilitator for NAMI, I have noticed that there's a lot of anger and disbelief in really believing that mental illness is not real by some of our men. And if we can only just try harder or do better, they can overcome this. So, there's a lot of anger and just sometimes not the willingness to understand that this is a situation that it's an illness. It is an illness that many folks cannot just trade on their own. It's biological in nature and proven so.
Decky Alexander: You are listening to Washtenaw United on 89.1 WEMU. I'm Decky Alexander. And today, we are talking about men's mental health with Judy Gardener. Judy is the Executive Director of NAMI Washtenaw County. Judy, you mentioned a little bit that men, perhaps in particular, feel that they can solve or resolve something on their own. There's kind of this stigma. And we know that mental health support is not a one-size-fits-all. But are there specific programmatic or clinical approaches that may be more effective with and for men?
Judy Gardener: Well, this is something that we're, ironically, looking into just this quarter at NAMI, I'm reaching out to in this program. There's Packard Clinic. It's focusing on a men's group, and this is new. I know Concentrate Magazine recently did a interview with Packard Clinic, so I'm giving them a little shoutout. It's difficult to say. You really have to go to the men and ask them why they're not talking about it. And I've been on a couple of panels recently, and those questions were posed. This was a group of returning citizens. That was also very interesting, and I think just being comfortable to be vulnerable, right? You have to be in a space where you are feeling that folks that look like you, that you feel like you can relate to you, to be able to be valuable, and that's the first piece in seeking mental health support. So, we're not even speaking about a mental illness. We're just talking about good mental health. I think the key is a place for men to be able to be vulnerable. And a lot of times, that is in the presence of other men. And a lot of our courses and support groups are led by women. So, the partnership that we want to build with Packard Clinic, just to name one potential partner, is these are male-led support groups. And so, we want to just see how we can combine the information that we have from NAMI and what they bring to support these men and provide a safe space for them to communicate with each other.
Decky Alexander: Well, perhaps, there's a way to proliferate it, so one of my next questions is something you talked about last year, and it's about the renewal of the public safety and mental health millage. So now that we're further into this cycle, Judy, what are the reality of those dollars on the ground, including potentially even the possibility of supporting men's mental health? Are there still gaps in specific funding? What are you seeing right now?
Judy Gardener: For this funding, what I am seeing is we could not do what we do now as far as outreach without the funding. Our programs are at no cost to individuals and families. And we have a very small...well, I have a staff of 10 that are all part-time and really mostly half-time. And of course, a lot our work--the majority of our work--is done by peers who are volunteers. So, the Public Safety and Mental Health Millage has been, I cannot say, a saving grace to NAMI Washtenaw County to be able to provide not only some staff support and paid staff support, but also a lot of the outreach that we do.... that cost a lot of our brochures, our booklets, our training materials. So, if we were to lose that, because we have a large walk every year, we're having another walk in October, that is one of our biggest fundraisers, those dollars truly, truly help. And they truly go right back into the community. So, I'm not sure if I'm answering your question, but I can't say enough about how those dollars help. Because prior to that, we did fundraisers, and we rely on donations. And we weren't able to do the amount of boots-on-the-ground outreach as we are able to now with those dollars. So, they have been very instrumental, and it has helped quite a bit for us to get that information out and also and work with the broader, some of the rural areas, here in Washtenaw County.
Decky Alexander: Well, it is a county millage, and a lot of programs in this county would not have the impact or the ability to reach like NAMI without those dollars.
Judy Gardener: Absolutely!
Decky Alexander: Absolutely! Well, thank you so much, Judy! This was Judy Gardener, Executive Director of NAMI, our guest on Washtenaw United. Stop by our website at WEMU.org for more information. Washtenaw United is produced in partnership with the United Way for Southeast Michigan, and you hear it every Monday. I'm Decky Alexander, and this is your community NPR Station 89.1 WEMU, Ypsilanti.
WEMU has partnered with the United Way for Southeastern Michigan to explore the people, organizations, and institutions creating opportunity and equity in our area. And, as part of this ongoing series, you’ll also hear from the people benefiting and growing from the investments being made in the areas of our community where there are gaps in available services. It is a community voice. It is 'Washtenaw United.'
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