Today, I am joined by three individuals involved in improving the mental health services and supports for youth and young adults living in Broward County, Florida. Tiffany Lawrence, Latrice Richards, and Crysta Snyder. They are working under the umbrella of the One Community Partnership 3 System of Care Grant and Broward Behavioral Health Care Coalition.

Tiffany Lawrence, LMFTTiffany is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Florida who has been working in the behavioral health field for 7 years. She works at Broward Behavioral Health Coalition as the Project Director for Broward County’s One Community Partnership 3 System of Care SAMHSA grant. Her expertise is in assisting communities to develop programs that promote success for transition-age youth with behavioral health needs. Tiffany values an integration of traditional and non-traditional methods in her work to help others. She is a certified Regional Transition to Independence Process (TIP) model trainer and fidelity reviewer as well as an Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Supported Employment trainer and fidelity reviewer.

South Florida Wellness Network:

South Florida Wellness Network (SFWN) is a recovery-focused support network run and driven by youth, adults, and family peers. We are a community of individuals who have been strengthened by our lived experiences with behavioral, emotional, mental health, trauma, and/or substance use. Our shared experience united and empowers us to help others discover their unique path to recovery. The peers go into jails, treatment centers, mental health receiving centers, Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC), and the child welfare system to provide peer support and outreach to adults and children.

Crysta Snyder, CRPS is a Certified Recovery Peer Specialist at South Florida Wellness Network and identifies as a person in recovery. She has been providing direct services for the last four years utilizing the TIP Model in the community. Crysta hopes to share her experience as a young person serving young people and her perspectives on youth culture. She currently attends Palm Beach State College majoring in Social Work and enjoys fine cuisine and cross-fit in her spare time.

Latrice Richards, LPC-S, CLC is the System of Care Clinical Integration Coordinator for the One Community Partnership 3 (OCP3) grant program at Broward Behavioral Health Coalition. OCP3 is a community grant program funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in partnership with Broward County.

In this episode, we talk about the innovative social marketing campaign called, Unmask Your Feelings. How their team is helping youth and young adults learn to express their feelings through masks. Especially during this time of Pandemic, where wearing a mask is a must.

What You'll Learn

• The implications of wearing a mask to one's mental health, especially the youth and young adults.
• What the social marketing campaign Unmask your feelings is all about.
• Helpful tips on how to look after your mental health during these difficult times.
• And much more!

Favorite Quote

“I want us to relay a message of hope behind these masks. Sometimes we can feel alone. Some people don't even want to wear them. Some mental health conditions are exasperated by putting on these masks, I've seen people who struggled to breathe behind them as they got anxiety behind their masks. So I wanted to say you have this mask on, but we understand what you're feeling, you're not alone.” - Tiffany Lawrence

This episode is sponsored by:

In 2011, the State of Florida’s Department of...