Mental Health Awareness Month

This month is Mental Health Awareness month.  Yarmouth Life Skills is very concerned with the mental well-being of our Staff and Participants.

Participant Mental Health

We are constantly aware of the mental health of our Participants. We have many resources at our Participants’ disposal.  

We offer a variety of ‘fidget toys’ our Participants can access at any point during the day to help keep their minds and hands occupied. These are little items they can use to improve focus, self-regulation and sensory input. The items vary, from fidget ropes (a gummy-style rope sometimes shaped like elongated animals) to pop-it tubes that have a popping sound that is esthetically pleasing when pulled, to ‘Moshi monsters’, which are extremely soft, animal-shaped, squishy toys and of course, there are fidget spinners and puzzle boxes.  

We also have sensory kits. Simple kits that are sensory experiences for our Participants.  Most of these kits are fashioned into easy games that build on sorting skills, hand/eye quadrating planning skills and visual identification skills. These are designed to be relaxing to use, and most have an ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) element to them.  

We also offer a Snoezelen Sensory Room, a space that specifically provides opportunities to relax and explore the sensory environment.  It is a helpful experience for our Participants (or Staff) when they are feeling overwhelmed or over-stimulated. It is extremely relaxing and quiet, and the perfect spot for anybody to collect their thoughts and reset their minds.  

In short, no matter the ability level, no matter the disability, no matter the situation, we all could focus more on our everyday mental health. Yarmouth Life Skills strives to do all we can to care for and protect the mental health of our Participants and everyone around us. 

Staff Mental Health

Yarmouth Life Skills is also supportive of the mental health of our Staff. 

The most important thing we do is offer a positive and open environment for our Staff to be able to thrive in.  We encourage Staff to ask for help without judgement, offer a safe environment for them to speak their mind or have opposing opinions.  It’s great that our co-workers genuinely care about each other, and what is happening in our day-to-day lives.  We offer Staff Employee Assistance Programs (EAP’s), through Blue Cross Blue Shield.  Staff and their families can access support and counseling for a wide range of concerns, including personal, work-related and financial issues.

We make sure to appreciate our Employees; either with little gifts, Staff team-building retreats, recognition of achievements or just telling them how much they matter to our Program and the Participants.  

Lastly, we make sure to provide mental health days (flex days) to our Staff, allowing them to have time when they need it without question. They can book a day off whenever they are feeling overwhelmed and take the time without judgement or question, allowing them to have a better state of mind and a strong mental health and mental recovery, when needed. 

We do all of this because here at Yarmouth Life Skills, we know the importance of taking care of our Staff. We know no matter how great of a program we build for our Participants, it will not be anything if not for the amazing Staff we have running it, and those Staff cannot be at their best if we do not do our best to keep them in good mental health.  

~Victoria Moore

Yarmouth Life Skills Instructor