In the depths of a Wisconsin winter, short daylight hours and cold weather can often impact our mental health. Several local organizations are working to provide support and prevention resources.

Mental Health Matters (MHM) of Green County provides a variety of resources and trainings to the community, including safeTALK — a three to four hour training available to anyone who would like to learn more about suicide prevention. Individuals of all backgrounds and professions participate. The training is open to ages 15 and up.

Bridget Mouchon is the health and wellbeing educator for the UW-Madison Division of Extension. She has been involved with MHM of Green County since its inception as a mental health working group around 2009.

“The goal is for people to recognize ‘invitations’ from a person they work with or care about that the person needs to talk about their suicidal thoughts, to feel more comfort in asking someone about suicide … and to know how to do the connection to a ‘Keep-Safe’ person in the community,” said Mouchon.

Seeking Professional Help

Angie Douglas, LPC and owner of Mainstreet Counseling in Monroe, takes pride in walking with people on their journeys to better mental health.

Mainstreet Counseling opened in December 2019. Its team — Tia Carlson, Paula Vestin, Sarah Parker Ragan, Brian LeBaron, Amiah Misek, Hattie Stuessy and Douglas — provides the community with outpatient psychotherapy services, including assessments and diagnostic evaluations. 

While the pandemic contributed to a rise in anxiety brought on by the uncertainty of everything and rates of depression increased as time in isolation dragged on, Douglas noticed an even more significant increase in anxiety and depression when people began returning to the office in person.

“Many people were just not ready and others, I think, had accepted the pandemic era as their new normal, making the return to pre-pandemic life difficult,” she said. “Our team is here to help people who are struggling to recognize that the priority is not being everything to everyone all the time but rather finding contentment with being the best version of themselves.”

The practice sees patients of all ages and backgrounds including children, adults, couples and even entire families. 

“Some of our providers specialize in treating children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD),” said Douglas. “Occasionally, we see the parents of children exhibiting difficult behaviors at home or school. In those situations, we support parents by teaching behavior modification and coping skills. We also serve families and individuals who have experienced trauma.”

To beat the winter blues, even temporarily, Douglas recommends starting by moving your body.

“It may sound simple or even a little silly, but if you move your body, you move your mind,” she said. “Take a shower, put on some clean clothes, play music, make something, go for a walk or organize something in your home.”

Mainstreet Counseling is currently hiring for full-time therapists and also accepts degree-seeking students needing in-office hours. Anyone interested can contact Douglas at 

angie@mainstcounsel.com.

“It is our promise to this community that we are here for you and we always will be,” said Douglas. “We will always accept new clients. We will continue to grow to support the needs of this community and the surrounding areas.”

Harm Reduction

Alicia Fishlock serves as the substance recovery and mental health wellness navigator with the Green County Human Services Department (GCHSD). She also works with Mouchon as the co-chair of MHM of Green County.

“We work together to raise awareness of mental health struggles in our community,” said Fishlock. “Along with that comes a lot of community outreach, community training events and other activities that illuminate the help and resources that are out there for individuals struggling —  as well as support for friends and family members of those struggling.”

Fishlock was instrumental in obtaining grant funding for Monroe’s new Harm Reduction Vending Machine, located outside of the main entrance of the Green County Human Services building (N3152 Wis. 81) in Monroe.

“I had the blessing of my supervisor, Bob Gibson, in the Behavioral Health Department at GCHSD and the Director of Human Services, Dan Williams, to write the Public Health Vending Machine Grant that was offered through the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS),” she said. “Additionally, community partners who are also active members of MHM, such as SSM Health Monroe Clinic, Green County Public Health, F.A.I.T.H. Addiction Awareness, SWCAP, and UW Health-Belleville Clinic, supported the project and offered letters of support to go along with our grant application.”

The Harm Reduction Vending Machine is available 24/7 and free to use. The machine holds Narcan kits (a nasal spray that can reverse the effects of opioids) and fentanyl test strip kits, both of which can be critical in preventing or reversing drug overdose. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl — a synthetic opioid — is 50 times stronger than heroin and can be lethal, even in small doses. It is nearly impossible to tell if other drugs have been laced with fentanyl, unless you have a tool like the test strips. 

●  The Narcan kits include two doses of Narcan and a CPR face shield.

●  The fentanyl test strip kit includes five test strips and five measuring scoops.

●  Both kits include mental health and substance recovery resources, educational materials, and QR codes for videos that show people how to use Narcan and fentanyl test strips correctly.

Fishlock worked with three students from Monroe High School’s LAUNCH program — a collaborative experience pairing junior and senior students with community partners to solve problems using “project-based learning.”

“The students helped to create the resource packets that you will find inside of each kit, as well as the pamphlets you will find in local establishments introducing and explaining the purpose of the harm reduction vending machine,” she said.

It’s Okay To Not Be Okay

When going into a new year, some people may have resolutions to improve their mental health or address a lingering issue. The first steps, said Douglas, should be small. 

“A good place to start is with self-reflection and not the judgmental kind. Just gain a little insight into what’s bothering you,” she said. “Take inventory of your goals, where you’re at and where you want to be.”

While there is no specific benchmark for when someone should seek professional help — and though “challenging the stigma” in seeking help is much easier said than done —  Douglas encourages treating your mental health the same as your physical health.

“It’s totally normal to have a primary care physician for your body, a dentist for your teeth, an ophthalmologist for your eyes and a chiropractor for your back, so why not a therapist for what’s going on upstairs?” she said. “Our mental health and physical health are so interconnected. If you take care of one, you should take care of the other.”

— This story is the final installment in our annual “Best You Yet” series, highlighting local services that can help readers be the best version of themselves in the new year. This story focuses on the topic of mental and emotional health.