Medina's Mental Health Matters
Newsletter by Ron Blue, LPCC-S & Kristine Quallich, Ph.D.
About the Authors
Ron Blue is currently employed by Medina City Schools as a District Prevention Coordinator. Ron currently holds a LPCC-S and a CDCA from the state of Ohio. In addition to working in the schools Ron has been practicing adolescent and adult therapy since 2009 for an agency in Medina, Ohio.
Kristine Quallich is currently the Assistant Superintendent in the Medina City School District. She is also a licensed psychologist in the State of Ohio who practices as a therapist serving adults, children, adolescents, and families.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month
One of my favorite pieces on mental health was written by Kevin Love and I share it with you here in hopes that it can raise more awareness and let others begin to know that you are not alone.
Walk for Hope
On Sunday, April 10, 2022, students from Medina City Schools organized their first Walk4Hope to promote mental wellness and suicide prevention. The walk was held at Memorial Soccer Stadium across from Claggett Middle School. The Medina walk was held in conjunction with two other walks at Voice of America Athletic Complex in Cincinnati and Kettering-Fairmont H.S. Track in Kettering, Ohio. The purpose of the walk was to help raise funds to support Grant Us Hope’s work with the 200 Hope Squads in Ohio and Southeast Indiana and help us establish 30 new Hope Squads by the end of 2023.
Though this year was the first walk organized by Medina City Schools Hope Squads, it was the third year for the event overall. Between the three events, a total of $46, 059 was raised for the organization. There were approximately 60 individuals who came out to the stadium on a chilly morning to support the efforts of Hope Squad. Students, Hope Squad members, parents and adults from the community came out to exercise and enjoy the brisk but sunny weather.
One Father, fresh off hip replacement surgery, came out to support his daughter, a Hope Squad member and made it around the track for a lap! "...my hip will be ready to jog a few laps next year. I really appreciate the mission of Hope Squad."
Grant Us Hope Interns, Caleb Sundermeier (9th grade) and Nicole Johnson (12th grade), shared a few words about the mission of Hope Squad and the goal of creating more squads at county schools. Currently, Cloverleaf Schools and Buckeye Schools are in their first year of training their students to be the eyes and ears of students who may be struggling with suicidal ideation or self-harm gestures.
Free Meditation Resources
How to Become More Creative (Monitor on Psychology April/May 2022)
- Put in the work - creativity is not necessarily a bolt of inspiration; carve out time to learn and practice
- Let your mind wander - "daydream with purpose"
- Practice remote associations - brainstorm ideas
- Go outside
- Revisit your creative ideas - aha moments can give you a rush