mental health awareness Archives - NAMI Arapahoe/Douglas Counties

Recognizing the Warning Signs of Mental Illness

Jason Hopcus, CLC, MSLC June 4, 2021June 4, 2021 caregiver, depression, estate planning, Estate planning attorney, family caregiver, family law, insurance policy, life insurance, mental health, mental health care, mental illness, NAMI Blog, Serious mental illness, trust

As of the year 2021, there are 47.1 million people in the United States who live with a mental health condition. That is 19% of America. That is a 1.5 million increase from what was reported in the prior year. The numbers are real, and each one represents someone’s son, daughter, brother, sister, father, mother, or distant relative. On the other side of the statistics are human beings who have a voice that needs to be heard over the noise of shame, opinions, and perspectives that seek to sway society in one direction over the other. Coming together as a unifiedRead More

Getting more Connected in the New Year

Jason Hopcus, CLC, MSLC January 1, 2019December 29, 2018 aging, Anxiety, arapahoe county, colorado, community, connection, counseling, depression, douglas county, education, exercise, geriatric, gratitude, happiness, health, Healthy Practices, healthy students, help, isolation, journaling, kindness, meditation, mental health, mental health care, mental illness, NAMI Blog, recovery, seniors, sleep, social, Students, support group, teachers, time management, well-being, wellness, whole health

Welcome to 2019! The New Year is a time most of us set intentions. We put closure on the past and look forward to the future with a renewed hope and anticipation. Right? Maybe that’s my own idealistic view. For many, optimism for the coming year doesn’t look any brighter than what’s come and gone. Mental Health and its effects can weigh us down, forging ahead in what feels like concrete boots. But it doesn’t have too… Those challenges can be compounded by those resolutions we set and don’t keep. You know the ones…to lose weight, to exercise more, or to makeRead More

2018 NAMI ADCO Seeds of Hope Scholarship

Jason Hopcus, CLC, MSLC May 5, 2018 Anxiety, arapahoe county, colorado, community, counseling, criminal justice, depression, douglas county, education, educators, health, healthy students, mental health, mental health care, NAMI Blog, nursing, presentation, psychology, recovery, Scholarship, sociology, special edcuation, stigma, Students, teachers, well-being, wellness

On April 25th, NAMI Arapahoe/Douglas Counties hosted its inaugural Seeds of Hope Scholarship Awards Breakfast at the Hilton Denver Inverness. We proudly awarded six scholarships to local students pursing a degree in a behavioral health or human service field. Our 2018 NAMI ADCO scholarship award recipients were: Talia Brown – Legend High School, Parker, Health Sciences and Psychology Sophie Camp – Mountain Vista H.S., Highlands Ranch, Psychology and Sociology (criminal justice) Sarah Knapp – Skyview Academy, Highlands Ranch, Psychology Brianna Lawrence – Regis University, Nursing and Psychology Morgan Miller – University of Colorado, Denver, Special Education Kimberly Smith – ArapahoeRead More

Finding Wellness After Illness

Jason Hopcus, CLC, MSLC December 30, 2017December 30, 2017 community, counseling, education, health, mental health, mental health care, NAMI Blog, presentation, recovery, stigma, well-being, wellness

At 50 years old, Joe experienced what he considers his first manic episode. He was fired from his job—a career he spent 33 years building. After getting the news, he drove straight to the hospital. “I walked in through the employee’s entrance, all stressed out,” Joe explained. “The people working there were like, ‘Hello? How are you?’ And somehow or another the word ‘suicide’ came out. The next thing I knew, I was laying down, strapped in.” It was during this first admittance of many that Joe was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. “I ran away from my diagnosis,” Joe explained.Read More

Making Mental Health Care Accessible in Denver

Jason Hopcus, CLC, MSLC October 18, 2017 NAMI Blog

As an educator training new mental health providers, it is my goal to prepare professionals who can address the growing demands for mental health care. As a licensed professional counselor and nationally certified counselor, I believe that it is our profession’s responsibility to also help break down barriers to care – whether they are stigmas, access to services or overall awareness of managing one’s own mental health. In Colorado, mass casualty events in recent years have reinforced the importance of building skills and resources within our communities to help cope with and prevent these tragic events. In an in-depth report,Read More