Summer Youth Wellness Activities at SPVBH

David Tineo's mural at Ochoa Elementary School in Tucson - see more images at Tucson Murals

By Giovanna Hesley
April 26, 2010
Oracle, Arizona
Tuesday, April 25, nine strong hearts (staff) and eight trusting souls (clients) set off to learn more about being part of a community. Although we thought we were going to learn how to create a mural, we had no idea we would come home having learned how to live in comfort as others lived homeless; how to understand that our words could wound and that our careless joking could create deep pain; how our perceptions of the people around us alters as we learn who they really are and thus we learn who we really are.

Veronica Agredano is in charge of the amazing mural project at the San Pedro Valley Behavioral Health Center in Oracle, Arizona. She is a Dedicated Case Manager in the Meet Me Where I Am program that serves young clients who are in great need of individualized services. She assembled a team of trained social workers to expose our clients to the beauty and depth of David Tineo’s murals on display at the Tucson Museum of Art as well as community murals in Tucson and Oracle. Veronica, three other case managers, three dedicated peer support providers, our driver and myself, a counselor, took on the challenge of helping some of our clients understand public art and realize that they and we could create something meaningful for ourselves that would have a lasting impact on our community.

For a child with ADHD this activity builds the skill of learning how to focus –to look at something and focus on it. For a child in RAD therapy, it provides a sense of belonging and a chance to socialize. At lunch we played games as simple as Simon Says and Red Light-Green Light, as well as an exhausting round of Tag. Physical activities combining multiple ages taught our clients that they could have fun at the park with grown-ups without alcoholic beverages being involved. Another child found confidence in a supportive, encouraging environment in which she was praised for her contributions.

Future therapeutic field trips include a trip to the botanical garden, headed up by Case Manager Jaime Martinez, that will help us design and build our own garden. Fishing at the local reservoir with a mandatory training class the day before – this will help build an understanding of responsibility and delayed gratification. Case Manager Shae Slyter put together a trip to a local ostrich farm that will expose some of our clients to the complexities of animal husbandry, caring, and responsibility. Our ongoing Archery program, lead by Dedicated Case Manager Mark Rhoads, teaches our clients focus, social skills, communication, and accountability. I have put together a Youth Leadership Retreat for older children with Wellness Director Gustavo McGrew, and we are now working on getting another for our younger clients since the first one was such a powerful therapeutic tool that had children designing and acting in their own theatrical productions concerning drug use in the home and drunk driving.

Clients are hand picked for each activity, which is designed with their therapeutic needs in mind. Although we set out to achieve a certain goal, we are delighted and amazed by the breadth of what we have already accomplished and we are all excited to continue with this powerful wellness program for our young clients.