STOUGHTON, MA – Grabbing brunch is always a good idea, and if I’m being honest it’s a type of charity event I sometimes feel we don’t see enough of. With the help of vibrant host Charley’s Valcin and DJ Reminisce playing absolute bangers from the 90’s and early 2000’s, non-profit organization Healing & Wellness was an incredible reminder of why we should really be brunching for good more often.
Despite the contagiously upbeat vibe spreading love, positivity and support for migrants battling mental health crises in their journey to the U.S., the powerful message was one that left a lasting impression.
“The state was not prepared for the flow of migrants coming in right now,” explains Henry Emile, Licensed Mental Health Professional who specializes in working with incoming migrants. “We have many people coming here with anxiety and depression. When they come here, they try to transition to the new system, they’re facing so many barriers and that might cause depression and anxiety.”
Established by Tracey Taldon with a mission to provide critical mental health resources and shatter the stigmas surrounding depression and anxiety in the local migrant population, Wellness for Our Future serves as a safe haven for those who have historically suffered in silence.
A lot of times, they’re coming here completely in a different culture,” explains Natasha Fevry, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. “The kind of foods that they eat, they’re not finding it here – even finding someone that speaks their language, you know?”
What’s the vibe: Get ready to turn up for the brunch that gives back!
Deep diving into the reality migrants many times face crossing the border, Emile explained many who come to the country in desperate hope for a fresh start often arrive with trauma from horrific experiences or loss they may have witnessed in their journey – and no idea how to process it. “Some of these people, they may go through a lot but they don’t even know what they are going through. They can’t put words on it,” he says. “Mental health is a taboo in our community. Sometimes we don’t really acknowledge, we don’t think this is a priority, something to address. Even when we offer a service, they tend to be so resistant to accept it. You have to educate them and let them know ‘this is what you’re going through, this is what you can do, who you can talk to, so you can help with your situation’.”
To make matters worse, many who risk their lives and experience tragic loss just to have a chance at the ‘American Dream’ arrive to find a lack of housing, food, and clothes for themselves and their children. “Part of their experience is disappointment. Watching America on TV, seeing about America, they think once they get here – there’s no more issues,” says Emile. “Once they get here, they realize ‘Oh, this is not what we thought’. They don’t have housing, they have limited access to some of the services in the community, the language barrier.”
When left untreated, the mental health impacts including postpartum depression can have devastating consequences both for migrant families and their local communities. “We have a case of a woman that ended her life – she was going through a lot. There was no support. No one to answer what was going on, to talk to.”
That’s where Wellness for Our Future takes a step in to provide immediate resources and connect migrants with providers who can connect with them on a cultural level. “We have Creole speaking, Spanish speaking providers that go in and we sit and we talk to these individuals and they’re able to kind of open up,” explains Fevry. “It’s really important to connect people with providers that are culturally aware, and speak their language and communicate with them.”
For mental health professionals like Jasmine, the work of Wellness for Our Future has been a game changer to offer “boots on the ground” immediate care. “It really is the embodiment of the whole person and their mental health.”
To learn more about Wellness For Our Future, visit their website.
To see more stories like this or if you have an event you’d like to pitch to Emmalyn to cover, email emmalyn@emmalynreid.com.
Emmalyn Reid 