corner QI in this issue

> Clear the Clut ter Out o f Your L i fe

> The Contractor ’s Spot-l ight—Sierra School

> Paul Sanford—Making an Impact through Suc-cess

> The Overn ight

> Qual i ty Q&A

> Tra in ing Update

> Debbie Terry-But ler—Making an Impact through Leadership

A Monthly Publica on from Solano County

Mental Health Division, Quality Improvement Unit

I s s u e 2

P ub l i s hed by : Qu a l i t y Im pr ove me n t Un i t M S : 5 - 2 50 P ho ne :7 84 -8 32 3 F a x : 7 84 -8 58 9 E -m a i l : qualityimprovement@solanocounty.com I n t ra n e t : http://hssweb/MH/default.aspx

Clu er, both mental and physical can do a number on our produc vity and eat away at our me. Think of all the minutes we waste looking for items that aren’t where they should be. When you can’t find things, you can feel frustrated, angry, and unpro‐duc ve. The stress of a clu ered life means we may miss deadlines, work longer hours, and lose im‐portant stuff. Whether it comes in the form of stuff, thoughts or toxic people, clu er equals stress. Clearing out the clu er will help relieve some of your stress. Start de‐clu ering by learning to let go.

De‐Clu er Your Desk and Work Space

Whether you work in a big office or a ny cubicle, there’s no way you can be totally produc ve in a space that doesn’t func on for you. We have all read the how‐to’s of organiza on. It is just a ma er of finding the me to do it. Organize your space in bite‐size bits; commit yourself to 15 minutes a day. You will be amazed at how good you feel.

De‐Clu er Your Thoughts

Clu er tends to spill over in other aspects of your life. Between a zillion to‐dos, work and family life, errant worries and obliga ons, it’s only natural that you would have a clu ered mind.

Clean sweep your thoughts with a hot bath, a medi‐

ta on prac ce, a long walk, a phone call to a friend—whatever works for you. Spend at least 15 minutes a day in a pursuit that allows you to decom‐press, clear your mind, and rid your thoughts of the mental chitchat that clouds your crea vity, passion, and produc vity.

De‐Clu er Your Life

While you can spend just 15 minutes clearing clu er from your space and thoughts, it may take a li le more to de‐clu er your life. “To be truly happy, some mes you must eliminate unhealthy people and situa ons from your life,” say Alex Lluch, author of Secrets to Love Life and Be Happy. For instance, if you feel stuck in a dead‐end job, resolve to make a change. Or if there’s someone in your life who constantly brings you down with a nega ve a tude, find a way to disentangle yourself. “It may take some courage to eliminate this stuff from your life, but you will feel much more fulfilled once you are able to concentrate on the people and things that do make you happy.”

For this complete ar cle, please visit: h p://www.webmd.com/balance/features/clear‐clu er‐out‐your‐life

Making an Impact

Making an Impact through Change

A p r i l 2 0 1 2

S ierra School of Solano County has been a

valued contractor for several years. Locat‐

ed in the small town of Elmira, Sierra oper‐

ates a school‐based Day Rehabilita on program

which provides such services as individual therapy,

individual and group rehabilita on, collateral, case

management and assessments in a school se ng.

Sierra works diligently with local districts to

“provide individual and effec ve strategies to help

our students meet and exceed both personal and

academic goals. They strive to make “lifelong learn‐

ers who can succeed in both school and society.”

Our Quality Improvement Unit recently per‐

formed their annual audit and found Sierra to be

one of our “gold standard” contractors. The results

of Sierra’s audits have been excep onal for the last

3 years. They were well organized with documents

appropriately labeled and tagged, all progress notes

and treatment plans were signed and they had zero

disallowances.

It is evident that Sierra’s school

mo o of “working together,

winning together”, works for

more than just their students.

Congratula ons, Sierra!

Let’s keep winning together.

Organize and s impl i fy your l i fe for bet ter emot ional heal th

The Contractor’s Spotlight

M a k i n g a n I m p a c t t h r o u g h S e r v i c e

Sierra School of Solano County

M any of us view a mental ill‐

ness, such as Bipolar Disor‐

der, as no laughing matter.

We imagine the struggles of living with

dramatic and unpredictable mood swings.

How do you find the norm between bouts

of mania with racing thoughts, inability to

sleep, restlessness, and agitation that can

soon become a bout of depression with

irritability, loss of energy, uncontrollable

crying and thoughts of death or suicide?

When I pitched the idea for this “success

story” article in a staff meeting, the an‐

swer was unanimous—I had to interview

Paul Sanford.

Though I have never met him, he is de‐

scribed by those who have as “funny” and

“quite a character”. Not knowing what to

expect, I called Paul armed with only a

pen, paper and a preconceived notion

that my “success story” would be about

someone who was “cured” or no longer

suffered from mental illness. Nothing

prepared me for the answers I found.

Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder in 1987,

Paul has been living on a mental health

rollercoaster for over 25 years. He has

experienced the gamut of frustrations in

seeking mental health services such as,

inadequate services with an HMO, search‐

ing for any other provider who accepts

Medicare, and fighting to get refills time‐

ly. Paul has plenty he could be upset and

bitter about, but he isn’t.

In June 2011, he accompanied his daugh‐

ter to an open mic night under the prem‐

ise that he was there to watch her sing.

After signing herself up, she returned to

their table saying, “By the way, I just

signed you up to do comedy too.” With

only 45 minutes to prepare, Paul got on

stage, got some laughs and got hooked.

Getting anxious just thinking about it, my

natural question was, “Paul, weren’t you

nervous, weren’t you anxious, weren’t

you scared!?!” His response, “No more

anxious than when I have to leave the

house.” My first thought was how easy

that must be for him, until he described

how difficult it was for him to leave the

house some days. At times, Paul explains,

he can go 3 days in isolation where leav‐

ing the house can be impossible due to

lack of energy, overwhelming anxiety, and

the inability to make simple decisions

such as what socks to wear.

My notion that I had a “success story” was

shattered by this revelation until he

shared his views on life a little further.

Paul explains himself in such a positive,

humorous and charming way, with wit

that is infectious. He explains that bipo‐

lar doesn’t define him but, is merely an

“element of his personality” ‐ an element

for which he is grateful. Bipolar has im‐

planted a metaphoric “chip” in his brain

that allows him to “see things in a slightly

different way” and allows him to be

“productively creative”. Paul sees events

in his life as opportunities that he can

report in a funny way which is perfect for

his comedy act.

At 64, Paul has some rules by which to

live, that we can all learn from:

“One way to get well is to have a

place to go—it is too easy to isolate

yourself.”

“Having a routine helps.”

Be Active. Paul

represents con‐

sumers on Sola‐

no County’s

Quality Im‐

provement

Committee and

Cultural Competency Committee.

Do something. “You will feel like do‐

ing it when you do it.”

“Go to a support group—GO whether

you feel like it or not.”

Know that you have the ability to

“rise to the occasion”.

“Take advantage of how you are at

any given moment. Don’t feel guilty

if your productivity comes in spurts.”

In my brief conversation with Paul, my

view of “success” had changed. Success

isn’t being “cured” or no longer having

mental illness, and it isn’t finding the

“norm” between the highs and lows. It is

finding YOU and being happy with you.

Paul has found himself on stage doing

comedy at Pepperbelly’s and various com‐

edy clubs in San Francisco. He is currently

preparing to do his show entitled, “LOL,

Everybody, LOL” in nursing homes start‐

ing March 9th.

Thank you, Paul, for sharing your true

success story. You are an inspiration to

us all.

By the  way, Paul asked that I  mention in 

addition to being incredibly  funny, he  is 

also  smart and handsome  and likes atten‐

tion from  the  ladies.   He  also warned I  

better spell his name  right.  LOL, Paul, LOL  

One rewarding way of making an impact in our community is by doing charitable fundraising or volunteering. The American Foun‐da on for Suicide Preven on (AFSP) has organized The Out of the Darkness Overnight (The Overnight), a fundraising walk of up to 18 miles throughout the night , designed to raise funds and make a bold statement to bring the issue of suicide out into the light. A er you register, you are assigned a coach to help you get in shape and assist with mee ng your fundraising goals. There are volunteer opportuni es for those who are not interested in walk‐ing the event. The Overnight starts at 7:00 pm on Saturday, June

9th at Fort Mason in San Francisco and ends at 5:00 am. For more informa on, visit h p://theovernight.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseac on=cms.page&id=1021

The OvernightThe OvernightThe Overnight San FranciscoSan FranciscoSan Francisco

Saturday, June 9Saturday, June 9Saturday, June 9‐‐‐10, 201210, 201210, 2012

By Lynne Hunt

Space is s ll available for the Annual Documenta on Training. Classes are on a first come, first served basis and you must register before you a end. This is a mandatory, half‐day train‐ing held:

April 9thApril 9thApril 9th———April 12th April 12th April 12th

April 23rdApril 23rdApril 23rd———April 26thApril 26thApril 26th For registra on requests or ques ons regarding QI related

trainings e‐mail : qualityimprovement@solanocounty.com

Please check out the links below for other trainings that may

benefit you.

HR Training Intranet Site —h p://webstart/employees/training/info.asp

H&SS Training Intranet Site — h p://hssweb/Training/default.aspx

To sign up for HR or H&SS Trainings:

1) Obtain supervisor approval

2) Send your registra on requests or training related ques‐ons to hssmhtraining@solanocounty.com

QI Trainings Intranet Site — h p://hssweb/MH/New%20Intranet%20Pages/MH%20training.aspx

“A life is

not

important

except in

the impact

it has on

other

lives.”

‐ Jackie 

Robinson 

Make a Make a Make a SplashSplashSplash

Impact through Answer s

Q : I some mes find it difficult to write treatment plan goals. I

know they’re supposed to be measurable in some way. Any

sugges ons on how to make this easier?

A : The Client Service Plan asks that treatment objec ves be

wri en to be “specific, observable and/or quan fiable.” The

treatment objec ves should support the overall client goal

and be related to the assessment and diagnosis. One way to formulate

objec ves is to use a baseline and a target when working with the client

to determine what might be a reasonable change for the client to

achieve within the me lines of the treatment plan. Here is an example

of one objec ve for a client struggling with Major Depression and its

consequent impairments:

“Client will improve personal hygiene, as an aid to increasing self‐

esteem and reducing social isola on, by bathing daily (an increase from

current baseline of showering two to three mes a week) within the

next six months.” It is important to hold hope for a client, but Clinicians

some mes formulate objec ves that are too ambi ous or unrealis c,

and thereby make it difficult or impossible for the client to make much

progress on them. It is important to have an ongoing dialogue with the

client about his or her inten ons for treatment, and create a collabora‐

ve plan that reflects a client‐centered model for wellness and recovery.

When I think about someone making an impact through

leadership, Debbie Terry‐Butler is one of the first people

that comes to mind. While Debbie is a sharp dresser with a

beau ful smile and an infec ous laugh she is more than

just a pre y face. She has been a leader in Children’s Men‐

tal Health for over 2 decades. I asked Debbie a few ques‐

ons so we can all get to know her a li le be er.

Q: What is your favorite thing about working in Mental

Health?

A:  I am inspired by the courage of our clients and their 

families.  I am passionate about County Mental Health.  

It is important to help our young people; the earlier we 

are able to make an impact the be er. 

Q: What has been your toughest challenge?

A:  Budget crunches.  Difficult decisions have to be made.  

It is important we try to maintain quality services while 

we con nue to balance and shi . 

Q: What vision do you have for the future of Children’s

Mental Health?

A:  Despite all of the changes we face, I want for us to 

con nue, in a very real way, to serve our clients with 

the values and priori es set forth by the California 

Children’s System of Care.  It is our staff’s mission to 

focus on family strength, cultural competency, resilien‐

cy, and client‐centered, client‐focused, individualized 

plans. 

Q: What song would you say best describes you?

A:  Well, my husband would say it is, “You are my sun‐

shine.” [She responded, with a chuckle.] 

Q: Do you have a mo o or words that you live by?

A:  Challenges do come in life.  I am a person of faith and 

believe that things will always work out. 

Debbie and her staff have had their share of challenges

lately as they have just moved office loca ons. When

asked about the move, she explained that while they are

facing some obstacles she believes that being close to the

pediatric clinic will be an advantage to our clients and will

help with coordina on of care.

As usual, Debbie is always looking on the bright side and

thinking about our clients first. Thank you for pu ng it all

into perspec ve for us, Ms. Debbie, and for bringing a li le

sunshine to us all.

Making an Impact through Leadership Debbie Terry-But ler

Fairfield Children’s MH Clinic is now at:

2101 Courage Drive, Fairfield, CA 94533

MS: 10‐270

Telephone: 784‐4900 Fax: 399‐4957

By Lynne Hunt