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Walker-Ford Community Center hosts mental health resources fair

A flyer contains the words "Be Kind to Your Mind" emblazoned in yellow inside of the outline of a man's head.
Tom Flanigan
/
WFSU Public Media
An example of the promotional flyers distributed all over the city's Southside in advance of the fair

As COVID cases fall and prices rise, it seems people are dealing with more stress - and mental health issues - than ever. In response, mental health resources fair happened in Tallahassee on the evening of Tuesday, May 17 to point troubled folks in the direction of people who can help.

As people lined up to come into the Southside’s Walker-Ford Community Center, Nancy O’Ferrell with NAMI Tallahassee said the idea behind the fair was simple.

“We are blessed in Tallahassee to have many wonderful resources, including ours, which I will mention is free. But people don’t know.”

One of the people in the know was at the 211 Big Bend booth. Dylan McGann is a counselor who is seeing the number of calls to that counseling referral service taking a troubling trend.

“There are a lot more young kids calling. There are a lot more teenagers who are concerned about their own mental health or the mental health of their peers. There are a lot more parents calling on behalf of their young children.”

And, just like with physical problems, McGann said, treating mental health issues early is almost always easier, and more effective, than letting the issues go unresolved.

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Tom Flanigan has been with WFSU News since 2006, focusing on covering local personalities, issues, and organizations. He began his broadcast career more than 30 years before that and covered news for several radio stations in Florida, Texas, and his home state of Maryland.

Find complete bio, contact info, and more stories. here.