JEFFERSON CITY – Don’t miss Nature’s Impact on Mental Health. This family-friendly event will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, June 11 at The Exchange at Wall Street Cattle Co. in Lebanon, Missouri.
This free event is cosponsored by the National Alliance on Mental Illness Lebanon, Missouri State Parks, Missouri Department of Mental Health and Lane Change of Lebanon. This program will explore the many ways nature can support mental health. Many outdoor activities, interpretive demonstrations and mental health resources will be present.
The event features the following speakers:
- Rachel Jones, manager of Trauma Informed Treatment for the Division of Behavioral Health. She will talk about how to help your brain make healthy connections, the eight dimensions of wellness and how being in nature can boost emotional, physical and spiritual health.
- Patricia Chambers, senior naturalist resource interpreter for Missouri State Parks and previous Social Services, Division of Youth Services group leader. She will share personal stories of how nature has helped improve behavioral and mental health.
- Representative of Lane Change will discuss how this community organization provides help to individuals seeking recovery support for substance abuse disorders.
The Missouri State Parks team will have a variety of outdoor activities, demonstrations and resources. Bennett Spring State Park concessionaire Jim Rogers will have fishing information available and will demonstrate fly fishing. Sign up for kayaking and fly fishing instruction can be done prior to the event by calling 417-532-3925.
For more information on state parks and historic sites, visit mostateparks.com. Missouri State Parks is a division of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.