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Mental Health

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Mental Health and Addiction Resources in Pinellas County Florida
Boley Centers Inc.

boleycenters.org 445 31st St. N. St. Petersburg, FL 33713 727 821-4819 With more than 30 housing and service center locations scattered throughout Pinellas County, the Organization comprises a wide variety of treatment, rehabilitation and vocational services; a network of living opportunities in community residences and apartments.
Directions for Mental Health

directionsmh.org 1437 S Belcher Clearwater, Florida 33764 727-524-4464 Directions for Mental Health is a private nonprofit community mental health counseling organization. Their prevention, early intervention and treatment programs serve the mental health needs of children, families, adults and seniors. This is an outstanding organization, they have very good counselors, therapists, and case managers.
Fairwinds Treatment Center

fairwindstreatment.com 1569 Fort Harrison Ave. S  Clearwater, Florida 34616 727-449-0300  800-226-0301  Fairwinds is a private addiction/ substance abuse treatment center. The grounds surrounding the facility provide a park-like setting and recreational areas including a pool. Nice place, well qualified counseling staff, all therapists have good addictions experience.
Goodwill Industries

goodwill.org 10596 Gandy Blvd. St. Petersburg, Florida 33702 (727) 523-1512; (727) 576-0882; (813) 877-3234 8:00-4:30 M-F Services: vocational counseling , individual counseling; outpatient intensive day/night drug treatment. Populations: Adults 18 years of age and older.
Gulf Coast Community Care

angelfire.com 407 S Arcturas Clearwater FL 33765 813-816-1235 (Pasco) 813-298-1634 (Pinellas) Gulf Coast Community Care is a major provider of an array of community-based services to individuals living with HIV/AIDS, serving more than 1,000 clients in Pinellas and Pasco counties. Gulf Coast provides FREE service to the clients. People living with HIV/AIDS, along with their family and partners, may receive mental health counseling/ therapy as part of the HIV Programs.
Hospice

hospicefoundation.org Specific Services: Providing patients with care primarily in the "home", where patients have loving support of family and friends Circle of Love Children's Program: addresses the needs of the diverse community of children and families, regardless of ability to pay. Specific Population: Those who cope either personally or professionally with terminal illness, death, and the process of grief, primarily those with a prognosis of one year or less. Excellent, dedicated staff. I know some of the therapists and counselors there, and they are very good at what they do.
Operation PAR, Inc.

operationpar.org 6655 66th St N Pinellas Park, Florida 33781 727-545-7564 PAR offers a full continuum of services for individuals with substance abuse, addiction and/or mental health disorders. PAR is awesome! I have had the pleasure of working at many different programs there, as a counselor, therapist, director, and clinical supervisor. The majority of their programs are in Clearwater and Largo but there are PAR programs all over the State. You can really get help here. It's a great place to work too if you want to help people.
Personal Enrichment Through Mental Health Services (PEMHS)

pemhs.org 11254 58th St N Pinellas Park, Florida 33782-2213 727-545-6477 Adult Services Emergency Services – Provides immediate assessment, crisis intervention counseling, referrals, and admission; Crisis Stabilization – Provides brief, intensive counseling services for adults in crisis; Short Term Residential Treatment; Focused Outreach - Mental Health counseling and support for adults returning to the community after incarceration. Children and Family Services: Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Programs; The Children's Center - is an emergency shelter for children; Children’s Continuum of Care–Provides intensive residential treatment, therapy groups, case management, and in-home counseling; Emergency Response Team (ERT) – Provides crisis intervention for children and families at risk for abuse or neglect; Juvenile Detention Center; Screening and Stabilization; Therapeutic Foster Care
Suncoast Center

suncoastcenter.com 4024 Central Avenue St. Petersburg FL 33711 727-327-7656 Adult Services: Outpatient Counseling; Substance Abuse Counseling; Community Support Programs; Senior Support Services Children and Family Services: Outpatient Counseling; School-Based Counseling; In-Home Counseling; Family Support Services
Windmoor Healthcare

windmoorhealthcare.com 11300 U S 19 North Clearwater, Florida 33764 727-541-2646 800-288-HOPE Windmoor Healthcare is a full-service psychiatric facility available 24-hours a day.

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Homework and Self Help

Self Help begins with the FLASH Feeling list:

FLASH Feelings

Fear: the emotion you feel when you think or expect that something negative is going to happen to you.

Love: the emotion you feel when you have no desires or expectations and are just enjoying the moment.

Anger: the emotion you feel when a desire or expectation has not been met and you still want it met.

Sadness: the emotion you feel when a desire or expectation has not been met and you have given up hope of having it met.

Happiness: The emotion you feel when a desire or expectation has been met or you believe it will be met.

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Study the list and you will see that all the feeling on the list are related to one's desires or expectations. It is important to be able to identify your feelings. Your feelings point to what is going on in your mind.

The untrained/unconscious mind is always going from one thing to another. This is not really an issue except that it does this mostly unnoticed by the conscious mind. Therefore it is a very distracted and unconscious process.

Most of our intentions are what I call ego-type intentions. We go about meeting our basic needs much the same way as we engage in most autonomic processes. Just as we breath autonomically without conscious attention we think mostly without conscious attention.

Begin with the FLASH feelings list because it points the way to the thoughts behind our feelings. Feelings always point to thought patterns. If you want to have feelings but not be ruled by them, or get stuck in them, then you need to be able to notice your own mind as you feel. This opens you up to notice a deeper level of feelings. These deeper feelings are due to the knowledge of our own feelings and are akin to knowing certain things are going to happen before they happen. Whether this is ESP, or, just seeing things more clearly and thus being able to have a knowingness based on wisdom that is experienced on the feeling level; I have no idea, and I don't really care, I just know it's a place that you can get to.

Homework #1 Flash

  1. Download Flash Feeling List.
  2. Identify your current Flash Feeling.
  3. Identify the desire and/or expectation that is fueling the feeling.
  4. Ask yourself if in this moment you want to continue to hold onto this desire or expectation.
  5. If you chose to hold onto the desire or expectation observe your mind, jot down your thoughts if you can. Observe your feeling, where do you feel it? What does it feel like? For example: is it hot or cold, is it a tightness,...? Where do you feel it in your body? What else do you notice about it?
  6. If you let go of the desire or expectation, observe your mind. Does the feeling go away? Does it change? How long does it take to change or go away?
  7. If you had no desire or expectation the FLASH feeling is Love. Some people have a hard time with the word love as used here. Don't get caught up in it. It's just a word and it sort of fits. Actually it fits very well once you see this in action.

Homework #2 Notice you mind

Find a way to notice the thoughts in your mind and pay particular attention to any "I" thoughts. Any thought that begins with "I" is pivotal. Mostly we accept these thoughts without questioning them. Examples: I am hungry; I am tired; I am angry; I am sad; I am a fool; I am no good; etc. As you have these thoughts notice them and see if they are true or if they are conditioned. Could it be that you are not really tired but you tell yourself that so you can flop down in front of the TV and veg out? (I give that example from my own stock by the way.) Could it be that your not hungry but you have the thought because eating feels good and you want to feel good?

Here are some ways to notice your thoughts

  1. Start by lighting a candle and watching the flame. Concentrate on the flame, as thoughts come through your mind notice them but return to concentrating on the flame. Your mind will want to wander, don't let it, stay focused on the flame. You will find that your mind will wander no matter what you do so all you can do is return to the flame. But, as it wanders observe the thoughts between returning to the flame.
  2. Journal what is on your mind, or write poetry. This is great if you are prone to anxiety or can't do the first way because your mind is too distracted. Actually, it's great in addition to the first one.
  3. If you have other forms of mindfulness that you like do them. But, don't confuse mindfulness with relaxation, visualization type exercises. This takes focus and concentration and at the beginning it may seem difficult, but it's not as long as you are not looking for results. It doesn't matter what comes up, and it doesn't matter where you go, everything you see is more than you usually see so it's all good. The results and the process are one, there is no right or wrong, good or bad, it is what it is. Any method of noticing the mind is acceptable.

Homework #3 Chose to be Happy.

Make it your intention to be happy for one day. Pick a day and chose to be happy that day. Notice anything that gets in the way of your happiness. As you do write it down. If it's a situation that presents itself describe it in as much detail as possible. Ask yourself if it is just this situation or is it because of past similar situations made you unhappy and this so this one has to? Is it a FLASH feeling thing? Is there a desire or expectation that you may be able to let go of? Is it possible that you have a counter intention to your happiness. Is part of you wanted to get back to another chronic feeling level? Is there an intention toward fear, anger, sadness that seems to continue to intervene. Notice all this as you chose happiness anyway. Are you going to let situations or others get in the way of your own happiness? Are you going to let your unconscious mind determine how you feel? Ask yourself, and choose happiness, all day long.