CAREY'S CORNER CONTINUED Heading to Washington D.C. My work as emcee at the Champions Luncheon led to an invitation to accompany a group of Arizona thought leaders and policymakers, led by Resilient Health, to Washington D.C. this month. The National Council for Behavioral Health is having what’s called “Hill Day,” and the goal is to talk about forward-thinking solutions to these complex problems. “Resilient Health’s innovative approach has resonated with leadership at the federal level and new partnerships are being forged to further develop this,” the group’s CEO Larry Villano told me. According to Villano, Resilient Health is the nation’s first resiliency-building health care company to combat the rising rates of mental illness, addiction and suicide. “We are consulting with experts in neuroscience and trauma,” Villano said. “The purpose is to deliver a resiliency-building experience based on our ‘5 pillars’ that rewire the brain.” They define the five pillars as emotional regulation, relational wealth (a measure of how well a person is connected to others), sense of achievement, meaning and purpose in life, and health literacy. Part of this includes innovative treatments like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) as well as intensive art therapy. Art is a big part of what they do. Resilient Health is working to transform a 5,000-square-foot warehouse in downtown Phoenix into a central space for working artists and therapeutic modalities. All of this will be talked about with national leaders in D.C., including representatives from the National Endowment for the Arts. For my part, I’ve been asked to travel with this group to present ideas as a journalist and content creator who cares about the mental health mission. How do we open diverse discussions that lead to better outcomes? How can we collectively help more people get well? It’s time to take on the monsters of mental illness and addiction in a new way. Follow along with Carey’s reporting at inspiredmedia360.com . Carey Peña CONTRIBUTING WRITER @CareyPenaTV With 18 locations in Arizona, Resilient Health is helping children, adults and families learn resilience-building skills. 18 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | SEPTEMBER 2019

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