ECHOflex: Supporting Mental Wellness in Mesa County
Project 1.27's ECHOflex program is a supportive resiliency and mental wellness program for foster, kinship, and adoptive families. ECHOflex launched as the world was just starting to find ways to put the pieces back together after COVID lockdowns. Families were stressed. Kids were stressed. Communities were stressed.
One Project 1.27 family shared their story of "ER hopping," when they found themselves in crisis after months of advocating for help and resources for one of the kids. The family spent a rough night visiting one ER, then another ER, and then another, eventually ending up back home feeling even more hopeless and traumatized than when they started. The family shared what many families caring for children in foster care experience as they navigate broken systems that can feel hopeless and overwhelming. With youth between the ages of 10-19 the largest population seen in Mesa County emergency rooms for suicidal thoughts and attempts (Mesa County Suicide Report 2020 & 2021) and supports difficult to find and navigate, the ECHOflex program (currently offered in Mesa County only) focuses on supporting families in building mental wellness skills, developing healthy relationships and navigating the mental health system.
Now in its second year, ECHOflex is having a positive impact. ECHOflex director, Sharon Bouse-Ferry shares, "ECHOflex is more than an 8-week training. It's an invitation to connect with people inside and outside your home while building resiliency. And it's fun! It's fun to talk about mental health. One of our highest priorities for this program was that it was fun and something kids and families would want to participate in."
A huge piece of suicide prevention is connection and belonging. A middle school who participated in the first ECHOflex series, shared, “It was nice to see other kids on the screen and hear that they were going through the same stuff I was”. ECHOflex isn't a crisis program; it's a preventative wellness and resiliency program that focuses on eight key components (called anchors) to mental wellness while strengthening relationships in and outside the home.
The 8 anchors to mental health are covered over the 8-week series. These anchors help provide a framework for families as they navigate the journey to mental wellness: Good Nutrition, Internal Self-Regulation, Stress Relief, Social Interaction, Good Sleep, Kindness, Physical Activity, and Spirituality.
Click here to learn more about the 8 Anchors
Families sign up for an 8-week series, choosing a virtual or in-person option, and are provided meals, activities, and opportunities for fun and meaningful connections. Staff and volunteers guide families through activities and discussions to help build resilience and mental wellness. We often have Supervised nursing students and Foster Alumni help to facilitate the groups.
Project 1.27 hopes to grow the ECHOflex program into more counties.
Three ways you can pray for ECHOflex:
1. Pray that families and kids participating in ECHOflex find hope and connection.
2. Pray that increased funding would sustain the need for staff in Mesa County and will help expand the program to other counties.
3. Pray for volunteers and donors to help provide meals, activity kits, and gift cards for ECHOflex families.
One Project 1.27 family shared their story of "ER hopping," when they found themselves in crisis after months of advocating for help and resources for one of the kids. The family spent a rough night visiting one ER, then another ER, and then another, eventually ending up back home feeling even more hopeless and traumatized than when they started. The family shared what many families caring for children in foster care experience as they navigate broken systems that can feel hopeless and overwhelming. With youth between the ages of 10-19 the largest population seen in Mesa County emergency rooms for suicidal thoughts and attempts (Mesa County Suicide Report 2020 & 2021) and supports difficult to find and navigate, the ECHOflex program (currently offered in Mesa County only) focuses on supporting families in building mental wellness skills, developing healthy relationships and navigating the mental health system.
Now in its second year, ECHOflex is having a positive impact. ECHOflex director, Sharon Bouse-Ferry shares, "ECHOflex is more than an 8-week training. It's an invitation to connect with people inside and outside your home while building resiliency. And it's fun! It's fun to talk about mental health. One of our highest priorities for this program was that it was fun and something kids and families would want to participate in."
A huge piece of suicide prevention is connection and belonging. A middle school who participated in the first ECHOflex series, shared, “It was nice to see other kids on the screen and hear that they were going through the same stuff I was”. ECHOflex isn't a crisis program; it's a preventative wellness and resiliency program that focuses on eight key components (called anchors) to mental wellness while strengthening relationships in and outside the home.
The 8 anchors to mental health are covered over the 8-week series. These anchors help provide a framework for families as they navigate the journey to mental wellness: Good Nutrition, Internal Self-Regulation, Stress Relief, Social Interaction, Good Sleep, Kindness, Physical Activity, and Spirituality.
Click here to learn more about the 8 Anchors
Families sign up for an 8-week series, choosing a virtual or in-person option, and are provided meals, activities, and opportunities for fun and meaningful connections. Staff and volunteers guide families through activities and discussions to help build resilience and mental wellness. We often have Supervised nursing students and Foster Alumni help to facilitate the groups.
Project 1.27 hopes to grow the ECHOflex program into more counties.
Three ways you can pray for ECHOflex:
1. Pray that families and kids participating in ECHOflex find hope and connection.
2. Pray that increased funding would sustain the need for staff in Mesa County and will help expand the program to other counties.
3. Pray for volunteers and donors to help provide meals, activity kits, and gift cards for ECHOflex families.
