L-R: Rev. Angela William Gorell; Dr. Melissa Hofstetter; Sister Chilee Okoko, DMMM; Very Rev. Rafael Partida, EV; and Sister Angela U. Ekwonye, DMMM
By Sr. Chilee Okoko, DMMM
The Diocese presented its Behavioral Health Conference on May 17 at the Diocesan Pastoral Center. The conference is offered by the Department of Life, Dignity and Justice, which alternates each year between the Behavioral Health Conference and a Life, Dignity and Justice Conference. The first Behavioral Health Conference was held in 2015, and this year was the first time since COVID-19 that it was held in person.
The goal of the conference is to raise awareness and to provide education and information on the challenges of mental and behavioral health. This year’s theme was “Resilience. Finding Calm Amidst the Storm.” The conference organizers invited many government and non-governmental agencies and organizations within San Bernardino and Riverside counties to attend as vendors, to share and provide resources to the people of our Diocese.
The conference was attended by approximately 200 participants and 18 vendors, including the San Bernardino County Department of Behavioral Health, Riverside County Department of Behavioral Health, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) San Bernardino, Riverside University Health Department of Behavioral Health, Catholic Charities, Safe Harbor, RAND, Inland Empire Health Plan (IEHP), the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) and several others.
The first keynote address with the topic “Resilience. Finding Calm Amidst the Storm” was delivered by Sister Angela U. Ekwonye, DMMM, Ph.D. She educated and informed the participants on the definition of resilience, the resiliency process and how individuals can develop and nurture resilience.
Her keynote was followed by two morning session workshops. The first was titled “Addressing the Prevalent Mental and Emotional Health Challenges in Society and Resources Available in the Region to Address Them,” presented by Dr. Matthew Chang, Director of Riverside University Health System’s Department of Behavioral Health. Dr. Chang educated the conference attendees on the causes and factors exacerbating many of the prevalent mental health challenges in society. He provided information on how the department of Behavioral Health is responding to these challenges and the available resources for people that Riverside County offers. The second workshop was titled “The Impact of Social Media on Relational and Behavioral Aptitude of People in Present-Day Society,” presented by Rev. Angela Williams Gorrell, Ph.D.
During the afternoon session, there were two more workshops: “Quiet Quitting: Post-Pandemic Motivational Fatigue and Challenging Interpersonal Dynamics That May Contribute to Burnout in Ministry,” presented by Dr. Melissa Hofstetter, and “Rising From the Deep. Managing Post-COVID-19 Mental and Emotional Health Challenges,” presented by Williams Gorrell. The second keynote address, “Christian Spirituality and the Anxiety Associated With Everyday Life” was presented by Very Rev. Rafael Partida, Episcopal Vicar of the Riverside Pastoral Region. In his presentation, he spoke extensively about types of anxieties and fears and how faith and complete trust in the power of the crucified Jesus could help address these fears. All the conference presenters returned to the the idea that spirituality and relationship with God has a strong correlation with resiliency and positive outcome even amid strong adversity.
After all the presentations, all the conference speakers formed a panel to answer questions from participants on all the topics covered during the conference. There were questions on mental health, generally, and some questions specific to resiliency process. Just like the day started with a prayer led by Father David Fitzgerald and the Diocesan Office of Worship, the conference ended with a special prayer led by Father Arinze Michael Ezeoke, Parochial Vicar at The Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Redlands.
Sister Chilee Okoko, DMMM, is the Director of the Office of Life, Dignity and Justice.