Group sheds light on

Role-playing at CMHA’s North and West Vancouver Branch

NOT TOO many people are aware that mental illness is
Canada’s No. 1! health problem, affecting more people

than cancer and heart disease.

Two people who are aware of
that fact, however, are Marg Wit-
ty and Denise McGhie, both of
the Canadian Mental Health
Association (CMHA) North and
West Vancouver Branch.

Witty, the branch's resource
development coordinator, has
been working since October 1991
with volunteers on a project that
aims to educate the general public
about mental iliness through role
plays on sensitive issues.

The CMHA role plays last six
or seven minutes and deal with
topics such as divorce, genera-
tional conflict, racism, depression
and suicide.

At the end of each play, the
players remain in character and
answer questions from the au-
dience.

A resource information sheet is
handed out to audience members,
who may then seck help or infor-
mation if they are experiencing the
problems illustratect in the role
play.

McGhie brought the mental
health role-play concept to B.C.
after being trained in Ontario by
its originators, a group called the
Elmira Players, who developed the
concept in New York.

“I decided to bring it here
because i thought it was a really
valuable educational tool,’’
McGhie explains.

“= would like to see the role-

i illness

By Tina Gilbertson
Contributing Writer

captive audience; you don’t
always end up preaching to the
converted.

“You reach people who ure af-
fected by these problems and who
would benefit from looking at
them in this non-threatening en-
vironment.”’ .

Role-plays have been performed
for a number of agencies and
committees, as well as for CN, the
Independence 92 conference, a
government policy forum on Van-
couver Island, and recently for the
West Vancouver seniors’ fair
sponsured by Seniors Keeping
Young.

Despite the consistently positive
response role-plays receive from
audiences, core funding from the
government has not been available
for the program, and the role-
plays are done on a contractual
basis by volunteers from the
community.

“The dream is to be able to
take the role-players and our
presentation on tour thro. hout
the province, using the other 26
CMHA branches to reach out to
their communities,’? Witty says.

McGhie, who is the executive
director of the branch, is concern-

&& One in six Lower
Mainland residents
will will experience a
mental health
problem. 99

ed with what appears to be a
chronic lack of funding for the
programs offered by her branch.

She points out that one in six
Lower Mainland residents (16.5%
or 250,144 people) will experience
a mental health problem, and that
one in eight will actually be hospi-
talized.

“We're the only organization
on the North Shore that presently
provides rehabilitation programs
for adults with mental illness,’’
says McGhie. ‘‘We are in negotia-
tions with ihe Ministry (of Heaith)
to enhance our funding base.’”

Although the branch ran a cafe
out of the space adjoining their
offices in the Lucas Centre on
Hamilton Avenue in North Van-
couver successfully for six years,
serving 500 customers a week and
providing work for eight adults
with mental illness while making a
profit, that program has been
discontinued and their  self-
genevated revenue now comes
almost entirely from a thrift shop
on Mountain Highway in Lynn
Valley.

For more information about the
CMHAIA, cail 987-6959.

plays used in corporations, to
raise awareness and help educate
employecs about sensitive mental
health issues,’ says Witty. ‘‘The
advantage of reaching people in
the workplace is that they’re a

NEWS photo Cindy Goodman

MARG WITTY (left) and Denise McGhie in front of the Cancra
Club on East 13th Street in North Vancouver. Operated by the
CHUA, the facility provides a recreational space for aduits witn

mental or emotional iliness.

Shades of

For a warm and cozy fall, Daniadown offers our superb
ality quilts & pillows at savings of over 20%!

50% Down/
50% Feather Pillows

$430

$H 300

Reg.
Queen

Deluxe Fili
WHITE GOOSE DOWN
QUILTS

25 o2.
30 oz.

5175"
212

Twin
Double
Queen 3607. ‘247” '
| King 4207. *287°
¥ —fuli baffle construction
— made in B.C. for over
25 years :
~ JG year quality guarantee
—no-leak finished seams

_ RIVIERA 1"& 1/2"

Sugg. retall Mini Blinds

* Hundreds of colours
° Energy efficient
Offer enas Oct. 37/92

Snpectalizing in Blinds and Dianeries for over 7 years

Vancouver City Square, 12th & Cambie 874-3431 Coquitiom Coquitlam Centre 941-7770 1877 Marine Drive, Nan. 084. Aq 04
Richmond Richenond Centre 270-4919 — Burnab Eaton Cenire 435-3774 MOR *4-38915 Progress Way, Squamish 892-5857
Surrey Guildford | Town Centre 584-4662 Abbotsfo ‘ord Seven Oaks 855-9216 BE Whistler 932. 6617

Vancouver 3580 W. dist Ave. 266-5308 West Vancouver 845 Park Royal North 925-2510