For more than 45 years, the Transitional Mental Health Association has provided professional support and support for individuals transitioning back into the community with mental health disorders.
Started in San Luis Obispo County in 1979, the initial emergency care and case management efforts expanded in the mid-1980s to offer clients employment options, including working in local gardening supply stores, large-scale nurseries and retail customer service.
Anna Wiens, program manager for Growth Grounds Enterprises, spoke about the impact of the special services offered to Transitional Mental Health Alliance clients at a farm near the Santa Maria Airport.
Contributed by Sergio Ruiz
“This is a place where people who are trying to either get back on their feet, or enter the workforce for the first time, can come and get part-time work,” said Sterling Snow, program supervisor for Land Development. “We work with them, and we meet them everywhere in their mental health journey.”
Because the farm, and many of the services offered by THMA, were created during a transition period for mental health treatment in California, the agency is at the forefront of developing state standards and combating the social stigma of mental illness and treatment, Wiens said.
“In the early ’80s, people were coming out of mental institutions and state hospitals, that’s how psychiatry was treated 40 years ago,” Wiens said. “These individuals need opportunities to reintegrate into society.
TEMA developed a way to help people get back into work through employment at local farms and retail stores, combining both therapeutic horticulture and vocational education.
The Growing Earth Farm in Santa Maria, a program of the Transition-Mental Health Community, is a unique local source for pesticide-free produce, flowers, and fruit or vegetable plants.
Contributed by Sergio Ruiz
Each year, according to Wiens, Growing Plains provides services to 135 individuals, with 89% experiencing zero visits to a mental health facility and a zero percent recidivism rate among participants referred by the SLO County Behavioral Health Court.
According to a survey of TEMA clients, 91% have increased their home stability and 83% of clients say they are more optimistic about the future and feel more purpose and meaning in life.
Industry studies have also shown that employment has a positive impact on mental health and well-being for people with serious mental disorders. Working in transitional employers improves participants’ self-esteem, symptom control, quality of life, social relationships, and community integration without harmful side effects.
“Not only do the growing grounds offer a place for people to start, but we provide a community for people,” Wiens said. “You’ll see as you walk around, people working alongside each other, people laughing, people having a good time.”
She added that a positive work experience is even more effective for their clients, because mental illness can be such a isolating illness.
Work in the fields of growth, and treatment services are offered through grants, professional partnerships with local farms and businesses, and sales at their local locations.
Plant sales in Santa Maria are available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the farm stand is open until 3 p.m. on Thursdays. Follow their Facebook page, see updates on what’s available for purchase and find out more about events and promotions.
This column was produced in partnership with the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce. Watch the remarkable video, and learn more about the work of the Chamber for Business and Economic Growth in the Santa Maria Valley at their website at www.santamaria.com.
