Mental health was the third-quarter focus of the MTC Fit for Life program. A focus on this important topic produced a host of success stories, starting at Bay Correctional Facility in Florida, where a local pastor gave a presentation to staff about combatting stress, improving thinking, and increasing happiness. Brooklyn Job Corps Center used yoga to boost mental health and wellness. Staff and students learned to use yoga to create positive mental-defense mechanisms. 

The staff at IAH Detention Center in Texas use a space reserved for mental health and self-care. This area is called the “Zen Room,” It features activities to help staff de-stress and refresh their minds.

An activity at Bridgeport Correctional Center in Texas allowed staff to create coping mechanisms using a volcano. The staff made a “Ways to Avoid Erupting” volcano and wrote their methods on a paper cloud. 

At Lindsey State Jail in Texas, art was a mental health outlet. Residents participated in an art contest centered around the subject of mental health. 

At Bluebonnet Detention center in Texas, a Lunch and Learn activity allowed staff to connect in person and discuss mental health resiliency in a productive group setting. 

At Otero County Prison facility in New Mexico, a class on self-love and potential allowed residents to develop lasting positive mental health habits.  

Hope Transitional Treatment Center in Texas invited staff and residents to make serenity bracelets focusing on mental health and recovery. The bracelets serve as a lasting reminder of growth and potential.

  

Wilkinson County Correctional Facility in Mississippi allowed staff to use reading during their breaks as a method of self-care and relaxation. 

Finally, at corporate, weekly Mindful moments provided multiple opportunities for staff to learn mindfulness exercises from the Director of Behavioral Health Services, Dr. Lisa Peterson. Plus, therapist and podcast host David Kozlowski spoke to MTC staff about suicide prevention.