Dolton resident Angela Russell announces free weekly mental-health workshops at resource hub

Angela Russell, a Dolton resident and mental-health specialist with the Envision Unlimited Cultural Faith-Based Empowerment Program, told the village meeting she will offer free mental-health education workshops at the new resource hub next to Village Hall.

"They are free. You don't have to register," Russell said, announcing the workshops will run on Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon and that flyers are available at the meeting and on the resource table. She said the program is grant-funded and open to community members "no matter where you are."

The workshops are described as educational and therapeutic conversations rather than therapy; Russell said some team members are therapists but the sessions are intended to teach coping skills and how to recognize signs of distress in oneself and others. She listed planned session themes that include processing invisible burdens, trust and betrayal, recognizing stress and anxiety, affirming dignity beyond productivity, and exercises in symbolic release and joy.

Russell also outlined Mental Health First Aid training the program is offering. She said those classes follow a national curriculum, will be two-day sessions offered in March at Flossmoor Community Church from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on both days, require registration, and award 7.5 continuing-education credits plus a three-year adult Mental Health First Aider certification. "It doesn't teach you how to be a therapist, but it teaches you how to listen nonjudgmentally," she said.

The program's grant covers course costs for clergy and faith leaders, Russell said; other participants pay $50 to cover the workbook and seats, which she contrasted with the course's stated market value of $170. She provided a phone number for follow-up, (773) 580-2394, and read an email address during her remarks.

Russell said the team is four people and that they plan to evaluate turnout; if demand warrants, they may add Saturday workshops while continuing Monday sessions. She closed by disclosing her own experience with generalized anxiety disorder and a panic attack two years earlier as an explanation of why the outreach matters and encouraged residents to attend and bring others.

The village meeting record shows Russell's presentation and contact details; the workshop schedule in the transcript includes mixed references to March and to dates spoken as "May 2" and "May 9," which are inconsistent in the recording. The program advised checking the flyers or contacting Russell for confirmation of specific session dates and registration details.