Start the Year Connected: January Member Meeting & Mental Health Updates

Hello Connection Members & Friends,

Photo of Sarah Bassing-Sutton

As we get ready to turn the page to a new year, January offers the perfect chance to embrace new possibilities and build momentum for the months ahead. I’m excited about the incredible collaborations happening across our community to improve mental health. We know it truly takes a village - perhaps now more than ever - and we’ve seen the impact when this village works together toward a common goal.

In the coming year, I look forward to enhancing what it means to be a member of the N.E.W. Mental Health Connection and to creating opportunities for Connection members, friends, and stakeholders to forge new relationships and strengthen existing ones. Together, we’ll navigate the rapidly changing landscape of funding uncertainty, equity considerations, and advocacy challenges. I’m especially eager to explore innovative ways to address the mental health workforce shortage and to leverage our data-rich community to support innovative solutions for the growing complexity of individual needs and service demands. This season is all about fresh starts, big dreams, and maybe even a few cozy moments to recharge. I hope you find time for all of these throughout 2026!

We hope that you can join us for our first member meeting of year on Jan. 8 either in person at 7:30 a.m. at Catalpa Health or virtually via Zoom at 11:30 a.m. I look forward to sharing key themes that emerged from recent member one-on-one conversations and how those insights are shaping our strategic focus for 2026. Roger's Behavioral Health will be our agency spotlight, and our Connected Fox Valley initiative will offer a preview of emerging community recommendations to strengthen social connection across the tri-county region.

P.S. A reminder that free and completely anonymous screening tools are available at the bottom of our MyConnectionNew.org website. Adults can access screenings powered by Aiberry, and youth screenings are available through Mental Health America. The holiday season and start of a new year can be challenging for many. If you or a loved one are struggling and not quite sure why, a screening tool can be a helpful first step.

Sarah Bassing-Sutton, Executive Director
The Connection

Join us for January Member Meeting!
Thurs., Jan. 8, 2026

Here is what is on the agenda:

Member insights: Themes from recent one-on-one Conversations
Strategic focus for 2026
Agency spotlight: Rogers Behavioral Health
Connected Fox Valley Update
- Key insights
- Recommendation themes
- Next Steps - the work moving forward
Member updates, Q&A, and closing

You have two options to attend our member meeting! Both meetings are living and offer the same agenda an content

In-Person Meeting:

We meet from 7:30 - 8:30 am. in the Community Room at Catalpa Health, 4635 W. College Ave., Appleton.

Virtual Meeting (via Zoom)

Join us on Zoom from 11:30 am - 12:30 pm

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85826229316
Meeting ID: 879 1137 2607
Passcode: 2468

Alternatives to Suicide (Alt2Su) Group meets Jan. 1

As the New Year begins, Alternatives to Suicide (Alt2Su) offers a welcoming, non-clinical, harm-reduction support group for people who have experienced suicidal thoughts or feelings, past or present, or who simply want to listen and be in community.

Offered by Ebb & Flow Connections Cooperative in partnership with Mental Health America of Wisconsin, the group provides a peer-to-peer, non-judgmental space with no pressure to share or to change how you feel.

The group meets on the first Thursday of the Month (including Jan. 1 - New Year's Day), from 6-7:30 pm at the Ebb & Flow / Community Living Room, 113 W. Harris St., Suite 1010, Appleton. No registration is required; sharing is optional. Learn more about the Alt2Su model at mhawisconsin.org/alt2su

Community Support Group: A Space for Connection & Belonging

Collaborative Wellness, of Oshkosh, is offering a free, ongoing support group focused on education, self-care, and building meaningful connections.

The group meets every Tuesday and Friday from 10-11:30 am and explores topics such as mental wellness, recovery management, and relationship-building.

Sessions are held at Collaborative Wellness, 502 E. New York Ave., Oshkosh.

Learn more at: www.collaborativewellnesswi.com
or call 920-659-6121.

Registration opens Jan. 4 for "We ❤️ You – Recovery in Our Community" Event

We Heart You: Recovery in Our Community returns for its third-annual community event Wed., March 4, 2026, for a free, full-day community event focused on hope, connection, and recovery at UW Oshkosh’s Culver Family Welcome Center.

Registration opens Jan. 4 and is required, as this event fills quickly. Mark your calendar and plan to register early to save your spot!

The event brings together national speakers, local voices, service providers, families, and people with lived experience.

Follow the event Facebook page for updates on registration.

FREE CEUs!

Don’t miss our next free CEU training! Join us on Jan. 16 for Ethics and Boundaries: Practicing Self-Care in an Era of Moral Distress, a timely and practical session designed to support your wellbeing as a helping professional. This training is free for all Connection members, but advance registration is required. Visit our CEU training page for details and registration. Check out the course flyer for a detailed description of the training.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Mental Health Action Partnership (MHAP) Updates:

Check out the latest updates by the Mental Health Action Partnership (MHAP), which is a statewide coalition working to improve access to mental health and substance use treatment in Wisconsin.

Behavioral health workforce policy: MHAP is tracking and engaging on state and federal policy actions that impact workforce recruitment, retention, and capacity across mental health and substance use services.

Projecting the professional degree status for counselors: Advocacy efforts are underway to protect federal student loan eligibility and professional degree status for counselors and other behavioral health professionals, recognizing student debt as a key workforce barrier.

Loan forgiveness developments: National conversations around student loan forgiveness continue to highlight its role in strengthening and stabilizing the behavioral health workforce.

Upcoming workgroup meeting: The MHAP Medicaid & Workforce Workgroup meets next on Jan. 21, from 3-4 pm via Zoom, continuing its focus on workforce and Medicaid-related barriers.

Click here for YouTube recordings of work group meeting and presentations.

To learn more, sign up for updates, or join a workgroup, visit: www.mhapwi.org

Mental Health Related News

AI-Induced Psychosis: A New Frontier in Mental Health (Psychiatric News)

The 7 types of rest and why we need them all (Harvard Health Publishing)

How cognitive behavioral therapy can help men (Harvard Health Publishing)

How systemic failures turn state mental hospitals into prisons (NPR).

Americans’ view on their mental health at record low, according to new poll (The Guardian)

Have Something to Share?

Have a mental health–related event, training, or announcement to share with our network? We’d love to hear about it. Please email Sarah Bassing-Sutton at sarah@newmentalhealthconnection.org for consideration in an upcoming newsletter.

N.E.W. MENTAL HEALTH CONNECTION

P.O. Box 374
Appleton, WI 54912
United States

sarah@newmentalhealthconnection.org ~ 920.454.7731

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