Barbara Doyle provides insight into mental health for local community at RLC

INA, Ill. (Aug. 14, 2014) - Barbara T. Doyle, Clinical Consultant, spent two days on the Rend Lake College Ina campus last week speaking to more than 80 community members, college faculty and staff about promoting the mental health of children and adults with disabilities. During her workshops, attendees learned about the vast range of mental health topics, all while earning continuing education credits.

Barbara Doyle

Doyle said the two workshops are important because of the educational materials she provides to help bring mental health for people with disabilities to the forefront. In feedback from participants at RLC and elsewhere, Doyle says the material she covers isn’t often covered anywhere else, and she’d like to see that change.

“We covered the topics of mental health and communication - the two are incredibly interwoven - during the workshops,” said Doyle. “The ability to communicate effectively is extremely important when it comes to mentally healthy thinking. Right now, I’m looking for an opportunity to create online, short, targeted classes that students in any grade level can take as credit for a class or as a project.”

She further explained, “I want to focus on making everywhere more inclusive for people with disabilities, including the college setting. Now that I know my attendees aren’t finding this material anywhere else, I want to capture it to make it more accessible. It’s a goal I’ve set for the rest of my life, to try to make the world a more inclusive place. People with disabilities are fully human and the disability does not diminish them. Everyone should be equally valued.”

Doyle spoke with more than 80 attendees at her "Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives" workshop Friday afternoon at RLC, focusing on the mental health and communication of people with disabilities. Click on the image for a larger view.
(ReAnne Palmer / RLC Public Information)

The Friday seminar, called "Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives," specifically promoted mental health in children and adults with autism, intellectual or developmental disabilities, and other special needs. RLC Psychology Professor Jeannie Mitchell was in attendance Friday and said the workshop was “a wealth of information presented in a way that was easy to understand.”

Cindy Corn, RLC Health and Physical Education Professor and Women’s Golf Coach, added, “I don’t have much background in mental health and that’s why I attended the workshop Friday. I took several notes and plan on applying the techniques in some of my classes this year. I’m very glad I went.”

Lori Ragland, Dean of Community and Corporate Education, helped organize the workshops and bring Doyle to the RLC campus. She said the two classes fell right in line with college goals of providing services to the community.

“It is our intent to provide additional continuing education workshops that relate to a variety of professions,” said Ragland. “It was a great experience for such a diverse group of attendees to come together and enhance their understanding of this predominant topic.”

During one of many breakout sessions, group members came together to answer questions about communication skills and how that relates to mental health. Doyle discussed the outcomes of each group during her session "Healthy Minds, Healthy Lives" Friday morning. Click on the image for a larger view.
(ReAnne Palmer / RLC Public Information)

Doyle also presented a workshop Thursday evening titled, "Becoming an Instrument of Change," in which she educated attendees on how to become better communicators with those who have disabilities.

“I thought my experience at Rend Lake College was so positive and I was so pleased to have college instructors in my class alongside parents, professionals, and others,” said Doyle. “I thought it was a good representation of the community. I want to say good job to Rend Lake College for making the workshops accessible and economical in bringing the community together.”

Kim Robert, Dean of Allied Health, said she’s very happy with the turnout and the workshops last week, and she hopes the educational information is something RLC faculty and staff can utilize in their classrooms this fall.

“Barbara Doyle did an excellent job of bringing this unique material onto our campus and into our classrooms,” said Robert. “It was really good information that gave us a lot to think about when it comes to students with disabilities in our classrooms. I think everyone who attended will have a different outlook in the future.”

To learn more about Doyle, visit her website at www.barbaradoyle.com or email her at barbaratdoyle@gmail.com.