‘Shed light on the multiple ways of healing’

PRINCETON — Open Doors Community Counseling has teamed up with Arukah Institute of Healing to put on a mental health awareness event that will take place Friday, May 4, in the New Hope Church of the Nazarene in Princeton.

The event is free and open to all ages. Participants will be introduced to a number of creative expressions that have been used for healing purposes. The variety includes holistic cooking, rock balancing, yoga, music therapy, art exhibits, woodworking and drama.

The sessions begin at 6 p.m. and will be led by speakers and artists who will share personal stories of depression and anxiety and how the creative expressions helped overcome the emotions.

At 7:30 p.m., keynote speaker Jacob Moore, who is the founder of NOSTIGMAS.org, will wrap up the event as he shares his story of struggling with depression, anxiety, and job and relationship loss. He will tell how it impacted his life and ultimately led him to start up NOSTIGMAS.org, which is a global online peer support community.

When Open Doors Community Counseling began accepting patients last August, licensed professional counselor Mike Miroux discovered many of his patients were dealing with loneliness and feeling stigmatized for their mental health and physical needs.

“We really felt there was a need for an awareness event that would promote equality, connect people, and allow for creative ways of self-expression through sharing of strengths and talents,” he said.

That’s when a partnership with Arukah began, and together the two organizations developed this event with hopes that it gives people the freedom to find personal strengths to endure difficult life challenges.

Unlike traditional counseling where patients receive one-on-one therapy, Arukah offers relational and holistic mental health care. The institute, which was founded by Princeton native Sarah Scruggs, provides complementary strategies like yoga, gardening therapy and restorative groups that address healthy relationships, addictions, loneliness and grief.

“We approach mental health from the point of coming together and engaging in holistic-type therapies to journey with individuals long term,” Scruggs said.

Miroux said sharing personal stories and recognizing ways of how people have used self-expression to find hope and strength has been found to have a powerful impact.

“We want to shed some light on the multiple ways of healing that can take place,” he said.

Scruggs said the hope is that participants will feel empowered to find that creative expression they need to find peace, balance and patience.

The mental health event is being sponsored by Gateway Services Inc.