Written by Ben Cox – In a small office down a plain corridor in an unassuming building sits a modest man with a quiet voice who has been the calm in the storm for countless people. Jonathan Harvey helps manage the programs offered by Center For Life Resources, including their psychiatrist clinic, case management, and crisis respite.
As the Assistant Chief of Behavior Health, directing crisis services is a main focus of Harvey’s job, but as with everything he does, there is more.
Harvey is the Suicide Prevention Coordinator for the center, and provides training in suicide prevention to the centers employees as well as other community agencies. A liaison for Judge Ellis’s court, Harvey also assists with individuals who are unable to stand trial due to mental health issues.
Harvey wants Brownwood to know that the Center for Life Resources is simply there to help people in a time of need. Whether people are suffering from PTSD, depression, schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, anxiety issues, or “people are just dealing with crap in life and need support for the next three months” the center offers support to anyone who may need it, regardless of income.
“A lot of people are under pressure right now from all kinds of different things, whether it’s finances and jobs or families or whatever,” he said. “I think we all get really, really busy and we get focused in on our own things, and we don’t pay enough attention to the people around us that are hurting.”
Working for almost 10 years at the Center, Harvey says possible suicides can be spotted beforehand. “Nine times out of ten somebody gives off warning signs about suicide, if we take the time to listen and notice.”
Harvey says that the ways to prevent tragedies from happening, is to simply change our focus. “I think more of us need to listen to understand rather than listen to respond. If we listen to the meaning behind what somebody is saying, a lot of times people are telling us things if we just stop and pay attention.”
In 2017, of the 2667 calls to their hotline: 800-458-7788, over 1,200 calls resulted in a dispatched call, double the amount of dispatched calls in 2008 when hotline opened. A dispatched call is the result of a screening process that sends someone out to the person who called in, to either help them through it or get them the medical attention they need.
One thing the Center for Life Resources fights is the stigma that is attached to mental health. Harvey asks that when residents see someone they know walking into the building, instead of wondering to themselves why they need the services provided, that they consider taking a moment and reflecting on times they have needed help and possibly offering a prayer for that person.
In 1970, The Central Texas Mental Heath Mental Retardation Center (CTMHMR, now dba Center for Life Resources) was established after a long range planning by several community advocates, for the mentally challenged, i.e., Janie Clements, Reverand John Darden, and W. Lee Watson.
As an agency of the State, the Center has provided services in the counties of Brown, Eastland, Coleman, Comanche, San Saba, Mills, and McCulloch for individuals with mental illness, mental retardation, and substance abuse.
A 24-Hour Crisis Intervention Hotline: 800-458-7788 is available to the residents of the region and works cooperatively with local law enforcement agencies and hospitals.
The Center for Life Resources provides a myriad of services, from adult/child behavioral health, substance abuse services, peer support, autism and services for those with intellectual and developmental delays.
