Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released a statement last week to bring attention to the public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of social connection.  “Lacking connection increases the risk for premature death to more than 60%. Put simply, this social disconnection increases the risk for premature death to the same levels as smoking up […]

April is Alcohol Awareness Month, and alcohol is the most used substance. According to SAMSHA, among people aged 12 or older in 2020, 58.7 percent used tobacco, alcohol, or an illicit drug in the past month, including 50.0 percent who drank alcohol, 18.7 percent who used a tobacco product, and 13.5 percent who used an […]

This month we are featuring our newest community partner, Fauquier County Parks and Recreation (FCPR). We are delighted to announce that we’ve teamed up with both Fauquier County Parks and Recreation and Town of Warrenton Parks and Recreation to offer a series of Wellness Walks throughout the month of May in celebration of Mental Health […]

School social workers are recognized and appreciated for the work they do for the children in our community. In honor of National School Social Work Week, which runs March 5-11, 2023, the Mental Health Association of Fauquier County baked cookies and paid a visit to both Rappahannock County Public Schools and Fauquier County Public Schools […]

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, and traumatic brain injury, also known as TBI, can affect how the brain functions and is a cause of death and even disability. Approximately 1.7 million people sustain a TBI each year. According to the CDC, there were more than 223,000 TBI-related hospitalizations in 2019, and 176 deaths in […]

The Mental Health Association of Fauquier County is celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month this May! From community presentations to walks designed for all ages, there are plenty of free events for Fauquier and Rappahannock county residents to participate in. We have teamed up with Fauquier County Parks & Recreation to offer the community several Wellness […]

The Mental Health Association of Fauquier County has a small but mighty team that works together to promote and facilitate mental wellness in Fauquier and Rappahannock counties. The outstanding efforts of the staff members are wide-ranging and all geared towards helping everyone in the community. Here’s a look at who works behind-the-scenes to help this […]

Support options exist to help individuals who have lost a loved one to substance use Grief can be all consuming; it can make days extremely difficult, especially for individuals who have lost someone to a substance use or suicide. The Virginia Department of Health reported in 2020 there were 9,901 emergency room visits due to […]

How one organization is training canines to help others. In 2015, Angela and Rob Fleury began training dogs as independent contractors. Once the pandemic hit, the canine training needs increased substantially, enough for the duo to open their own dog training business, K9 Caring Angels Dog Training. The business was named after the nonprofit K9 […]

February is a month that focuses on love, but it is also a month that focuses on eating disorders. National Eating Disorder Awareness Week runs Feb. 20-26. This is important because of the rise in eating disorders in our community and nationwide. Did you know that eating disorders cause approximately 10,000 deaths each year? That […]

A collaborative ministry celebrating common ground and making meaningful change. Common Threads, a collaborative ministry, was formed in April 2018, by the First Baptist Church and Saint James’ Episcopal Church. At its inception the group was created so both congregations can honor different faith traditions and celebrate “common threads” within the community. Its mission is […]

Cultivate optimism and increase positivity in yourself in the new year We all have one thing we can control in our lives … the way we think. Think of it as your own individual special skill set that allows you to change the negative into the positive. Daily, we are bombarded with negativity (on the […]

The nonprofit community store where all items are free Located on Falmouth Street in Warrenton, Hope Heals Community Free Store is a shop that provides clothing and shoes for anyone in the community who needs it. It is also a place of hope, of community support and a place filled with compassionate and caring individuals […]

Guiding individuals with grief during the holidays This is the “merry” season for some people, but the holiday season can be difficult for individuals who have suffered losses. Grief poses a challenge for both the person affected by it and their loved ones. The Mental Health Association of Fauquier County (MHAFC) team sat down with […]

Mental Health Association of Fauquier County extends its deepest well wishes to its fall intern Brittany Gorski, a senior at George Mason University, will be graduating this December with a degree in health administration and policy, with a concentration in health systems management. As an intern at the Mental Health Association of Fauquier County (MHAFC), […]

Many veterans, young and old, experience mental health issues but don’t reach out for help Veterans of all ages are at risk for mental health and substance use issues. The most common concerns are: depression, substance use, isolation (especially with older veterans), post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and suicide. Oftentimes they […]

The Mental Health Association of Fauquier County would like to thank all the sponsors and people who attended eRACEing the STIGMA, a fundraiser held at Great Meadow in The Plains on Friday, Oct. 21, 2022. This event was held under the tent on the grounds of Great Meadow, and the evening was picture-perfect for the […]

Moms In Motion And At Home Your Way navigate families through a complex system. Founded in 2009, Moms In Motion and At Home Your Way has provided over 26,000 individuals with services and resources in the state of Virginia. The organization offers individuals and families support by providing resources, information, engaging in advocacy through community- […]

As seen in Discover Fauquier, November 2022 For many people, the holiday season is full of joy and merriment. Yet, for others it is a source of deep-rooted grief, anxiety and even depression. Here are some tips on how you can approach the holiday season, if you are one who struggles, or how you can […]

November is National Family Caregivers Month. A caregiver is someone who helps tend to another person’s needs on a daily basis. For some, it is caring for an older relative, a child with special needs – physical or mental – an adult with special needs, or a spouse with a medical condition or mental health […]

Debbie Eisele joins the team as the Communications and Outreach Manager Mental Health Association of Fauquier County, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that serves both Fauquier and Rappahannock Counties, is pleased to announce it has hired Debbie Eisele as its new Communications and Outreach Manager. “We are so excited to welcome Debbie to the team. Her […]

The Mental Health Association of Fauquier County (MHAFC) was pleased to host Mental Health America (MHA) on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022. MHA, founded in 1909, is the nation’s leading community-based nonprofit dedicated to addressing the needs of individuals living with mental illness. MHA has over 200 affiliates, including the MHFC.  “The Mental Health Association was […]

MHAFC shared back-to-school wellness tips with Discover Fauquier in October 2022. If you or someone you know is struggling, remember to use our provider directory to see what help is available locally.

Serendipity Equine, an Amissville-based nonprofit organization, is dedicated to enriching “the lives of individuals” through its program offerings. The Mental Health Association of Fauquier County (MHAFC), a nonprofit serving Fauquier and Rappahannock Counties, met with Jess Lanham, Executive Director of Serendipity Equine, to learn more about its services. Serendipity Equine opened in 2020 and offers […]

The National Depression Awareness and Education Month is October. Individuals can learn the signs, symptoms and available screening tools available for depression. This mental health concern is not just about “feeling blue” for a day or two. The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the […]

The recent U.S. Surgeon General’s advisory on the current crisis of youth mental health (The Washington Post, December 7) is wake-up call to our community. For us at the Mental Health Association of Fauquier County, it underscores the decline in overall mental wellness we have been seeing in Fauquier and Rappahannock counties since before the […]

Addiction thrives in privacy, it’s said. So as everything began to shut down in March 2020, and isolation became a way of life during the pandemic, people in the treatment world saw trouble ahead. Recovery in normal times is hard enough. Recovery alone is rife with peril. By Fauquier Times → Read the full article […]

The new Executive Director of the Fauquier County Mental Health Association Renee Norden works to educate and destigmatize mental illness. By Warrenton Lifestyle → Read the full article at Warrenton Lifestyle

At 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25, the health committee of the Fauquier County Branch of the NAACP will sponsor a Facebook Live event, Health Equity Forum, in partnership with the Mental Health Association of Fauquier County. By Fauquier Times → Read the full article at Fauquier Times

Rappahannock Rapidan Community Services and the Mental Health Association of Fauquier County are co-sponsoring two upcoming virtual training sessions. Both are free and open to the Rappahannock County community. By Rappahannock News → Read the full article at Rappahannock News

Sallie Morgan is Rappahannock News Citizen of the Year 2020 Every community has unsung heroes, Nancy and Dick Raines point out, tireless people who “quietly do the behind-the-scenes work,” yet aren’t hesitant when needs arise to “stand up on the stage.” “It’s rare that one person embodies both: tireless behind-the-scenes worker and inspirational public person,” […]

As Renee Norden looks forward to taking on the executive director position at the Mental Health Association of Fauquier County this month, she reflects on the various experiences that led her here. Raised on a farm in northern Culpeper, Renee got involved with Outward Bound in high school. By Discover Fauquier → Read the full […]

Read the findings of the 2020 Community Health Needs Assessment for Fauquier & Rappahannock Counties. → Read the findings here

When Sallie Morgan came to the northern Piedmont in her mid-20s, she joined the Rappahannock-Rapidan Community Services Board (RRCSB) to launch the area’s first agency on aging. During her 35-year career, she supervised a variety of clinical health programs, gaining extensive experience with both short and long-term collaborative planning efforts. By Discover Fauquier → Read […]

The Mental Health Association that serves Fauquier and Rappahannock counties has announced that Sallie Morgan will be retiring as executive director of the organization effective Nov. 1, and that Warrenton native Renee Norden will assume the executive leadership role going forward. Norden is a mental health professional with more than 25 years’ experience working both […]

The Mental Health Association of Fauquier County has selected Renee Norden of Warrenton as its next executive director, effective Nov. 1. Ms. Norden will succeed Sallie Morgan, retiring after managing the association, which also serves Rappahannock County, since 2011. Article by Fauquier Now → Read the full article at Fauquier Now

Sallie Morgan: Executive Director, Mental Health Association of Fauquier/Rappahannock, long-time board chair, Aging Together, member, PATH Foundation Social Responsibility Committee, board member, Rappahannock Association for Arts and the Community (RAAC) and chair of its Theatre Group, helped establish and manage RAAC’s “Soup and Soul” and “No Ordinary Person” events; former board member, Free Clinic, former program director, Rappahannock-Rapidan Community Services and founder, […]

For individuals in addiction recovery, maintaining contact with sources of support can be essential, says the Mental Health Association of Fauquier County, which also serves Rappahannock resident. The current social distancing protocols have made the usual means of group and individual support challenging. By Mental Health Association of Fauquier County Rappahannock News → Read the […]

Pandemic’s social and financial impact weighs heavily on county as lockdown extends beyond two months. By necessity, doctors and therapists have had to switch to telehealth to treat patients during the COVID-19 lockdown. But it’s looking more and more likely that “distance medicine” is here to stay. That’s certainly how Jim LaGraffe sees it. By […]

At 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20, Deborah Panagos had just gotten off the phone with a student who was worried about their school schedule for next year. A social worker who splits her time between Cedar Lee Middle School and Liberty High School, Panagos said it’s a conversation she has often. By Robin Earl, […]

‘More than anything, people just want to talk’ President Donald Trump has extended the stay-at-home and social distancing recommendations through the end of April, but that’s only a best case scenario. Fuzziness about the future can only intensify one of the pandemic’s more insidious ripple effects — the impact on the mental health of Rappahannock […]

Sallie Morgan will retire from the Mental Health Association of Fauquier County at the end of 2020 after almost ten years as its executive director, said a March 26 press release signed by MHAFC president Tony Hooper. The organization has begun a search for a new executive director. By Coy Ferrell, Times Staff Writer Fauquier […]

Suicide prevention specialist returns to Rapp to educate students — and parents — about positive outreach. It was in February that Rappahannock County Public Schools announced the findings of its 2019 PRIDE Survey, which revealed in part that 1 in 3 students in grades 7 through 12 — 35 percent of Rappahannock students canvassed — […]

The Health Ministry of Grace Episcopal Church in The Plains will host Margaret Rowe, Pharm. D, from Remington Drug Company for a “Blue Bag” event on Saturday, Feb. 29, from 9 a.m. to noon. This is a free event, but appointments are required. By Staff Reports Fauquier Times

35 percent of Rapp students surveyed are ‘struggling with depression’ Rather than dwelling on negativity when it comes to any substance abuse among Rappahannock County Public Schools students, those administering 2019’s RCPS PRIDE Survey announced their findings in this optimistic way By John McCaslin Rappahannock News → Read the full article at Rappahannock News

There are many reasons to try to understand at what age – and how often — local students are using drugs and alcohol. For Sallie Morgan, executive director of the Mental Health Association of Fauquier County, one of the most important reasons is the effect early behavior has on the likelihood of future addiction. By […]

The Mental Health Association of Fauquier County and Grace Episcopal Church in The Plains are co-hosting a forum on mental health and wellness at Grace Episcopal Church on Monday, Nov. 11, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. By Robin Earl, Times Staff Writer Fauquier Times → Read the full article at Fauquier Times

Interview with Salie Morgan. Prevention strategies include education and early intervention By Randy Rieland Fauquier Times → Read the full article at Fauquier Times

Fifty years ago, war was declared on drugs. President Richard Nixon described drug abuse as “public enemy No. 1.” Money was allocated for treatment programs, and a new federal bureaucracy, the Drug Enforcement Administration, was created. The foot soldiers were state and local cops doing battle one bust at a time. By Randy Rieland, For […]

Finding the right treatment for opioid addiction can be daunting. Not only are there multiple options, but their effectiveness can vary from person to person. One big challenge is how to start your search.  Some options include the Rappahannock-Rapidan Community Services Board Crisis Line (540-825-5656), the Mental Health Association of Fauquier County (540) 341-8732) and […]

Virginia’s Piedmont has no shortage of help for opioid addicts and their families. Here is a sampling of available resources. Some require payment; some are free. Some are local resources, some national. Fauquier Times → Read the full article at Fauquier Times

Marking the 20th anniversary of its parent company, Fauquier Health this week contributed $2,000 to the Mental Health Association of Fauquier County. Tennessee-based LifePoint Health, which owns the local hospital and affiliated businesses, made contributions of the same amount to causes in each of the 89 communities it serves nationwide. Fauquier Now → Read the […]

School, mental health, court, government, law enforcement and other professionals huddled this past week at the Little Washington Theatre at the urging of the Rappahannock County Juvenile Court to learn about “Trauma Informed Care” for children and adults. It’s ‘not what’s wrong with the child, but what happened to the child’ School, mental health, court, […]

Advocating for high-quality and accessible mental health services in Fauquier and Rappahannock Counties. Sallie Morgan, Executive Director of Fauquier County Mental Health Association, thinks of her organization as a catalyst for positive change. And what has happened since its inception has been an explosion of good for our community. While the MHA doesn’t provide mental […]

The average length of time between the onset of symptoms for a mental health condition and actually receiving treatment is 10 years. In any given year, only twenty percent of children with a diagnosable mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder receive treatment. Almost one-third of all adolescents ages 13 to 18 will experience an anxiety disorder […]

Some teens secretly get away with using a highly-addictive drug in Fauquier public and private schools. “Students would do it (vape) in class and not get caught,” Eireann Maybach, 16, said Monday, recalling her freshman year at Fauquier High. “You would go into the bathrooms and there would be five people doing it in one […]

Children’s mental health will be the focus of a “Topic Tuesdays” discussion at Fauquier High School’s Falcon Room tomorrow, March 19, from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. The public is invited. By Karen Chaffraix, Times Staff Writer Fauquier Times → Read the full article at Fauquier Times

Despite a broad community campaign to battle the epidemic, drug overdose deaths in Fauquier spiked again last year — to 20, according to local law enforcement agencies. After a record 22 overdose fatalities in 2016, the county death toll dropped to nine in 2017. By Lawrence Emerson, Editor Fauquier Now → Read the full article […]

Rappahannock County has virtually no masters level mental health clinicians who specialize in children’s mental health and will bill Medicaid. While some services are available in Culpeper and Warrenton, studies show that there is an inverse relationship between the need to travel for mental health services, and the likelihood that a child actually secures and […]

As expected, Fauquier’s board of supervisors Thursday gave the go-ahead to a proposed residential addiction recovery center just north of Warrenton. After a 40-minute public hearing, the board unanimously approved the PATH Foundation’s special exception permit application to establish the 24-bed, “private-pay” Herren Wellness Retreat at Twin Oaks on 50 acres off James Madison Highway […]

On Nov. 3, an integral part of Fauquier County’s mental health system was recognized by the Fauquier Chamber of Commerce as Nonprofit of the Year.  By John Hagarty, Contributing Writer Fauquier Times → Read the full article at Fauquier Times

Clearing the first of two important hurdles Thursday night, the PATH Foundation won the support of Fauquier’s planning commission to establish a residential addiction recovery center north of Warrenton. By Don Del Rosso, Staff Journalist Fauquier Now → Read the full article at Fauquier Now

Warrenton attorney Marie Washington was named “Business Person of the Year for 2018,” while other organizations were recognized with honors Saturday during the Fauquier Chamber of Commerce Gala and Annual Meeting. By Anita Sherman, Community Editor Fauquier Times → Read the full article at Fauquier Times

Some 15 teachers sat in little chairs at little tables in the Claude Thompson Elementary School library in Marshall recently for a meeting with Fauquier County schools senior administrators Major Warner and Amy Acor. The two had come to distribute purple lanyards, pins and stickers that say: “I Am Certified in YOUTH Mental Health First […]

When several Fauquier teachers received purple lanyards last week certifying they had completed a Mental Health First Aid course, it marked a quiet, proactive effort by the county to tackle the problem of mental illness, a reality of modern life broadly acknowledged to be at the root of gun violence, drug addiction and other evils. […]

Fauquier County is moving ahead with efforts to provide space for a residential-treatment center for people recovering from addiction. By James Ivancic, Times Staff Writer Fauquier Times → Read the full article at Fauquier Times