Hear from Community Experts in This Week’s Launch of “Life Interrupted: Navigating What’s Next”
Get tips and ask questions in this HONOLULU Magazine free mental health webinar from 1-2 p.m. Thursday, May 6.
The pandemic changed our community and our world dramatically in 2020. Now, our lives are shifting again as we figure out our best next steps. This opening session tackles the big picture: Thursday, May 6: “Changes for Home, Work, Community.” Click here to sign up.
We saw our world shift in so many ways: work from home, school at home; losing jobs or letting them take over our lives; missing many milestones while connecting in different and sometime more meaningful ways; seeing so much of some family members while missing others. Experts say the world and our part of it will continue to adapt in the coming months. How do we move forward safely and cautiously as we strive to recover some of what we lost and find a better path forward.
Please join these expert panelists as we get tips on how we can handle these next stages of our lives: at home, at work, in our community. We’ve learned a lot. Now, how do we come through the turmoil to find a balance that helps us live our lives better?
Mahalo to Dr. Jason Keifer, Brain Health Hawai‘i and the Kahala Clinic for partnering as presenting sponsor for this year’s edition. We kick off the series in May, Mental Health Month to help draw attention to the issues, nudge us toward solutions and resources available to help. And thank you to our silver sponsor: Hawai‘i Association of Independent Schools; and our community partners Mental Health America Hawai‘i and NAMI (National Alliance for Mental Illness) – Hawai‘i.
Sign up here for our first free virtual webinar, submit questions now at events@honolulumagazine.com or send them live on Thursday.
Our panel:
· 
Dan Chun has been the senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu since 1994. He received his M.A. from University of Southern California in Cinema Production, M.Div. and D.Min. degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary and a bachelor’s in communications from Lewis and Clark College. He and wife Pam founded Hawaiian Islands Ministries in 1983, training more than 75,000 church and nonprofit leaders in practical topics including mental health. They have three children and two dogs.
· Allana Wade Coffee is a licensed psychologist with a doctorate in educational psychology earned in 2004 and an additional four-year respecialization certificate in clinical psychology earned in 2012. Since 1995, she has worked in public and private education, community mental health, Kaiser Permanente and private practice serving adolescents, adults, couples, and parents. She also co-founded and manages a mental health group therapy practice: Honolulu Psychology Collective.
· Mestisa C. Gass, who holds a doctorate in psychology, is the Program Director for Mental Health America of Hawaii. She is a member of the Mental Health Task Force, the Statewide Suicide Prevention Task Force, Co-chair for the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention-Hawai‘i chapter, and an advisory board member for the Waipahu Aloha Clubhouse.
· Since 2018, Dr. Josephine Horita has been a child and adolescent psychiatrist with The Kahala Clinic for Children & Family. She completed her residency and fellowship at Tripler Army Medical Center, then served five years active duty before transferring to the Army Reserve. She is the Theatre Support Group Surgeon with the 9th Mission Command at Fort Shafter. She is married to Gene Horita with three lovely children.
· Kathleen Rhoads Merriam has been in the mental health field for 36 years and has worked in four states. She came to Hawai‘i in 2003 to assist with the development of Clubhouses psychosocial rehabilitation programs. She has held various positions with the state Adult Mental Health Division, and is now supervisor of the Windward Community Mental Health Center. She is active in suicide prevention, National Alliance for Mental Illness, National Association of Social Workers and Rotary.
Moderator: Robbie Dingeman is editor at large of HONOLULU Magazine, telling the stories of Hawai‘i. The award-winning journalist has worked in daily newspapers, television and magazines. Co-author of two books, she serves as co-artistic director of the Gridiron show, which raises money for internships for the Society of Professional Journalists.
