Pebble Beach >> AIM for Mental Health, an organization that devotes itself to the mental health of children, teens and young adults will hold its annual gala next month to raise funds for clinical research to find better treatments and cures, while raising awareness about the issue.
The local nonprofit will host its fourth annual AIM for the Cures gala at the Parc du Concours at the Equestrian Center in Pebble Beach Aug. 17 from 5 to 9 p.m. during Classic Car Week. Tickets and sponsorships start at $500.
“Exactly three years ago we had our first fund-raising gala,” said Susan Stilwell, co-founder of AIM. “We put it together in eight weeks and raised $250,000.”
At this year’s event, “Saturday Night Live” alum and best-selling author Darrell Hammond will emcee and perform at the gala, which has raised over $1 million since its inaugural event in 2014.
In June 2014, Stilwell formed AIM with two of her children. The organization became a charitable campaign under the fiscal sponsorship of the International Mental Health Research Organization now called One Mind Institute, until AIM received its own nonprofit status in 2016.
Stilwell’s personal thread to the cause she currently champions is connected to her mother, who battled anxiety when Stilwell was a young girl growing up in Carmel.
“What she went through in the 60s, 70s and 80s, … there just were no good answers,” said Stilwell. “Even today, with anxiety, there are some treatments — some better than others — but still no cures. I thought it was odd that with all the charities, there was nothing focusing on mental health or brain research.”
Stilwell’s organization works to build a movement to fund clinical research that seeks solutions for mental health disorders in youth that includes ADHD, anxiety, depression, mood disorders, schizophrenia, Tourette’s syndrome and autism spectrum disorders.
It is guided by a scientific advisory board made up of top clinical pediatric doctors and researchers from around the nation and the U.K. AIM’s board of directors works with the advisory board to determine what cutting-edge research to fund, and is not disorder or institution specific.
Yale School of Medicine, Oxford University, Hofstra Northwell, Emory, UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco, Stanford, University of Washington, UCLA, USC, and Harvard are represented on the advisory board.
“It’s all about doing something now for kids,” said Stilwell. “We don’t want to be focused on the macro.”
Stilwell said AIM for Mental Health is more committed than ever to finding successful treatments and cures for mental health disorders in children and young adults.
And it aims to expand its message to other communities starting with Southern California, where the first AIM for Awareness University Rally at USC attracted over 500 people in support of youth mental health earlier this year.
After the gala in Pebble Beach, AIM will host its annual walk and rally at Lovers Point in Pacific Grove in October to raise awareness locally.
Read the original article in full on montereyherald.com.
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Dr. Guss is a 35-year veteran educator with a doctorate degree in Educational Leadership. She served as a classroom teacher for 10 years, including two years as a teacher in a bilingual program in South Central Los Angeles. She has also served as a college professor, mentor teacher for new teachers, and a master teacher for teacher candidates completing their student teaching experience. She continues to be a strong advocate for the teaching profession.
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Michael G. Thompson, Ph.D. is a consultant, author and psychologist specializing in children and families. He is the supervising psychologist for the Belmont Hill School and has worked in more than seven hundred schools across the United States, as well as in international schools in Central America, Europe, Africa and Asia.
is 15 years old and a sophomore at Marina High School in Marina, CA. Her academic interests include math, history, and psychology. She joined the AIM Ideas Lab in 2021 because she wanted to be a part of something that could have a great impact on her community. Marwa is interested in youth mental health because she has always been fascinated with the human mind and she wants to support those that are suffering who may feel like their challenges in life aren’t important enough or are too afraid to seek necessary help.
Giovanna Panetta is a 16 year old junior at Carmel High School. She has always been called to STEM subjects, specifically biology. The AIM Ideas Lab instantly attracted her attention as a research opportunity. Gia has always comprehended the importance of mental health. She knows that COVID only exacerbated previously existing problems, and that as a community we can try and find the root of those problems. Mental health is an integral part of life, and can impede a body’s ability to be healthy. She strongly believes that life is worth living, and she wants to help anyone that thinks otherwise.
Dr. Friedman completed her undergraduate degree in Psychology from University of California San Diego (UCSD). She went on to complete her masters and doctorate degrees (Ph.D.) in Clinical Psychology from Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science/Chicago Medical School. Dr. Friedman completed her pre-doctoral internship at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, and her post-doctoral fellowship training at the VA San Diego Healthcare System. Her clinical training and experience has been focused primarily on comprehensive assessment and effective treatments for anxiety, mood and related disorders. Dr. Friedman has extensive experience in providing Cognitive Behavioral Therapies for anxiety disorders (e.g. worry, OCD, social anxiety, phobias and PTSD), depression, adjustment disorders/life stress, insomnia and body-focused repetitive behaviors (e.g. Trichotillomania and skin picking). She has received training in evidence-based interventions for a variety of specific problems, including exposure with response prevention (ERP) for treatment of OCD, Prolonged Exposure (PE) for treatment of PTSD, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). Moreover, she has specialty training in the treatment of childhood anxiety and related disorders, such as ADHD, selective mutism, separation anxiety, PTSD, depression and specific phobias. In addition, Dr. Friedman has developed an expertise in research on Trichotillomania and body-focused repetitive behaviors, which has led to numerous local and national presentations. Dr. Friedman regularly attends local and national conferences, training seminars and workshops in order to stay informed on the most up to date treatments and apply state of the art science into her clinical practice.
Dr. Piacentini is a board-certified clinical child and adolescent psychologist and Professor in the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences. He directs the UCLA Child OCD, Anxiety, and Tic Disorders Clinic and Tourette Association Center of Excellence which provide diagnostic evaluation and treatment (both therapy and medication) for youth with the above problems. He also directs the UCLA Center for Child Anxiety Resilence, Education, and Support (CARES; carescenter.ucla.edu) which provides education and programming to parents, teachers, and clinicians about anxiety prevention and management.
Citlalli Nava is 18 years old and a first year majoring in Psychology at Hartnell Community College in Salinas, CA. She is passionate about understanding how mental health affects how youth think, act, and feel. Citlalli joined the AIM Ideas Lab in 2021 after witnessing the increase in mental health challenges in teenagers and considering the mental health issues they are facing. Citlalli is interested in youth mental health because it is a real problem faced by her generation.
Clinical and community psychologist and health care innovator Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD, is CEO of the American Psychological Association, the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. With more than 146,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants, and students as members, APA promotes and disseminates psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve lives – a mission consistent with Evans’ life work.
