Northwest Herald: “Financial Worries, Mental Health & Suicide” Featuring Donna Rasmussen

As seen July, 2024 in:

NORTHWEST HERALD

FINANCIAL WORRIES, MENTAL HEALTH & SUICIDE

By Leonetta Rizzi, Executive Director McHenry County Mental Health Board

When you’ve missed a payment on a bill and your anxiety spikes, you’re not alone.

There is a direct correlation between higher financial worries and higher psychological distress in U.S. adults, according to a recent study by Centers for Disease Control & Prevention.

In fact, financial distress has been identified to have an impact on the deaths by suicide in McHenry County as well as across the county. 

With this knowledge, we want to increase awareness of one of our funded programs with Consumer Credit Counseling Services (CCCS) of Northern Illinois. Headquartered in Woodstock, CCCS has been helping McHenry County residents in financial distress for more than four decades.

Funded in part by the McHenry County Mental Health Board, CCCS is a nonprofit that empowers individuals to reach their financial goals through professional counseling and support. With a comprehensive array of services, CCCS counselors offer help in housing, debt management, bankruptcy, student loans and credit ratings.

For example, CCCS can help those buying their first home. Counselors review all the related costs of homeownership and assist with down payment funding as well as budgeting. This budgeting assistance can prevent surprise home expenses the buyer may be unfamiliar with, and which may be beyond their financial means. 

These counseling services - and all others provided by CCCS - are offered at no cost to the client, and several counselors are bilingual.

By providing these services, CCCS hopes to quell any significant stress and anxiety that may have come with the inability to afford repairs, insurance and other home-related costs.

A Pew Research Center (2021) report shows that worries about personal health and financial security are related to higher levels of psychological distress. This is an alarming trend, given that psychological distress is associated with several adverse health outcomes, such as emotional exhaustion, reduced immune response, heart disease and increased mortality.

Mental health issues make it harder to earn, manage money and spending, and ask for help. Financial difficulty causes stress and anxiety, which is often made worse by collections activity or going without essentials. Recovering from this negative cycle can be very challenging.

“Our counselors understand that financial stress is often caused by factors beyond our clients’ control,” says Donna Rasmussen, executive director for CCCS. “Medical issues, loss of a loved one, divorce and other unexpected situations can result in a loss of financial security and a loss of confidence. Each member of our team is ready to work with our clients to help them regain their confidence and financial strength.”

Rasmussen’s counselors meet in person or virtually with individuals to assess their options, creating a roadmap to reach financial goals. Educational courses are available virtually and at many locations.

CCCS looks at the entire person, not just his or her financial situation. As a result, services are customized to make the plan achievable. The staff provides a judgment-free space at counseling sessions where client voices can be heard. Everyone receives the same honest and compassionate care from staff and counselors at CCCS.

Hope and help are available through CCCS to anyone in the county. Over the decades, CCCS has provided support to assist hundreds of people out of their financial difficulty and into a new, more stable lifestyle, without charging fees for counseling.

The Mental Health Board supports CCCS as a credible, local nonprofit and encourages readers to investigate its website and learn more about its services, courses and workshops.

If financial stress is impacting your mental health and your life, take action at once. Visit www.illinoiscccs.org, review the services available to you and find relief from your financial struggles. There are solutions. There is hope for financial recovery. You are not alone.

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