Mental Health Fair

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2026 Mental Health Fair: Out of shadows in light

The 9th Annual "Dare to C.A.R.E (Community Awareness & Response for Everyone)".

A TIME FOR Strength

When: October, 10th, 2025
Where: Suntree United Methodist Church
7400 N. Wickham Rd., Melbourne FL
Time: 8am – 1pm

MENTAL HEALTH FAIR TO CALL FOR BRINGING MENTAL HEALTH OUT OF THE SHADOWS AND INTO THE LIGHT

The Ninth Annual Dare to Care Mental Health Fair: Out of the Shadows Into the Light will be held at Suntree United Methodist Church, 7400 N. Wickham Rd. in Melbourne, on Saturday, October 10, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 pm. This year's event will feature a keynote address by Rev. Dr. John Baggett, a former State Mental Health Director in North Carolina, and author of his book entitled: A Mental Health Journey from the Shadows into the Light. Dr. Baggett will share his personal journey as a bewildered father of a son diagnosed with schizophrenia, his calling to become a public mental health advocate, and his continuing lifelong passion for better mental health care. His story will invite people to lose the shame often associated with mental health conditions and challenge them to work to create greater public awareness and improved mental health care.

According to Dr. Baggett, who, for years, has led the local group responsible for the annual mental health fair: `We live in a time when mental illnesses are still seriously stigmatized by our culture. There was a time when anyone with any type of disability was blamed and shamed for their conditions. Thankfully, for people with physical illnesses and disabilities that time has mostly passed. But, unlike people with serious physical illnesses and disabilities, persons with mental illnesses are still often blamed and shamed for their conditions. Just think of the way in which people often throw around the word crazy, or the portrayal of mentally ill persons on television or in movies as villains. No wonder so many people with mental illnesses are reluctant to accept their diagnoses and comply with treatment. To do so, it seems to them, is to admit something shameful.

In the past, family members were often blamed for their loved one`s mental illnesses. While psychiatry has moved beyond the unfortunate blaming theories of the past, many family members continue to internalize that shame. I know, I have been there. And, believe me, it is a dark place. But with the help of NAMI (The National Alliance on Mental Illness) I was able to transition from that darkness to a place of light.

Mental illnesses are not unlike other illnesses of the body. Hearts can be diseased. Kidneys can be diseased. And brains can be diseased. Serious mental illnesses are diseases of the brain. They are no more cause for shame than are other diseases of the body. But the thing I struggled with in the season following my son`s onset of schizophrenia, was to find a pathway for battling that shame in our culture. Then, one day, it came to me. When people are willing to be radically public about their journey with a mentally illness, it robs the stigma of its power. When people are willing to tell their stories and advocate for better mental health care, stigma begins to lose its power. And that is one of the chief reasons Suntree has an annual mental health fair.

Breakout Sessions

The 2026 Dare to Care Mental Health Fair will also feature five breakout sessions which will each be repeated once so that participants will each be able to attend two of the sessions.

Tools for Coping with Anxiety and Depression (Dr. Alexis G. Werner, LMFC)
Strategies for Managing a Mental Health Crisis (In Family, School and Workplace) (Miranda Moses- MA, LMHC)
How Do I Help a Love One Who is Struggling? (Madison Chambers LMHC, & Mary Pat Mary Pat Arellano, Family to Family Trainer)
How Can a Lawyer Help With a Mental Health Challenge (Atty. Cheryl L. Ward, Esq.)
Compassionate Listening: How to Help Someone Who is Hurting (Rev. Lisa Degrenia)

The Dare to Care Mental Health Fair will also host more than 20 local organizations and agencies that will staff resource tables and provide information about mental health and opportunities for treatment in Central Florida.

Free Childcare is available.

The 2026 Dare to Care Mental Health Fair is a free learning opportunity. To register, use the button below:

About Speakers and Presenters

Rev. Dr. John Baggett MDIV, MA, PHD (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) is a retired United Methodist pastor and a former counselor, former Executive Director of NAMI North Carolina, and a former State Mental Health Director in North Carolina. He is the author of Finding the Good in Grief (Kregel, 2013) and several other publications. In recent years he served as chair of the Suntree Mental Health Task Force.

Dr. Alexis G. Werner PhD, LMFT, RMFTI, is a mental health therapist with Ascend Counseling and Wellness. She has a holistic biopsychosocial approach to mental health treatment. She is trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Gottman Method, Narrative Therapy, and Medical Family Therapy (MedFT).

Miranda Moses MA, LMHC, transitioned from a career in Elementary Education to mental health counseling. Her teaching background led her to understand how important mental health is. She is currently a counselor in Brevard County with a trauma informed perspective and is certified in EMDR.

Madison Chambers LMHC is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with Atlantic Psychiatric Center in Palm Bay Florida. She has a BA in Forensic Psychology from Florida Institute of Technology, MA in Mental Health Counseling from Nova Southeastern University, and a MA in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Florida.

Mary Pat Arellano is a certified National Alliance on Mental Illness, Florida, Family Support Group Trainer. Family Support Groups significantly improve the coping and problem-solving abilities of the people closest to a person with a mental health condition.

Cheryl Ward ESQ. practices law in Brevard County. She attended Florida Atlantic University and graduated cum laude, earning her Bachelor of International Business Trade and Administration. Her law practice primarily handles matters involving Elder Law, Probate Law, Wills, Estates, Trusts, Guardianship, and Contracts, but also Criminal Defense and litigation in these areas as well.

Rev. Lisa Degrenia M.Div. has a bachelor’s degree in Music Education from the University of South Florida and a Master of Divinity degree from Duke Divinity School. She is an ordained United Methodist in the Florida Conference. She currently serves as the senior pastor of Suntree United Methodist Church in Melbourne, Florida. She also writes prayers and shares them on revlisad.com.