Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan & Terryberry Partner Webinar – Using the be nice. Action Plan for Caregiver Mental Health

Webinar

05/07 | 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM ET

Register

Caregivers are the heart of support for individuals with physical, emotional, or mental health needs—but who’s supporting the caregivers? In this powerful and practical webinar, we’ll explore how the be nice. Action Plan, a mental health education tool developed by the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan, can be used to promote resilience, prevent burnout, and support the mental well-being of caregivers.

Participants will learn how to apply this proactive model to identify mental health challenges, start supportive conversations, and connect with appropriate resources—both for the people they care for and for themselves.

Whether you’re a professional caregiver, a family member supporting a loved one, or someone who trains and supports caregiving teams, this webinar offers actionable tools for creating a culture of care and compassion.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

  • Explain the four steps of the be nice. Action Plan (notice, invite, challenge, empower) and how they apply to caregiver well-being.
  • Recognize the signs of stress, burnout, and mental health struggles in themselves and others.
  • Practice initiating supportive conversations using the “invite” and “challenge” steps to reduce stigma and promote open dialogue.
  • Develop strategies for self-care and empowerment to maintain mental health while caring for others.
  • Access mental health resources and community supports that align with the be nice. framework.

Presenters

Christy Buck
Executive Director
Founder of be nice.

With more than 36 years of experience in the mental health field, Christy’s passion for transforming and saving lives through mental health education led her to develop two mental health and suicide prevention programs – be nice. and be nice. extension (formerly Live Laugh Love).

Since 2006, she and her staff have passionately presented to over 300,000 people in West Michigan on mental health awareness, bullying, and suicide prevention. She has been the keynote speaker at many events and regularly delivers speaking engagements to community and business groups on mental health awareness.

Christy’s determination to make mental health a part of the conversation has led to her involvement with numerous community organizations and coalitions along with becoming a certified instructor for QPR and Mental Health First Aid, for which she has been recognized as one of the Top 100 instructors in the country.

Christy has been awarded wonderful honors for her work including the American Red Cross Hometown Hero Award, 50 Most Influential Women In West Michigan, Daughters of the American Revolution Women In History Award, and most recently awarded the Legacy of Brilliance Award.

Of all of her accomplishments, her family brings her the most joy. She earned the title of yiayia two years ago and now has three beautiful grandchildren, and is the proud mom of Demetrios, Katerina, and Isabella with her hubby Tim.

Christy protects her mental health by dominating in trivia every Wednesday night with her friends and spending time at her second home in Manistee, Michigan. She is a proud graduate of Michigan State University (Go Green!) and is a devoted member of the Greek Orthodox Church. email: christybuck@benice.org

 

Isabella (Bella) Buck
Program Coordinator
be nice.

Isabella (Bella) Buck has been involved with the foundation in many capacities, and loves working with the Program Department! As a Program Coordinator, she creates content for be nice. Programming and connects with liaisons throughout the year to ensure they are confident in implementing be nice. into their school / athletic team. A graduate of Aquinas College, she studied English, journalism & communication, and played Women’s Soccer and Women’s Tennis. Bella protects her mental health by taking long walks, enjoying local coffee shops, and playing tennis!

Qualifies for HRCI and SHRM recertification credits.

      

HR Certification Institute’s® (www.HRCI.org) official seal confirms that Terryberry meets the criteria for pre-approved recertification credit(s) for any of HRCI’s eight credentials, including SPHR® and PHR®. This program has been approved for 1 (HR (General)) recertification credit hour toward aPHR™, aPHRi™, PHR®, PHRca®, SPHR®, GPHR®, PHRi™ and SPHRi™ recertification through the HR Certification Institute. Terryberry is recognized by SHRM to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification activities. This program is valid for 1 PDC for the SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® .