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Past Events
April 20-27, 2013 - New York City, NY
Beyond the Medical Model...
New Visions of Psychosis
With Will Hall, Krista Mackinnon, Dr. Nazlim Hagmann, and Rebecca Ross
Transform extreme states using relationships and communication. A training series for professionals, families, people with experience of extreme states, and advocates.
- Working With Hope:
From Despair To Engagement
Will Hall & Krista Mackinnon
April 20th: 9:30 - 4:30
- Families, Professionals, and Psychosis: Overcoming Power Struggles
Will Hall & Krista Mackinnon
April 21st: 9:30 - 4:30
- Withdrawing from Psychiatric Medications: A Harm Reduction Approach
Will Hall, Dr. Nazlim Hagmann, & Rebecca Ross
April 27th: 9:30 - 4:30
More info and to register: www.willhall.net/classes
May 23, 2013 - FREE WEBINAR
Building Blocks of Peers & Employment:
Individuals with a History of Criminal Justice System Engagement
First in a Three-Part Series
Thursday, May 23rd, 2013,
11:00am-12:30pm PST.,
2:00pm-3:30pm EST
Peers with a background of criminal justice system engagement generally deal with challenges even greater than the challenges that often confront all peers when seeking employment. PeerLink's first in a series of three webinars dealing with employment-related issues for peers will focus on peers who have a criminal justice system engagement history.
The webinar will cover three primary topic areas:
- A realistic assessment of the barriers and challenges which individuals who have a criminal justice system engagement history confront when attempting to, post-incarceration, enter the workforce either for the first time or to reenter it following incarceration;
- Useful real-world strategies and approaches to effectively address the unique barriers and challenges faced by individuals with a criminal justice system history, including the considerations associated with the question of disclosure of that history; and
- Details of different resources, including reference and information materials available on-line as well as community-based agencies or organizations having a nationwide presence, to access for further information on the webinar topic including a detailing of the specific types of information or services available from each.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER or you may also register by visiting our website: www.peerlinktac.org/events
Spring Course Offering - Online
Transforming Our Suffering: An Online Family Recovery Course
Taught by Krista Mackinnon (co-Founder with Will Hall of PracticeRecovery.com)
Through a dynamic online learning community, this 8-week course will support and educate families and friends of people who have received a psychiatric diagnosis and/or are struggling with mental health problems. Using latest research and practical tools for recovery, Transforming Our Suffering addresses: Stories of Your Experience; the Continuum of Mental Health, Distress, and Psychosis; Fundamentals of Recovery; the Power of Hope + Resilience; Strengths Based Perspective; Relationship Building Amidst Psychosis; Boundaries, Limits and Barriers; and Celebrating Recovery Stories.
For more information and to register, contact www.practicerecovery.com.
June 8 2013 - Portland Oregon
Living With Suicidal Feelings: From Powerlessness To Engagement
With Will Hall, MA, Dipl. PW
Shrouded in taboo and judgment, suicidal feelings are much more common than we realize. How can we support others – and respond to these feelings in ourselves? What is the role of professional intervention, and are there risks of making the situation worse? Is it possible to use the power of suicidal feelings as a source of inspiration and revitalization?
Discover latest research and learn practical tools for engaging with these often overwhelming emotional states.
CEU's available.
Info: http://www.willhall.net/classes
Registration: pwi@processwork.org or call (503) 223-8188
September 19-20, 2013 - Freeport, Maine
The Rx Generation: Alternatives to the Use of Psychiatric Medications with Children
Join this two-day event as we explore the skyrocketing trend of prescribing psychotropic drugs for children and adolescents. We'll hear about viable alternatives and the skills and resources needed to support these alternatives.
National speakers include:
- Robert Whitaker - Author of Anatomy of an Epidemic
- Jacqueline Sparks, PhD -
Associate Professor of Family Therapy University of Rhode Island
- Steve Balt, MD -
Editor-in-Chief of The Carlat Psychiatry Report
- John Abramson, MD -
Author of Overdosed in America
- Giovan Bazan -
National Speaker and Youth Advocate
- Barry Duncan, PsyD -
Director, Heart and Soul of Change Project
Save the Date! Thursday and Friday, September 19-20, 2013 at the Hilton Garden Inn, Freeport, Maine
September 26-28, 2013 - Hartford, CT
The National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy
2013 ANNUAL RIGHTS CONFERENCE
The Hilton Hartford – Hartford, CT | (Click here to reserve your room at the special conference rate)
The National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy (NARPA) is seeking proposals which address strategies, ideas, programs, and emerging practices that support and promote NARPA’s mission and commitment to individual rights, liberty, freedom, and dignity.
POSSIBLE TOPIC AREAS FOR WORKSHOPS:
Rights Issues, Veterans Issues, Cultural Competence, Alternatives to the Medical Mode,
Strategies Against Forced Treatment, Informed Consent, Seclusion and Restraint, Trauma and Healing, Children’s Issues, Legal Strategies, Prison Issues, Innovative Strategies for Change, Community Organizing, and Public Policy/Legislatio.
The incorporation of diversity and multicultural perspectives into the above themes is encouraged.
All workshops are approximately 90 minutes. Submission deadline April 1, 2013. Electronic notification for selected presenters by April 15.
The Application for Workshops is posted at www.narpa.org.
CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS
Click here for the Request for Proposals | Submission deadline is April 1, 2013
For more information, visit the website at http://www.narpa.org
Ccontact NARPA at narpa@aol.com or (256) 650-6311.
Mail proposals to NARPA, P.O. Box 855, Huntsville, AL 35804 or e-mail to narpa@aol.com.
October 4-6, 2013 - New Brunswick, NJ
ISPS-US Fourteenth Annual Meeting:
What’s in a Name? Emerging Perspectives on the Intersection of “Schizophrenia” and “Recovery”
At the Hyatt Regency, New Brunswick, NJ
Jointly sponsored by the Lifespan Learning Institute; Hosted by ISPS-US New Jersey Branch
Pre-Conference Training Institute: September 30 - October 3, 2013
Pre-Conference Intensive Workshop: October 4, 2013
Keynote Speaker: Debra Lampshire
Experience-based expert, Senior Tutor at the University of Auckland,and Project Manager for Auckland District Health Board in New Zealand
Honorees: Marius Romme, MD, PhD and Sandra Escher, MPhil, PhD
Researchers, authors, founders of the international Hearing Voices Movement
Call for Papers and Additional Information (PDF, 118KB, 2 pages)
Website - http://isps-us.org/isps-us_events.html
Scholarships are available, please contact ISPS (contact@isps-us.org) for more information.
November 1-3, 2013 - Greensboro, North Carolina
16th Annual Conference of the International Society for Ethical Psychology and Psychiatry, Inc. (IAEPP)
Rethinking Mental Health Care For Children & Adolescents:
Evidence-Based and Expericece-Based Alternatives to the Medical Model
Embassy Suites Greensboro Airport - 1-800-362-2779. Special Rate $115/Night, Includes full breakfast.
Call for Papers and Early Registration Discounts
Visit www.psychintegrity.org | Download our 2013 Conference Flyer
In Partnership with The Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care
An Exploration of Hope, Healing, and Human Spirit
Past Events
April 9, 2013 - Free Webinar
Emotional CPR: Saving Lives, Healing Communities (Free Webinar)
Emotional CPR (eCPR) is a public health education program designed to teach people to assist others through an emotional crisis by three simple steps: C = Connecting, P = emPowering, and R = Revitalizing. People who have been through the training consistently report that the skills they learned have helped them communicate better in all their relationships. They tell us that eCPR is a way of life. Presenters will use real life stories to explore how eCPR is healing communities, including:
- How eCPR is being incorporated into diverse cultures and communities across the U.S. and overseas
- How eCPR is being used to heal trauma and intergenerational violence
- How eCPR is an effective suicide prevention approach
- How eCPR is useful for law enforcement/public safety personnel
Click here for a flyer with presenter information (PDF, 83KB, 2 pages)
Click here to watch this informative webinar from 2012 which describes the fundamental concepts of Emotional CPR.
March 15, 2013
The 3rd Annual Consumer/Survivor Visionary Leadership Teleconference
March 15, 2013 3:30pm – 4:30pm ET / 12:30pm – 1:30pm PT
Hosted by the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery
Click here for presenter information (PDF, 91K, 1 page)
March 6, 2013
The Open Mind Forum Presents:
Do I Need a Pill for This? Growing up in the Age of Psychiatric Medications
A public lecture by Katherine Sharpe followed by a panel discussion and open community dialogue.
To a degree unimaginable just 20 years ago, many American children, teens, and young adults use antidepressants, ADHD medications, or other psychiatric drugs as a routine part of their lives. What does it feel like to "come of age" on psychiatric medication? How have these medications changed the ways we understand ourselves and the world—whether we take them or not? What new challenges does the culture of medication pose to our collective search for mental health? How does it affect our lives on campus?
Katherine Sharpe is the author of the highly-praised Coming of Age on Zoloft (Harper Perennial, 2012). Sharpe has degrees in English literature from Reed College and Cornell University. A freelance journalist, she lives in Berkeley, CA.
Wednesday, March 6, 7:30 PM
Hooker Auditorium
Mount Holyoke College
Sponsored by the Office of the President and the Department of Psychology & Education, Mount Holyoke College and the Western Massachusetts Recovery Learning Community, Holyoke, MA
October 21, 2012
Understanding Psychiatric Medications: A Harm Reduction Approach
With Will Hall MA, Dipl PW
Process Work Institute
2049 NW Hoyt St. Portland, OR 97209
Sunday, October 21, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
How can anti-psychotics, anti-depressants, mood stabilizers, and other drugs be used wisely? What are the risks and benefits? How can we collaborate effectively with prescribers? What about reducing and withdrawing from medications? Come learn a pragmatic harm reduction approach that is neither pro- nor anti- medication, but instead is based on mental diversity. Everyone is welcome: professionals, survivors, students, family, and anyone taking or not taking medications.
Will Hall, MA, DiplPW, is a therapist who has himself recovered from a diagnosis of schizophrenia and now teaches internationally. Director of Portland Hearing Voices and host of KBOO’s Madness Radio, Will has written in the Journal of Best Practices in Mental Healthand in the upcoming Oxford University Press Modern Community Mental Health Work. He is author of the Harm Reduction Guide to Coming Off Psychiatric Drugs, used widely in the peer recovery movement. http://www.willhall.net.
Co-Sponsored by: Process Work Institute, Portland Hearing Voices, and Mental Health Association of Portland.
For more information: www.processwork.org and www.portlandhearingvoices.net. (503) 223-8188
October 10-14, 2012
Alternatives 2012 - Honoring Our History, Building Our Future
Peerlink National Technical Assistance Center announces the 26th annual Alternatives Conference, the oldest national mental health conference organized by and for mental health consumers/survivors, was held at:
Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront
1401 SW Naito Parkway
Portland, OR 97201
www.alternatives2012.us
October 6, 2012, 12:00 PM
Human Rights In Mental Health Rally at the UN Headquarters
On October 6th, 2012, in New York City, supporters of human rights in psychiatry will gather for a human rights in mental health systems rally and a protest against forced and coercive treatment. This rally involves some of the most influential voices in the psychiatric survivor’s movement and those working to enact protective legislation. Additionally, activists from the Mad Pride and mental diversity movements will be celebrating the humanity and potential of those frequently labeled and mistreated in the psychiatric industry. For general information on this event, or to discuss scheduling an interview with speakers, please contact: Daniel Hazen, danhazeus@yahoo.com. For more information, see: Occupy Psychiatry: http://www.occupypsychiatry.net/OccupyAPANYC2012/OccupyAPANewYorkCity2012.htm
Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/417279764959510/
September 25-27, 2012 - Glens Falls, NY
Hearing Voices Facilitator Training
with Jacqui Dillon
Voices of the Heart is excited to announce the opportunity to become a participant of the upcoming “Starting Hearing Voices Groups” Training. Hearing Voices Groups originated in Europe and now there are over 160 chartered groups in England alone. Hearing Voices Groups do not pathologize hearing voices or other altered experiences, instead, group members explore these phenomena in an environment of mutual support and curiosity. There is an emerging body of evidence to support the effectiveness of Hearing Voices Groups. They offer people who hear voices the opportunity to share their experience and find ways of coping with this experience, which can be complementary to other support methods. Please join Trainer Jacqui Dillon, a voice hearer and the chair of the Hearing Voices Network in England.
Click here for more information (PDF, 126KB, 2 pages)
September 19-21, 2012
25th Anniversary Intervoice & World Hearing Voices Congress
Working to Recovery, Asylum Associates and Hearing Voices Network Cymru in
conjunction with Intervoice
Presents
The Hearing Voices Network 25 Years On:
Learning from the PAST,
Practicing in the PRESENT,
Visioning the FUTURE
19th, 20th & 21st September 2012 in Cardiff, Wales, UK
For more information please visit www.intervoiceonline.org
September 6-8, 2012
National Peer Specialist Conference, Sept., 6-8, 2012 – Philadelphia, PA.
Recovery Revolution Part II
The 6th Annual National Peer Specialist Conference has some unique benefits for those involved in providing peer support services. In addition to extraordinary keynote presentations, workshops, and awards, two forums of national significance to those who provide peer support services are planned about establishing professional standards and the national certification of peer specialists....
6 Keynote/plenary presentations
5 Special awards honor leaders promoting the peer specialist profession
24 Interactive workshops
8 Previews of Recovery to Practice curriculum
2 Forums about professional practice standards / national certification
Keynote Presenters:
Joseph Rogers, Executive Director, National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse and Chief Advocacy Officer, Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania will give a historical perspective and overview of Peer Support.
Wilma Townsend, Acting Director of Consumer Affairs for SAMHSA, will give an overview of the Recovery to Practice project and what it means to the peer specialist profession.
Daniel O’Brien-Mazza, National Director of Peer Support Services will talk about Peer Support in the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs.
Click here for more information
September 6-8, 2012
National Peer Specialist Conference, Sept., 6-8, 2012 – Philadelphia, PA.
Recovery Revolution Part II
The 6th Annual National Peer Specialist Conference has some unique benefits for those involved in providing peer support services. In addition to extraordinary keynote presentations, workshops, and awards, two forums of national significance to those who provide peer support services are planned about establishing professional standards and the national certification of peer specialists....
6 Keynote/plenary presentations
5 Special awards honor leaders promoting the peer specialist profession
24 Interactive workshops
8 Previews of Recovery to Practice curriculum
2 Forums about professional practice standards / national certification
Keynote Presenters:
Joseph Rogers, Executive Director, National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse and Chief Advocacy Officer, Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania will give a historical perspective and overview of Peer Support.
Wilma Townsend, Acting Director of Consumer Affairs for SAMHSA, will give an overview of the Recovery to Practice project and what it means to the peer specialist profession.
Daniel O’Brien-Mazza, National Director of Peer Support Services will talk about Peer Support in the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs.
Click here for more information
July 19, 2012
"Peer Specialists in NY City" Conference
New York University – Kimmel Center
60 Washington Square South - New York, NY 10012
Please join us at the Sixth Annual New York City Peer Specialist Conference, to hear from your colleagues who
have been part of the Redesign and others who are re-defining recovery in their work and in their lives. It will be a day to look at where we are now and what the future might hold for Peer Specialists working in New York City.
Click here for more information.
July 12, 2012
The National Empowerment Center's Twentieth Anniversary!
Thanks to the many people that joined us to help celebrate two decades of the National Empowerment Center spreading the message of recovery, empowerment and hope.
Place: Boston University, Photonics Building, Room 206
Program
5:00 pm - Opening reception/refreshments
6:15 – Welcome, short talks on NEC history and celebration
7:00 Sick, a play written and performed by Elizabeth Kenny
8:15 -8:45 pm Socializing and conclusion
Whether or not you can attend, your donations are welcome.
Click here to contribute to the work of NEC.
About “Sick”:
Elizabeth Kenny was a healthy thirty-two year-old woman who went to the doctor for a common ailment. A year and a half later, she was being escorted by hospital orderlies to a coffee shop along with the rest of the level 5 patients from the psych ward. “Sick” explores a patient’s two-year odyssey inside the most advanced healthcare system in the world — an odyssey that almost killed her. It investigates how treatment by well-meaning practitioners for a common gynecological issue plunged her into a downward spiral through the complex medical and mental health establishments.
June 13, 2012
Hospital Diversion Services: Developing a Peer-Respite/Diversion Service in Your Area
Join us for free a Webinar on Wednesday, June 13, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/424066310
Registration will close at 5 pm on Tuesday, June 12.
Peer-operated hospital diversion services are designed to alleviate one’s emotional distress in a home-like safe and secure environment. Guests may freely share their distress and discuss their “story” in a judgment-free environment. These programs offer a rich choice of activities that attract personal interest and support opportunities to learn about tools that will assist in alleviating crisis.
Are you interested in starting a hospital-diversion service or peer-run respite in your area? Based on the experience of Rose House, the work of PEOPLe, Inc., and the support of Optum Health, a new manual is now available for people interested in starting peer-run hospital diversion services.
Steve Miccio, author of this manual, will present the key concepts in the manual, followed by an opportunity for questions and discussion.
The manual is available here:
http://www.power2u.org/downloads/OH-Hospital-Diversion-Manual.pdf (PDF, 1.11MB, 56 pages)
About the presenter: Steve Miccio is the Executive Director of PEOPLe, Inc., a peer-run organization in NY. Steve is considered an expert in peer operated diversion services and emergency service design. PEOPLe, Inc. has been delivering diversion services for the past 12 years and advocacy services for over 22 years.
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
June 6-8, 2012
Coming off Psychiatric Drugs: A Harm Reduction Approach
Facilitated by Will Hall & Oryx Cohen
To be filmed by Daniel Mackler
Hosted by Voices of the Heart
June 6-8, 2012, Glens Falls NY - from 9:00 am- 4:30 pm
Please join VOH for this three day training
Training Covers:
- Going off and reducing meds, and developing medication alternatives.
- Using a Harm Reduction Perspective.
- Recovery and Person Centered education framework for understanding medications, risks and benefits.
- Collaborative Education Approaches
- Skill Building for medication empowerment and optimization in peer support and clinical settings.
- How can we learn to reduce and come off medications safely?
- What do we do about the lack of support from doctors and mental health providers.
- Based on more than 10 years of peer and professional experience, the training will prepare people to support people reducing and coming off medications responsibly and safely.
- This training is not medical advice but offers education to make informed medication decisions.
There has already been a high degree of interest in the training and spaces are limited. As a result, we are asking people to apply to do the training and we have set areas of priority, which we will use when selecting participants.
Please download the flyer which includes an application.
Applicatioins due by Tuesday May 15, 2012 at 5:00 PM
Flyer/Application (PDF, 2.25MB, 3 pages)
May 11, 2012
NEC Technical Assistance Center Presents a Webinar
So You Want to Start a Peer-run Warmline? Ideas, Information, and Inspiration
With Julio Brionez, Trinity Guayante, and Angel Moore
Friday, May 11, 2012 - 1 pm - 2:30 pm EST (10 am - 11:30 am PST)
Click here to register (Registration will close at 5 pm on Thursday, May 10)
Peer-run warmlines are designed by and for people who have experience with mental health crisis, healing, and recovery.
They are based on the principles of mutual support, healing through relationships, and the wisdom of lived experience. Peer-run warmlines represent important crisis alternatives in that they view crisis as a gateway to learning and growth. They can help reduce costly and often re-traumatizing psychiatric hospitalization, and help people to recover a sense of hope and purpose in their lives. Speakers from the David Romprey Oregon Warmline and the Montana Warmline will share their firsthand experience on the elements of a successful peer-run warmline, including the start-up phase, recruitment, outreach/promotion, and ongoing support of warmline workers. In addition, useful tips on using technology and social media to create a more cost-effective and efficient warmline will be provided.
About the presenters:
Julio Brionez works with Mental Health America (MHA) of Montana http://www.montanamentalhealth.org. Julio heads up social media for MHA, which includes podcasting, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and video-based peer support groups. Julio also runs the MHA website, and puts out their weekly e-blast mental health news updates.
Trinity Guayante works for Community Counseling Solutions as the coordinator of the David Romprey Warmline. Trinity believes that everyone deserves a chance and that we are all on this path together and that our world will be a better place if we practice building each other up. Having personally been a survivor of trauma on many levels, she has dedicated her life to those who may need kindness and support.
Angel Moore works for Community Counseling Solutions as manager of the David Romprey Oregon Warmline and is a Certified National IPS Trainer. Angel says, “Recovery became a new way of life, living without the use of drugs and now a life of mental wellness and stability." For the past 16 years Angel has shared her experience strength and hope without shame or guilt so that maybe it may inspire someone else to share theirs and help others.
May 3-4, 2012
eCPR Training - Austin, Texas
Via Hope is sponsoring a 2-day training in emotionalCPR (or eCPR) conducted by the National Empowerment Center (NEC) with trainers Daniel Fisher, MD, Executive Director of NEC; Eileen Rosen, Texas eCPR; Bill Gilstrap, Texas eCPR
WHERE: Hogg Foundation Bldg., 3001 Lake Austin Blvd., 4th Floor, Austin, TX 78703
WHAT: This training enables one person to help another through an emotional crisis in a mutual fashion using skills of Connecting, emPowering, and Revitalizing.
COST: NO registration fee. However, class size is limited.
INCLUDED: Breakfast and lunch, both days. (Participants will be responsible for their own overnight accommodations, dinner, and transportation. A limited number of scholarships for financial assistance are available from Via Hope. Call 1-877-482-8550 or email info@viahope.org for a scholarship application.)
HOW TO APPLY: Visit http://www.viahope.org/events/ecpr-training for additional info, and to download the eCPR Application for Certification Training.
Any questions call 1-800-POWER2U
April 26-27, 2012
Expanding our Vision:
Positive Outcomes from around the World
One-day conference in Denver, Colorado (with other adjunct activities)
Location: The Colorado Institute of Mental Health
Presenters:
Elizabeth Kenny, actor, writer and teacher, who has been working in professional theater
since 1993. She will perform her play, Sick, which uses her masterful storytelling skills to translate her lived experience of misdiagnosis and over medication. She teaches acting and storytelling workshops that that help participants transform, elevate, and clarify their own stories. (www.shadylaneproductions.org)
Joanne Greenberg, author of 18 books including I Never Promised You a Rose Garden, a fictionalized depiction of Joanne Greenberg's treatment experience at Chestnut Lodge Hospital
in Rockville, Maryland, during which she was in psychoanalytic treatment with Frieda Fromm-Reichmann. ( (www.mountaintopauthor.com)
Robert Whitaker, an award-winning science journalist and the author, most recently, of Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness in America (2010). (www.madinamerica.com)
Daniel Mackler, documentary filmmaker of Open Dialogue Approach in Finland and Swedish Healing Homes, has visited innovative programs throughout the world. (www.iraresoul.com/dvd.html)
Ron Bassman, author, clinician and policy-maker. In his book, A Fight to Be, Ron shares insights from his recovery as a patient and tells how he uses that experience in his later work as a psychologist and advocate. (www.ronaldbassman.com)
Adjunct Activities
The Living Stories Workshop -
April 26, 2012
A powerful one day workshop facilitated by Elizabeth Kenny, a Seattle actor and writer who has been working in the professional theater for 24 years. The workshop is based on the techniques Elizabeth used to create her critically acclaimed and award winning solo play Sick. The Living Stories workshop will introduce and explore tools and techniques for uncovering, crafting and telling stories that open dialogues and change perspectives. In this all day workshop participants will experience practical exercises that explore what story is, who is the audience, what is the responsibility of the speaker or storyteller and most importantly are we saying what we mean. In the afternoon participants will put their new skills into practice by using the morning exercises to start crafting and constructing stories of their own.
Download flyer for Living Stories Workshop
The play, Sick, was performed on Thursday, April 26th
Drama Fest 2012: Tuesday, April 24 and Wednesday, April 25
See flyer for more information
Additional Event Information
Event Program (PDF, 531KB, 1 page)
Event Flyer (PDF, 597KB, 1 page)
For more information, please call
303-751-7511
Sponsored by the National Empowerment Center
Local Organizer: Amy Smith
Local organizations welcoming the National Empowerment Center Conference to Colorado: Advocates for Recovery, BrainStorm Career Services, CHARG Resource Center, ClearMind, Inc., Colorado Association of Alcohol and Drug Service Providers, Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council, Colorado Center for Clinical Excellence, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, Colorado Depression Bipolar Support Alliance, Colorado Division of Behavioral Health, Colorado Mental Wellness Network, Colorado Youth Voice, The Legal Center for People with Disabilities and Older People, Mindfreedom International, and People House.
April 24-26, 2012
Human Rights Advocacy & Organizing - presented by International Human Rights Expert Tina Minkowitz
Please join VOH and MHEP for this two and a half-day training.
At the end of the training all participants will have:
- An Understanding of International Human Rights.
- An Understanding of how we can use Human Rights in our Advocacy.
- An Understanding of how Human Rights Principles are practiced in Peer Support & Organizing.
- An Understanding of the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
- Developed Advocacy skills for state & federal governments to comply with Human Rights.
The Training will take a hands-on approach using exercises to explore what it means to "do human rights".
Thematic issues will be addressed according to the interests of participants:
(Prison & Mental Systems, legal capacity, reparations for psychiatric torture, poverty, right to work, and/or implications of the CRPD for mental health policy.)
Facilitated by: Tina Minkowitz - International Human Rights Expert
Please contact Daniel Hazen @ voicesdirector@gmail.com or call 518-798-1100 with any questions.
Application and registration visit www.voicesoftheheart.net or click here for pdf (262KB, 2 pages)
April 18, 2012
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden sponsored by Volunteers in Psychotherapy
Wednesday, April 18 from 7-9 PM
University of Hartford,
Gengras Student Union
Joanne Greenberg initially published her book, I Never Promised You a Rose Garden under a pseudonym, since it was a semi-autobiographical depiction of her recovery from "schizophrenia" through psychotherapy with Dr. Frieda Fromm Reichmann, while an inpatient at a psychiatric hospital.
Dr. Greenberg is now a college professor, author of 17 published books, wife and mother.
She is an advocate for humane, egalitarian help for people who are emotionally confused, overwhelmed or distraught... the people we now misleadingly refer to as "mentally ill."
When Dr. Greenberg heard of greater Hartford's Volunteers In Psychotherapy — she was so enthusiastic for VIP's unique offering — free therapy that people earn through community volunteer work — that she immediately offered to assist VIP.
This April 18 presentation, which is free and open to the public, is Dr. Greenberg's effort to benefit VIP's program.
The evening presentation is co-sponsored by Volunteers In Psychotherapy and the Department of Psychology at University of Hartford, its Psi Chi Honors Society and Active Minds.
March 2, 2012
Webinar: Get Social! Using Social Media to Advance Your Mission, Raise Awareness, and Provide Peer Support
Description
Facebook, Twitter, Blogging, Podcasting, YouTube, LinkedIn, Google Plus. In an ever-growing social media landscape, it is easy to feel lost and not know where to begin. Our presenters will help you find your place on the social media map and head out on your personal or organizational journey. Using real-life stories and anecdotes, each presenter will discuss how their organization developed a social media strategy, the tools they use and how they use them, and the benefits and challenges they have experienced along the way. This webinar is geared towards peers, peer-run organizations, mental health service providers, family members, policymakers, administrators, and all other stakeholders.
Presenters
Julio Brionez heads up social media for Mental Health America (MHA) of Montana.
Jeneé Darden is the media and marketing coordinator for PEERS, Peers Envisioning and Engaging in Recovery Services, in Oakland, CA.
Eric Jensen is executive assistant/communications coordinator with the Project Return Peer Support Network.
Sponsored by the National Empowerment Center's Technical Assistance Center
Click here for more information (PDF, 151KB, 2 pages)
January 25, 2012
National Empowerment Center's Peer-Run Respite Webinar Series
Building the Foundation for a Successful Peer-Run Respite: Creating Connections with the Local Community
Peer-Run respites/hospital diversion programs are increasing in numbers and having positive results across the country. Peer-run respites offer an alternative to traditional mental health hospitalization, are operated by peers, and are cost-effective.
The presenters will discuss their first-hand experience with building connections with the community while opening and running a peer-run respite, including how to:
- Lay the groundwork, educate the community, and establish relationships;
- Address common community misconceptions and avoid the “Not in My Backyard (NIMBY)” phenomenon; and
- Maintain positive connections in the local community while operating a peer-run respite.
Building the Foundation for a Successful Peer-Run Respite is the second in a webinar series on peer-run crisis alternatives sponsored by the National Empowerment Center’s Technical Assistance Center. To watch the archive of the first webinar, So You Want to Start a Peer-Run Respite, click here.
Presenters:
Rigel Flaherty
Rigel was born and raised in Santa Cruz, CA, and became familiar with the mental health system during a difficult time when she was 20. She started working as a peer counselor in Mental Health Supported Housing in 2003. Rigel became Program Manager for the SAMSHA funded 2nd Story Peer Run Respite House in January 2011.
Alan Green, M.P.A.
Alan is the Executive Director of the Mental Health Association of Nebraska, Nebraska’s first and only peer-run mental health service provider. Programming includes the HOPE Program (evidence-based practice supported employment), the Keya House (crisis aversion services), statewide wellness/recovery education and advocacy. Mr. Green is a member of the NCMHR Steering Committee.
Clint Taylor
Clint Taylor is the Assistant Director of the Peer Support and Wellness Center in Decatur, Georgia. He is on the steering committee of the Community Health Interfaith Partnership, a coalition working to improve the lives of Georgians with mental health diagnoses. He became a certified peer specialist in August, 2008.
Training Sponsor
This training and the Technical Assistance Center of the National Empowerment Center are funded by:
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Center for Mental Health Services
www.samhsa.gov
December 8, 2011
Robert Whitaker - MAD IN AMERICA UP TO NOW
Award winning journalist, Robert Whitaker will be discussing the state of contemporary mental health in a free presentation and discussion on Thursday, December 8th from 2-4pm
at 1881 Worcester Road, Framingham.
Downloadable Flyer (PDF,
256KB,1 page)
Special Event - November 3, 2011
Open Dialogue Approach: Alternative Care for Psychosis
Jaakko Seikkula, Ph.D. and Mary Olson, Ph.D.
Is a ‘psychotic crisis’ inside one person’s mind– or does it happen between people in their relationships? Can helping a person find their voice with important others help resolve such crises and alter their course and severity?
Smith College professor and Fulbright scholar Mary Olson, Ph.D., will present with Jaakko Seikkula, Ph.D., one of the main developers of the Open Dialogue Approach in Western Lapland, Finland. Open Dialogue has achieved remarkable success helping people through extreme states labeled ‘psychosis’ and ‘schizophrenia’ while relying much less on medication and hospitalization.
Sponsored by UMassMemorial, The National Empowerment Center, and University of Massachusetts Medical School. Co-sponsored by: The Transformation Center and the Massachusetts Recovery Learning Communities (RLCs).
Further Resources on Open Dialogue
Trailer for "OPEN DIALOGUE," an alternative Finnish approach to healing psychosis - http://www.youtube.com/user/dmackler58#p/a/u/1/aBjIvnRFja4
An interview with Jaakko Seikkula - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywtPedxhC3U
Madness Radio Interview with Mary Olson - http://www.madnessradio.net/madness-radio-mary-olson-open-dialog
November 3-4, 2011
INTAR (International Network Toward Alternatives for Recovery)
Challenging Our Understanding of Psychosis and Exploring Alternatives for Recovery
University of Toronto, Hart House
For more information: Call Brian McKinnon at 416-285-7996, Ext. 227 or email bmckinnon@alternativestoronto.org
October 28-29, 2011 — Los Angeles, CA
Alternatives to Biological Psychiatry: If We Don't Medicate, What Do We Do?
The annual conference of the International Society for the Study of Ethical Psychology and Psychiatry.
Topics Included: Safe, humane, life-enhancing methods of treating adults, children, families and couples in psychological distress without reliance on psychotropic drugs; Consumer-centered interventions that help people move towards full recovery; What parents and families can do to help children without reliance on psychotropic drugs. [Click to download brochure]
October 26 - 30, 2011
Alternatives 2011 Was Held in Orlando, FL
Alternatives 2011, the annual national conference organized by and for individuals with psychiatric histories, was held from Oct. 26, 2011, through Oct. 30, 2011, at the Caribe Royale Orlando in Orlando, Fla. Alternatives 2011 was organized by the National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse, a peer-run national technical assistance center funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services. www.alternatives2011.org
October 20, 2011
Gail Hornstein Spoke about the Hearing Voices Network USA in NYC
This was one of the first opportunities in New York City to hear about the exciting work of the Hearing Voices Network, an international collaboration between professionals, people with lived experience of voices, visions, or other unusual or extreme experiences, and their families to develop an alternative approach to coping with emotional distress that is empowering and useful to people, and does not start from the assumption that they have a chronic illness.
NYU LANGONE MEDICAL CENTER
550 First Avenue
New York, NY
Click here for the flyer (PDF, 108KB, 1 page)
September 28, 2011, 1:00 - 2:30 pm EST
National Empowerment Center’s Peer-Run Respite Webinar Series: So You Want to Start a Peer-Run Respite? Options and Important Considerations
With Steve Miccio, Daniel Hazen, Dan Fisher, and Rigel Flaherty
Archived presentation and audio-video available now!
The purpose of this webinar was to address specific issues around starting up, maintaining, and sustaining quality peer-run respites. Topics covered included practical tips and suggestions on advocacy, funding, core values and principles, and staffing issues, among others. Click here to view video.
Also available as PowerPoint Presentation and a PDF version:
PowerPoint Presentation (47.2MB)
PowerPoint Presentation as a PDF file (4MB, 48 pages)
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