Mission:
Announcements
Hearing Voices Training Delivered in Bangladesh
On May 14, 2025, for the very first time in Bangladesh, NEC’s Hearing Voices workshop was delivered. It occurred in the capital city of Dhaka at an institution called the Neuroscience & Psychiatry Hub, a project of the Sajida Foundation. Approximately 20 participants took part, from reception staff to psychologists, to administrators, to psychiatrists, including a child psychiatrist, to psychiatric nurses. The workshop was enthusiastically received. Below are some photos of the training.
Updated Hearing Voices Curriculum Now Available!
Originally developed by Dr. Pat Deegan, the NEC Hearing Voices Curriculum now includes updates developed by Dr. Dan Fisher, Oryx Cohen, and Digital Eyes Film. In addition to the original simulation exercises, the updates include a new DVD featuring one of the co-founders of the Hearing Voices Network, Dr. Marius Romme, as well as testimony from voice hearers themselves. The updated curriculum includes new discussion questions that will help participants better understand how they can support voice hearers after the training.
For more information about the curriculum click here.
Learn more about the updated Hearing Voices Curriculum in the video below.
Emotional CPR Book Just Released
Emotional CPR: Assisting People through Emotional Distress recounts how a team, mainly comprising individuals with personal experiences of severe mental health conditions, developed a novel method to aid those in mental health crises. Unlike conventional approaches, this method prioritizes establishing a heart-to-heart connection over diagnosis. By treating individuals as resourceful, the approach empowers them to navigate their path forward, fostering revitalization. This approach reflects how the Emotional CPR developers desired to be treated during their own distress, and how such treatment facilitated their journey through distress. Click here to purchase the book.
On December 12th, our Emotional CPR Coordinator Kimberly Ewing hosted a virtual coffee house to announce and discuss the launch of the book. Click here to view the recording.
Introduction to Emotional CPR
Emotional CPR Video Series Now Available
NEC’s Kimberly Ewing recently presented a webinar introducing participants to Emotional CPR. The webinar was not able to be recorded due to a technical issue, but a separate video was recorded covering the content.
Introduction To Emotional CPR (eCPR) by Kimberly Ewing, Director of Training and Engagement, National Empowerment Center
Emotional CPR (eCPR) is a dynamic public health education program that prepares you to support others through emotional crises using three transformative steps: Connecting, emPowering, and Revitalizing. Developed by leaders with firsthand experience in recovery, this approach integrates principles from trauma-informed care, suicide prevention, and emotional intelligence into a practice that anyone can use in any setting.
The Three Pillars of eCPR
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Connecting: The Foundation of Safety
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Deepen your listening skills and practice true presence.
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Create a genuine sense of safety for those in distress.
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Learn to “listen with the heart” to build an immediate emotional bond.
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emPowering: Shifting Toward Hope
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Help individuals transition from a state of hopelessness to active engagement in life.
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Learn to build “power with” collaborative relationships rather than “power over” others.
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Discover how to help others feel more passion and power during difficult times.
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Revitalizing: Sustaining the Healing Process
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Support people as they re-engage with loved ones and vital support systems.
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Assist in establishing routines that promote health, wellness, and a sense of mastery.
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Energize the healing journey by focusing on meaning, purpose, and dreams.
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Emotional CPR in Action: Realplay with Kimberly Ewing, Oryx Cohen and Shira Collings with the National Empowerment Center
In this realplay, we demonstrate how to support someone moving through a period of intense emotional distress or crisis using the eCPR (Emotional CPR) method. Unlike traditional crisis intervention, eCPR focuses on Connection, emPowering, and Revitalizing through a heart-to-heart human connection rather than a clinical “fix-it” approach.
The Three Phases of eCPR
Watch as we navigate the three core components of the process:
- C – Connection: Creating a safe, non-judgmental space through “heart-to-heart” presence. You’ll see the supporter focus on being with the person, rather than doing something to them.
- P – emPowering: Helping the person find their own internal strength. We shift the focus from “What is wrong with you?” to “What has happened?” and “How can we find your power again?”
- R – Revitalizing: Assisting the person in identifying their next steps and reconnecting with their sense of purpose and community.
Why This Matters
Emotional CPR is a public health education program that helps people assist others through emotional crises. It is rooted in the belief that anyone can provide support by simply being present, authentic, and empathetic. This video is a great resource for peer supporters, family members, or anyone looking to build deeper emotional intelligence and supportive skills.
Webinar Recording Now Available: So You Want to Write a Bill? Training Youth Leaders in Legislative Advocacy
Presenter: Saanvi Arora
Webinar Description: This webinar will equip youth leaders and the professionals who support them with practical skills to transform lived experiences into effective legislation. By exploring key case studies, participants will learn how to platform personal stories, draft compelling policy proposals, and navigate the legislative advocacy process.
Click here for the recording.
APA Publishes Paper Supporting Peer Respites
NEC is proud to announce the publication of a groundbreaking paper on the unique approaches of peer-run respites, “Peer-Run Respite Approaches to Supporting People Experiencing an Emotional Crisis,” published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). Click here for the press release.
Neurodiversity Gifts is Now Available!
Neurodiversity Gifts is an impactful, multi-dimensional encounter workshop brought to you by Josh Roberts and the National Empowerment Center. It is designed to give people living with mental health conditions a fresh, colorful perspective of their potential, and an expanded view of reality at large.
By combining insights from Western perspectives (science, psychology, and philosophy) with insights from Non-Western perspectives (traditional cultures, spirituality, and mysteries), the goal is to reframe your identity away from self-stigma, towards post-traumatic growth, and the potential gifts of your neurodiverse mind.
The 3 hour individual training is now available for $120. Click here to purchase the individual training!
Artists for Change Exhibit
Gayle Bluebird has completed an art exhibit featuring the work of artists with lived experience who are part of the peer movement. It is now available for anyone who wishes to view it. Click here for the exhibit.
Emotional CPR Presentation and Podcast Interview with eCPR Coordinator Kimberly Ewing
NEC’s Emotional CPR Director of Training and Engagement Kimberly Ewing presented on eCPR for the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) in December and was interviewed for the Peer Voices podcast in August. Click below for the recordings.
A Good Intro to Emotional CPR
Testimonial
I AM A “FIXER” by Carmaleta Aufderheide
Last week, I took an online eCPR course. The “e” stands for emotional. I wanted to do this for a
few reasons but mainly to continue to inform how I teach and talk to others. I had no idea what I was in for.
As I sat at my computer, sipping coffee, the virtual classroom opened with an upbeat music
video playing. I found myself sipping and swaying in tune with the music. People began
entering the meeting room and settled in. I recognized the intention of setting the
mood…mission accomplished!
The phrase “trauma-informed” is something I never had a good grasp of nor could explain well.
This class helped break new ground in my engagement with everyday happenings from this
perspective.
We all have shit we are dealing with. It’s not a competition about who has it worse. I’ve worked hard to communicate openly without putting up walls, which can be easier said than done. This class reconnected me to the importance of how I show up for people.
I’ll admit it – I am a FIXER, at heart. Sometimes I feel like I need a 12-step recovery program for
“fixing”. I fight the urge to do this and teach on this…but it’s something I am always working on. As the first day of class came to a close, I was emotionally spent. I had given it my all and
witnessed other do the same. Wow…how often does that happen?
Day 2 of class did not disappoint. I have always felt it was a privilege to hold space for people
when they feel comfortable enough to share something hard with me. What surprised me
though was how this class helped me ask, how do I show up for myself? That’s something I have to work on. By the end of two days, my gratitude for the instructors and fellow participants continues to fill my cup.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go do something for me…so I can be there for you.
Resource of the Week
ReAwaken Manifesto
The ReAwaken Manifesto was born out of a week-long gathering of international leaders in mental health, addiction, and trauma at the inaugural ReAwaken conference, ReAwaken Australia, which took place 8-12 April 2019 in Adelaide, South Australia. The manifesto reflects the collective work and vision of these leaders. ReAwaken recognizes that our society is asleep in many ways, more isolated than ever from each other and the environment, which has led to ineffective and often harmful polices and practices in the fields of mental health, trauma and addiction. We call for a great reawakening of the human spirit, a reclaiming of our narratives, and a reconnection with our fellow travelers and the earth. We know this is possible because we have achieved this in one short week, having created a beautiful, safe, inclusive, and loving community in one small corner of the world.
Studies on Emotional CPR
Research findings of an eCPR study published in June 2022 found eCPR benefits individuals from multiple, diverse demographics. It can enhance their ability to connect with others, to understand what it means to be with someone who is experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis, to accept their own emotions, and to be confident in being their most authentic self in both their work and personal lives. Participants found eCPR training to be a valuable resource for learning new skills when engaging with an individual who may be in distress or experiencing a mental health crisis.
For a one-page summary of the article, click here.
To access the full-text publication, visit: https://formative.jmir.org/2022/6/e32219/
A study published in April 2021 found that eCPR may increase feelings of belonging while increasing supportive behaviors toward individuals with mental health problems and improving clinical outcomes related to positive and negative affect and feelings of loneliness. Statistically significant pre-post improvements were found related to one’s ability to identify emotions, support others in distress, communicate nonverbally, share emotions, and take care of oneself, as well as to one’s feelings of social connectedness, self-perceived flourishing, and positive affect. Findings indicated promising evidence of pre-post improvements (not statistically significant) related to loneliness, empowerment, active-empathetic listening, mindfulness awareness, and hope.
For a one-page summary of the article, click here.
To access the full-text publication, visit: https://jopm.jmir.org/2021/1/e25867.
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Featured Video
An Introduction to Emotional CPR (eCPR)
Finding Our Voice
Finding Our Voice is a program for training emerging c/s/x leaders in advocacy skills and ways of being.
The following video was produced by one our graduates, Miriam Israel using the skills that she learned in our training.