The National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse is now affiliated with the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion!
TO CONTACT THE CLEARINGHOUSE: SELFHELPCLEARINGHOUSE@GMAIL.COM
TO CONTACT SUSAN ROGERS: SUSAN.ROGERS.ADVOCACY@GMAIL.COM
TO CONTACT JOSEPH ROGERS: JROGERS08034@GMAIL.COM
A Call to Action: Activists Launch Educational Campaign—“Tell the Truth about Psych Drugs!”—and Here’s How You Can Participate!
An educational campaign urging psychiatrists to “Tell the truth about psych drugs!” has been launched by mental health activists, led by MindFreedom International and the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery, timed to synchronize with the 2020 annual meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA): April 25-29, 2020. The goal is to educate psychiatrists and other mental health professionals as well as the general public—including individuals who receive mental health treatment—about the risks involved in taking psychiatric drugs, and to emphasize the need for the opportunity to provide truly informed consent. To participate, write an op ed to be submitted to your local newspaper with the understanding that, if the paper agrees to publish it, publication will be timed for late April, to coincide with the APA annual meeting. Or do whatever you choose to do in order to educate people, such as writing a blog post, talking about it during a speaking engagement, or even just sharing this call to action! The campaign’s overarching theme—“Tell the truth about psych drugs!”—comprises these points: “People need the opportunity to give truly informed consent about psych drugs! Psych drugs may be harmful! Psych drugs may have paradoxical effects! Psych drug withdrawal is long, hard, and may be dangerous! Psychiatrists: Stop collaborating with Big Pharma!” For tips on writing an op ed, including a list of contact and submission information for major outlets, click here. (In addition, it’s wise to check directly with the news outlet for the most up-to-date information.)
Nominate Peers for the Annual Alternatives Awards—and More!
Rather than holding a separate conference in 2020, the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery—which organized Alternatives 2018 and 2019—has joined forces with (and is grateful to!) the Peerpocalypse team for an exciting opportunity to keep the Alternatives energy alive! Alternatives awards will be presented during the NCMHR Annual Meeting (Monday, April 20, 7:30 p.m.-9 p.m.). Please nominate peers for each award by sending their respective bios and a description of how you think each of your nominees has made a difference. For more information about the awards, transportation to Peerpocalypse—in Seaside, Oregon, April 20-23, 2020—the schedule and complete listing of workshops, the keynote speakers, and how to register, click here.
BRSS TACS to Host “Learning Community to Improve the Supervision of Peer Workers”
BRSS TACS writes: “This learning community is open to supervisors of peer workers who want to learn, strengthen, and apply core competencies related to their position…The learning community will meet virtually for three months, from April 2020 through July 2020. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from plenary sessions led by national leaders in the field of peer support services and participate in online discussions with supervisors from across the country. Each participant will concentrate on developing a supervisory implementation plan for their organization during workgroup sessions.” To be considered for participation, “please complete the online application on Survey Monkey by 8:00 pm EST on Monday March 2, 2020. Every interested individual in an organization must fill out and submit an application…To help you assess whether the learning community is a good fit for your needs, the BRSS TACS team is holding an informational webinar on Monday, February 24, 2020 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. ET…Sign up today! For questions or more information, contact BRSS TACS at 781.247.1803 or jbushell@c4innovates.com
“Psychiatric Hospitals Can Still Force Patients to Accept Shock Treatment.”
“Despite concerns about efficacy and side effects, courts are slow to act on behalf of patients who don’t want the [shock] treatment,” according to a recent article in Reason. “One Connecticut patient has been shocked 500 times in five years.” For the article, click here. Meanwhile, the takeaway of an article about ECT that was published in August 2018 is: “In other words, ECT is effective because it causes brain damage.” For that article, in The Tyee, click here. For a comprehensive and close look at ECT, read “Doctors of Deception: What They Don’t Want You to Know about Shock Treatment,” by Linda Andre, published by Rutgers University Press; the International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine called the book “brilliant analysis.” For more about it, click here.
NARMH Has Extended Its Deadline for Workshop Proposals to March 6 (or “Until Agenda Is Filled”)!
The National Association for Rural Mental Health (NARMH) has extended the deadline for workshop proposals for its 46th annual conference to March 6, 2020 (or “until agenda is filled”)! The theme of the conference—to be held in Portland, Oregon, August 17-20, 2020—is “Beyond Treatment: Tackling Social Determinants to Improve Rural Mental Health.” For the call for proposals, click here. For the proposal form, click here. For additional information about the conference, click here.
“Peer Support Specialists Working Together with Allies” Is the Next Doors-to-Wellbeing Webinar
On February 25, 2020, at 2 p.m. ET, Doors to Wellbeing will host a free one-hour webinar on “Peer Support Specialists Working Together with Allies.” “Empowerment is one of the essential tools used to promote an individual’s self-determination to engage and manage their challenges in the clinical system,” Doors to Wellbeing writes. “However, peer specialists can make even more of an impact when other colleagues understand the important role a peer specialist can play in recovery. Learning how to communicate with other service providers will, in return, create solid allies that facilitate one’s wellness and recovery. This webinar will offer tips developed through our skills as peer specialists to empower colleagues as allies in our work.” To register, click here.
“Students With Psychosis” Seeks to Empower Students with Psychosis
Students With Psychosis writes: “Previously known as ‘Students With Schizophrenia, Students With Psychosis (SWP) is empowering student leaders and advocates living with psychosis worldwide by organizing events, founding clubs, offering career-building internship programs, and bringing together a global perspective of psychosis through our Advocacy Board. Together, we can change the face of psychosis.” For more, click here.
NCMHR to Host Webinar on “Surviving Race” for Black History Month on February 26, 2020
The National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery (NCMHR) is hosting a free, 90-minute webinar on “Surviving Race: The Intersection of Injustice, Disability, and Human Rights” on February 26, 2020, at 1 p.m. ET. Celia Brown and Lauren Tenney will speak about their work and activities with Surviving Race. Jen Padron will speak about alternatives to calling 911 for ‘psychiatric/mental health reasons.’ Allilsa Fernandez will cover the impact of discriminatory campus medical leave policies on marginalized communities. Jonathan Edwards will discuss “how pursuing dreams may be a coping mechanism, but not a blinder!” He writes: “We can hide behind achievements, or we can acknowledge the struggle that drove us beyond the labels society has created for us…” Braunwynn Franklin writes that her journey has led her “to move forward in social and system change for people who experience mental health challenges, incarceration, and gender-based violence.” For more information and to register, click here.
Crisis Text Line Releases Its Report on the State of Mental Health in America
Crisis Text Line writes: “With 129 million messages exchanged in the U.S., we have a pretty good idea why people are struggling. And so we released our first-ever national report with findings of the underlying reasons people are in crisis. ‘Everybody Hurts: The State of Mental Health in America’ spotlights state-specific crisis trends to facilitate solutions to alleviate that pain.” For more information and a link to the report, click here.
Courtesy of Laura Van Tosh
Free Webinar: “No Place like Home? Critical Considerations for Residential Crisis Settings”
On February 27, 2020, at 12 p.m. ET, TBD Solutions will host a free webinar titled “No Place like Home? Critical Considerations for Residential Crisis Settings.” “Nearly 50 years ago, residential crisis treatment emerged as a psychiatric hospital alternative in a vastly different setting—in homes with features much like the neighboring houses occupied by people who are not in crisis,” TBD Solutions writes. “While the model has since been expanded and experimented with, the homelike environment remained constant up until recently as communities have begun building multi-function crisis centers in the same buildings. In this webinar we gather national experts in residential crisis treatment to explore the extent to which residential crisis services should be provided in a home or homelike setting, and the implications of providing them anywhere else.” The panelists are Steve Fields, executive director, The Progress Foundation (California); Steve Miccio, executive director, PEOPLe (Projects to Empower and Organize the Psychiatrically Labeled) Inc. (New York); and Jaime Brewer, director of programs, Community Reach Center (Colorado). To register, click here.
“The Mental Illness Happy Hour” Is “…Like a Waiting Room That Doesn’t Suck,” Its Host Says
“Comedian Paul Gilmartin hosts a weekly, hour-long audio podcast consisting of interviews with artists, friends and the occasional doctor. The show is geared towards anyone interested in or affected by depression, addiction and other mental challenges which are so prevalent in the creative arts. Paul’s hope is that the show and this website will give people a place to connect, smile and feel the return of hope. The biggest myth about mental illness is that you are alone and there is no help.” Gilmartin writes: “The show is not meant to be a substitute for professional mental counseling; I’m not a therapist; it’s not a doctor’s office; it’s more like a waiting room that doesn’t suck.” The New York Times calls it a “perversely safe place in which [Paul] and his guests talk about their fears, addictions and traumatic childhoods.” Psychology Today writes: “Normalizes what so many others feel but have been too fearful or ashamed to express… remarkable.” Find it here: https://mentalpod.com/ and @mentalpod.
Free Webinar: “NRCIL Jail Diversion Program in Lewis County, NY”
On February 27, 2020, from 12 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. ET, this free webinar about the Northern Regional Center for Independent Living’s beginning and current work in the Lewis County (NY) Jail will share how NRCIL works with other mental health and treatment providers within the jail. NRCIL writes: “By the end of the webinar, you will be able to describe how NRCIL provides groups within the jail and the community upon [individuals’] discharge/ transition to assist individuals with addiction and wellness, and [how] NRCIL’s discharge work with people is inclusive of planning to return home with the support of a recovery coach/warm line.” To learn more and to register, click here.
Mad in America Launches 11-Session Course in Working with People Who Are Suicidal
In March, Mad in America Continuing Education (MIACE) will launch an 11-seminar course titled “Innovative Approaches to Working with People Who Are Suicidal.” “The course will both provide new insights into understanding the factors driving the increase in suicide, and tell of ‘therapeutic’ approaches that ‘demedicalize’ suicide and instead offer new ways to help people in crisis,” writes Robert Nikkel, MIACE’s executive director. The course, targeted at both professionals and lay people, will “emphasize that innovative approaches do not focus on ‘treating’ the suicidal person, but rather on developing collaborative relationships. Four of the eleven webinars will tell of successful peer approaches to grappling with suicide.” The first 90-minute seminar—“Suicide in the Age of Prozac: A Review of the ‘Evidence’”—on March 5, 2020, 1:30 p.m. ET, will be presented by MIA founder Robert Whitaker. The fee for the 11-session course is $150; a group rate for organizations is also available. For more information, click here.
ISPS-US to Host Webinar—“Believe It or Not! Ways of Working with 'Delusions'/Unusual Beliefs”—& Issues Call for Proposals for its 2020 Conference
ISPS-US (International Society for Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychosis—U.S. Chapter) writes that its upcoming webinar—“Believe It or Not! Ways of Working with 'Delusions'/Unusual Beliefs,” March 9, 2020, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. ET—“will explore different ways of understanding unusual beliefs...” ISPS-US webinars are free to ISPS members, “with a donation of $5-$20 requested from others, though no one [is] turned away for lack of funds.” For more information and to register, click here. At the same time, the organization is inviting proposals for its 2020 conference; the deadline to submit a proposal is March 29, 2020. The theme of the conference—to be held October 22-25, 2020, in Atlanta—is “Love + Justice in Engaging Psychosis and Extreme States.” For more information, click here. To submit a proposal, click here.
Spiritual Competency Resource Center Aims to Enhance Cultural Sensitivity of Mental Health Professionals
“The Spiritual Competency Resource Center provides access to online resources that enhance the cultural sensitivity of mental health professionals. Spirituality is now accepted as an important component of cultural competency for mental health professionals. These resources include online courses, audio-visual resources, articles, and live workshops.” For more information, click here.
Coalition for Smart Safety Issues Joint Statement on Gun Violence Prevention Policy and Mental Health Disabilities
The Coalition for Smart Safety—which includes numerous disability rights, civil rights, education, and privacy organizations—recently issued a statement condemning the false association between gun violence and people with mental health conditions. The letter begins: “The recent mass shootings in our country have necessarily turned the spotlight on proposed policies and solutions at the legislative level. While the undersigned agree that public safety is paramount, the assumption that people with mental health disabilities, including those with perceived mental health disabilities, are inherently dangerous and that targeting them will solve our country’s gun violence problem is wrong…Studies have repeatedly shown that people with disabilities, including mental health disabilities, are far more likely to be victims of gun violence than perpetrators. In fact, recent studies demonstrate that only 4% of gun violence is connected to mental health disabilities…Legislation that targets people with mental health disabilities will not be effective in reducing gun violence. Falsely blaming people with mental health disabilities for violence will stigmatize these individuals, violate their right to privacy, and will likely dissuade some people from seeking help at all.” To read the letter in its entirety, and the names of the signers, click here.
“Love Like Everyone Else,” Says the TU Collaborative on Community Inclusion
“Just like everyone else, people who experience mental health challenges desire love, intimacy, and human connection,” the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion writes in a description of its new publication celebrating “the experiences of love and intimate partnerships expressed by persons who report having a mental health diagnosis.” The TU Collaborative hopes “that these first-person accounts will illuminate the importance of love and intimate relationships as vital to health and wellness. The experiences shared in this document highlight specific ways that mental health service users give and receive love and support, just like everyone else who is in a healthy intimate partnership. We hope that these stories provide insight and facilitate important conversations between intimate partners, service providers and consumers, and family and friends.” To download the eight-page document, click here.
“He Attempted Suicide and Ended Up in Jail”
“Arthur’s story speaks to a troubling tendency in the legal system, reform advocates say: to treat mental health crises as criminal matters, rather than matters of public health.” For the article, click here. For more about the criminal justice system, in which many individuals with mental health conditions are incarcerated, scroll down for the February 2020 criminal justice digest.)
People Magazine Initiates “Let’s Talk About It” Campaign
On October 16, 2019, PEOPLE Magazine launched “a year-long initiative to encourage readers to have vital conversations about their mental health. Our Let’s Talk About It campaign will highlight stories of ordinary people and celebrities who have dealt with mental illness and provide resources about where to get help and how to offer support to others.” For more information, click here.
The February 2020 Digest of Articles about Alternatives to Traditional Mental Health Treatment and Resources, and Healthy Lifestyle Advice
For “Study confirms lifting weights eases depression,” click here. For “Can Mindfulness Evolve from Wellness Pursuit to Medical Treatment,” click here. For “Our bodies are chronically in "threat mode"—but being kind recalibrates our nervous system: Being kind to others positively impacts your physical and mental health, according to this groundbreaking research by Stanford professor Dr. James Doty,” click here. For “The relationship between quilting and wellbeing,” click here. For “The Healthy Habits Well Challenge,” click here. For “Will the FDA give the go-ahead to a prescription video game? The wait goes on, as new data come in,” click here. For “Looking on the Bright Side May Be Good for Your Health: A number of recent long-term studies has linked greater optimism to a lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease and other chronic ailments and to fostering ‘exceptional longevity,’” click here. For “NYC Doctors Help 1,500 Families with Social Determinants of Health: The program has also provided social determinants of health screenings for 8,400 children and their families,” click here.
Two of the articles are courtesy of Kevin Fitts.
The February 2020 Digest of Articles about the Criminal Justice System, in Which Many Individuals with Mental Health Conditions Are Incarcerated (and the Key Update continues after this Digest)
Here is the February wrap-up of stories about the criminal justice system. (Note: Some of the titles and other language are not politically correct but are reproduced as written.) For “Prisoners with mental illness don’t belong in county jail, report says,” click here. For “They Went to Jail. Then They Say They Were Strapped to a Chair for Days. Allegations in a Missouri lawsuit shed light on how some jail officials use restraint chairs, which have been linked to dozens of deaths,” click here. For “Former Chief of Psychiatry: Arizona Prisons ‘Cruel, Dated, Insensitive and Inhumane,” click here. For “New San Francisco D.A. Inherits Chance to Hold Police Accountable in Shooting of Man with Mental Illness: Activists hope Chesa Boudin will press charges, and push for systemic changes to address the criminalization of mental illness,” click here. For “Cops Are Illegally Detaining and Hurting Mental Health Patients: Understaffed hospitals in Vermont are engaging local law enforcement as security, but their lack of training means people get hurt, citations are issued, and already-strained regions lose access to healthcare,” click here. For “Jurors swayed by racism in Texas death penalty case?” click here. For “Many Mississippi prisoners kept locked up past release dates due to housing shortage, click here. For “‘You wouldn’t think you’d go to jail over medical bills’: County in rural Kansas is jailing people over unpaid medical debt,” click here. For “Kentucky appeals court rules jails can force inmates to pay for stay even if not guilty,” click here. For “Juveniles face solitary confinement, abuse in state custody, Justice Department finds,” click here. For “Treating Mothers’ Trauma as a Way to Prevent Youth Violence: In Michigan, SURE Moms has created a healing space for parents working to keep their kids out of the juvenile justice system,” click here. For “Chapel Hill ‘Debt Fund’ Created to Alleviate Burden of Court Fees,” click here. For “New N.J. law will sustain college offerings for incarcerated residents,” click here. For “Larry Krasner’s Lonely, Radical Crusade to Solve America’s Gun Problem: The progressive prosecutor wants to fight gun violence with a light touch. His critics say he’s crazy. His defenders say he’s onto something,” click here. For “New Jersey just eliminated fines for youth in the juvenile system. And that’s a good thing,” click here. For “A Second Chance in Kentucky: On Friday, I registered to vote after more than a decade in limbo,” click here. For “Criminal Justice Group Drops Support for Pretrial Risk Assessment Tools as Ohio Justices Seek to Block Their Use: Reform advocates say the risk assessments are racially biased and are not effective at their key tasks: predicting the likelihood someone will return to court,” click here. For “They Got Their Voting Rights Back, But Will They Go to the Polls? Thousands of Louisianians on probation and parole face numerous obstacles to casting a ballot, including the idea that their votes don’t matter,” click here. For “Graffiti-removal company hires only homeless or formerly incarcerated workers,” click here. For “Three Texas inmates have died at the hands of prison officers as use of force continues to rise: The increase in altercations with inmates comes as Texas' prison population dwindles. In three years, three officers have faced criminal charges in prisoners' deaths,” click here. For “Alabama Voices: ‘Just Mercy’ and justice don’t exist in Alabama,” click here. For “Books helped me get through a life sentence. Exploitative fees rob others of benefit: At 18, I thought I would spend the rest of my life in prison. Reading opened new worlds, helped me help others. High e-reader fees are latest to harm inmates,” click here. For “Witnesses called it a vicious mugging. The alleged ‘perps’: prison guards,” click here.
FROM PREVIOUS EDITIONS OF THE KEY UPDATE BUT STILL FRESH!
Participants Needed for Research Study of Client Engagement in Therapy
“If you are 18 years or older, have been diagnosed with a serious mental health condition that results in significant impairment in at least one life area—social relationships, ability to work, completing daily living activities, or meeting basic needs—and currently receive outpatient therapy, you are eligible to participate in an IRB-approved study of the interactions between clients and therapists and how they impact engagement in therapy,” writes Jason Mallonee, a doctoral candidate at the University of Pennsylvania. “The study’s goal is to demonstrate the importance of recovery-oriented practices—including therapist empathy and a collaborative working alliance—and avoiding coercive practices on engagement in outpatient therapy. The online survey should take 20 to 30 minutes to complete. The first 100 participants who complete the survey and provide their name, phone number, and email address will receive a $10 Amazon gift card. (Your personal information will not be connected to your survey responses.)” If you are interested in participating, please contact Jason Mallonee (co-Investigator) at 808-639-3369 or mallonee@upenn.edu.
To Support iNAPS’s “One Classification Counts” Campaign, Take Its Survey
The International Association of Peer Supporters (iNAPS) is calling on all peer workers—regardless of job title, population served, or workplace setting—to complete a one-minute survey indicating their job title (and providing a little more information), to help with its “One Classification Counts” campaign. iNAPS writes: “What is this campaign and why is one classification important to peer support specialists? Currently, the Department of Labor (DOL) does not recognize peer support work as a unique occupation. Because there are hundreds of different job titles, peer support ends up classified under a number of different helping professions, many of which do not require (and sometimes actively prohibit) having and sharing lived experience as a defining feature.” For more about the background and goal of the campaign, click here. To take the survey, click here.
NCMHR Seeks Responses to Its Surveys on Seclusion and Restraint
“In its most recent legislative priorities, the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery (NCMHR) aims to reduce restraint and seclusion practices in a variety of institutional settings in the United States,” the NCMHR writes. “Many efforts have been made in this area for the past several decades, and some of them have led to significant changes in regulations and practice. These surveys are an effort to glean information about where we stand today, and how far we still have to go…Your input is very important to us, and will help shape future discussions about this topic. The examples you give in the comment boxes will be especially important in this process of understanding current practices in these settings…If you have experienced restraint or seclusion, click here. If you have worked for an organization that utilizes restraint or seclusion practices, click here. If both apply, please feel free to fill out both surveys. Please pass this on to anyone else in your network with one or both of these experiences.” Although your responses will be anonymous, if you would like to be added to the NCMHR email list, you may include your email at the end of the survey.
Survey Seeks Respondents Who Are in Administrative/Leadership Positions in the Mental Health Field
If you are in an administrative/leadership position in the mental health arena, “the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry (GAP) Committee on Psychiatric Administration and Leadership invites you to participate in the International Survey on Administrative Psychiatry. The survey has two purposes: 1. To identify the concerns and needs of mental health professionals/psychiatrists in administrative and leadership positions. 2. To determine training needs in administrative psychiatry. We ask you to complete this brief, [15- to 20-minute] questionnaire to help us in developing recommendations for action. We also want to let you know that, if you fill out this questionnaire, you permit the committee to use your anonymous data for scientific work.” Peer providers are included. For the survey, click here.
Courtesy of Oryx Cohen
Free Resources for Peer Worker Supervisors Are Posted on the iNAPS Website
The International Association of Peer Supporters (iNAPS) has posted an array of resources for supervisors of peer support staff. The sources of the 18 disparate resources include the Transformation Center, the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD), the Café TA Center, the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS), the Carter Center, the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network, SAMHSA-HRSA and the Center for Integrated Health Solutions, and other organizations and individual experts. For the peer support supervision resources, click here.
If You Have Experienced Psychosis, “Psychosis Beyond the Box” Wants to Hear From You.
“Psychosis Beyond the Box” seeks to gather anonymous descriptions of “aspects of psychosis that are often neglected, such as felt presences, visual or quasi-visual experiences, and alterations of space, time or distance,” as well as strategies to help with any distressing or challenging aspects of the experiences. The narratives will be compiled and shared in early psychosis programs and other service settings across the U.S. A major aim of the project—which is not a research project—is “to validate the diverse range of things people with psychosis experience, and help people, especially young adults experiencing psychosis for the first time, feel less alone and isolated (in these experiences).” For more information about the project, based at the University of South Florida, or to share your story, click here. Questions? Write to Nev Jones (genevra@usf.edu) or ShannonPagdon@gmail.com.
“Experiences with Hospitalization” Survey Seeks Participants
“The purpose of this survey is to help us understand people's lived experience with voluntary and involuntary treatment because of suicidal thoughts. It was created by people with lived experience…We are planning to use this information to facilitate discussions with suicidologists and the suicide prevention community about the impact of the use of these interventions, particularly within marginalized populations. We feel the voice of people with lived experience with these interventions has not had adequate opportunity to be heard, and hope that by completing this survey anonymously, people who have been most impacted can find a safe way to share their experiences. Please note that this is not a research project.” For more information and/or to participate, click here.
Courtesy of Leah Harris
International Survey on Antipsychotic Medication Withdrawal Seeks Respondents
“Have you taken antipsychotic medication (such as Zyprexa, Seroquel, Abilify, Risperdal, Haldol, Geodon, Stelazine, and others), for any condition or diagnosis, with or without other medications? And did you ever stop taking antipsychotics, or try to stop taking them? Are you 18 years or older? If yes, you can take this survey about antipsychotic withdrawal and attempts to withdraw, including if you stopped taking them completely or if you tried to come off and still take them. The survey aims to improve mental health services by better understanding medication withdrawal. Lead researcher is Will Hall, a therapist and Ph.D. student who has himself taken antipsychotics. Service users/survivors/consumers from around the world also gave input. The study is sponsored by Maastricht University in the Netherlands; co-sponsors include the International Institute for Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal. Questions? Please contact will.hall@maastrichtuniversity.nl.” For more information or to take the survey, click on www.antipsychoticwithdrawalsurvey.com
Virtual Group Is Launched to Advance Peer Research Capacity, Leadership, and Involvement
Nev Jones, Ph.D., and Emily Cutler, a doctoral candidate, have launched a new listserv dedicated to building research capacity, leadership, and involvement among peers, survivors, and service users. Dr. Jones, assistant professor, Department of Mental Health Law & Policy, University of South Florida, was part of the team that developed “User/Survivor Leadership & Capacity Building in Research: White Paper on Promoting Engagement Practices in Peer Evaluation/Research (PEPPER),” published by the Lived Experience Research Network. For the white paper, click here. Anyone interested in joining the virtual group can email Nev at nev.inbox@gmail.com.
Do You Supervise Peer Support Workers? Then Researchers Have Some Questions for You
Researchers in the University of South Florida’s Department of Psychiatry and at Magellan Health are investigating the backgrounds, training, and experiences of individuals who currently supervise at least one peer support worker in a behavioral health setting or agency. “To the best of our knowledge, this will be the first comprehensive research study of the landscape of peer support supervision practices in the United States,” writes Dr. Nev Jones, the primary investigator of the study (Protocol Number 00040223). Participants must be at least 18 years old and work in the United States or U.S. territories. An online survey lasting approximately 10 minutes will ask about respondents’ backgrounds, training and preparation for supervision, perspectives and practices, and views on barriers and facilitators to high-quality supervision. There is no monetary compensation. Questions? Contact Dr. Nev Jones (genevra@health.usf.edu) or the co-primary investigator, Dana Foglesong (dfoglesong@magellanhealth.com). To access the survey, click here.
What Happens to People after Discharge from First Episode Psychosis/Early Intervention Programs? New Study Seeks Answers—and Participants
A study led by Dr. Nev Jones at the University of South Florida seeks current and former clients as well as family members of clients previously enrolled in early intervention in psychosis (EIP)/coordinated specialty care (CSC) services. The study aims to better understand what happens after discharge from EIP/CSC programs, including in the areas of school or work and access to/use of other mental health services. Eligible participants must be at least 18 years old and must be “current clients within one month of discharge from an EIP/CSC program, former clients discharged at least six months (at the time of the scheduled interview), and the family members of former clients.” In exchange for a phone interview of approximately 1.5 hours, each participant in the study (Protocol Number 00035193) will receive a $75 money order. Questions? Contact Dr. Jones at 813.415.5532 or by email at genevra@health.usf.edu.
Mad In America Invites You to Submit Your Personal Story (Within Certain Guidelines)
Mad In America writes: “A ‘personal story’ is defined as your story of being in relationship to psychiatry and/or the mental health system, whatever that means to you. It might involve your opinions and analysis of what happened to you, as well. It can be about a specific event, or about your overall journey, provided it fits the length requirements (1,500 to 3,000 words) and has a narrative arc. The piece should be about your personal experiences, not psychiatry or the mental health system in general. Submissions should fall under the theme of rethinking psychiatry and the mental health system, and should be original works not previously published elsewhere. For examples of the types of stories we publish, view our personal stories archive here.” For more information and/or to submit a personal story, click here.
Vera Institute of Justice Research Symposium to Be Held April 16-17, 2020, in NYC
The Vera Institute of Justice writes: “The unprecedented scale of incarceration in the United States has many political, economic, and social effects. We hope that you will join us for a research symposium that explores changes in the carceral landscape and their impacts on American society.” For more about the conference, click here. (Scroll down for the February 2020 digest of articles about the criminal justice system, in which many people with mental health conditions are incarcerated.)
Peer Support Conference in Canada to Be Held June 25-26, 2020
A peer support conference will be held in Vancouver, BC, Canada, June 25-26, 2020, at the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown, 6083 McKay Avenue, Burnaby, BC. For more information, contact Sherry Sim, Event Manager, sherry@innovative4you.com. For this information, click here.
Courtesy of Elizabeth Stone
Disclaimer: The Clearinghouse does not necessarily endorse the opinions and opportunities included in the Key Update.
About The Key Update
The National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse is now affiliated with the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion!
The Key Update is the free monthly e-newsletter of the National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse. Volume 16, No. 8, February 2020. For content, reproduction or publication information, please contact Susan Rogers at selfhelpclearinghouse@gmail.com. Follow Susan on Twitter at @SusanRogersMH