Deadline Alert! Under CONFERENCES, TRAININGS, AND WEBINARS, and under …BUT STILL FRESH, a few of the events listed are taking place on November 28 (the publication date of this newsletter!), November 29, November 30, December 1, and December 2.
The National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse is affiliated with the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion.
TO CONTACT: THE CLEARINGHOUSE: SELFHELPCLEARINGHOUSE@GMAIL.COM … SUSAN ROGERS: SUSAN.ROGERS.ADVOCACY@GMAIL.COM … JOSEPH ROGERS: JROGERS08034@GMAIL.COM
THE KEY UPDATE IS COMPILED, WRITTEN, AND EDITED BY SUSAN ROGERS, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL MENTAL HEALTH CONSUMERS’ SELF-HELP CLEARINGHOUSE.
NOTE: THE "FROM PREVIOUS EDITIONS OF THE KEY UPDATE BUT STILL FRESH!" DEPARTMENT, WHICH IS DIRECTLY BELOW THE MONTHLY CRIMINAL LEGAL SYSTEM DIGEST, INCLUDES ITEMS THAT HAD BEEN POSTED "ABOVE THE FOLD" IN EARLIER EDITIONS BUT ARE STILL RELEVANT. THESE INCLUDE ONGOING RESEARCH STUDIES THAT ARE STILL SEEKING PARTICIPANTS, AS WELL AS UPCOMING WEBINARS AND CONFERENCES, AND OTHER ITEMS OF CONTINUED INTEREST. DON'T MISS IT!
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NEWS
“Telehealth Giant Drew People with Addiction. Deaths, Overdoses Followed”
“Cerebral, once the fastest-growing provider of online mental healthcare, was ill-equipped to treat those who didn’t disclose substance-use disorders, employees say,” a recent Bloomberg article reported. Multiple overdoses and deaths have resulted. “For most of its history, the company delegated the delicate task of interacting with patients in emergency situations to…mostly unlicensed personnel” and provided very little crisis training. (Psychiatrist David Mou said Cerebral has been striving to do better since he became CEO in May 2022. However, Cerebral’s performance during the 16 months in which Mou was chief medical officer have also “generated criticism,” Bloomberg notes.) Psychiatrist/neurologist Alyson Maloy, a Physicians for Patient Protection board member, said (generalizing): “‘When corporations come in and they try to squeeze the practice of medicine into this corporate model of productivity and maximizing profit, there are many situations in which it doesn’t work. And those tension points are where people get hurt.’” For the Bloomberg article, click here.
Two Recent Articles Highlight the Value of Lived Experience
In STAT and Slate, NAMI’s chief medical officer, Ken Duckworth, MD, writes about the value of lived experience to both individuals and in designing mental health policy. In STAT, he writes, “The country needs to determine a unique, even radical, path for reimagining treatment and, in the meantime, offer a different perspective on what ‘expertise’ means…Lived experience is expertise.” For “Unseen Mental Health Experts: People with Mental Illness,” in STAT, click here. And in Slate, he writes, “There are lots of ideas about how to overcome the shortage of mental health professionals…But there’s one thing we can definitely do: broaden the idea of who has something to offer…Peers may be a helpful resource to consider when you are waiting for weeks or months at a time for a licensed professional.” (Duckworth also promotes the medical model, and takes a “both/and” approach to peer support.) For “The Mental Health Care System Is Finally Recognizing the Value of Peer Support,” in Slate, click here.
PEER Magazine Names 10 Top Innovators
In PEER Magazine’s inaugural issue (Autumn/Winter 2022), 10 individuals are highlighted as top innovators. The 10 are Dan Fisher, MD, PhD (on the cover); Eliza Alys Young; Braunwynn Franklin; Becky Ray; Mark Salzer, PhD; Chris Hansen; Laura Rose; Jerome Lawrence; Brandee Roloff Izquierdo Johnson, PhD; and Celia Brown. Also included is an article about “Mental American Monster: The Sprawl of American Psychiatry: True Horror,” a documentary by Lauren J. Tenney and Richard J. Hall (click here); and “The Trans Lifeline (click here): Actionizing a National Campaign to Do No Harm in Response to 988.” PEER is edited by Jen Padron. For the magazine, click here; for a free Kindle copy, click here.
“Too Evil to Be Believable”: Attorney Jim Gottstein, Author of The Zyprexa Papers, Is Interviewed
Attorney and PsychRights founder Jim Gottstein, author of The Zyprexa Papers, is interviewed by psychologist Nick Fortino on the Psychology Is podcast. Among the many topics covered are Eli Lilly’s dishonest “science” (08:28), Jim’s experience of receiving and releasing the Zyprexa papers (26:35), What if there were no drugs? (52:40), and Might The Zyprexa Papers become a movie? (01:11:00). To listen, click here. Jim was also interviewed on Facebook by Nicole Lamberson of Medicating Normal. For that interview, click here.
New Book Examines the History, Research, Values, Guidelines, and Practice of Peer Support
A new book—What it Takes: Wisdom from Peer Support Specialists and Supervisors—by members of the National Association of Peer Supporters (N.A.P.S.) “is about the practice of peer support from its origins in self-help to its continuing evolution as a profession…The book is intended to provide the latest information on a philosophy and profession that is at the forefront of the transformation of behavioral health services from a medical model satisfied with symptom relief and stability to a recovery model determined to inform those with a diagnosis of mental illness that a quality life is possible and doable.” Rita Cronise, one of the editors, notes that all of the proceeds from the sale of the book will support ongoing efforts of the National Association of Peer Supporters: "Everything beyond the expenses of publishing and promotion will go to N.A.P.S." For more information about the book, due to be published on February 14, 2023, click here.
Rest In Power Lois Curtis, Lead Plaintiff in Olmstead v. L.C.
Lois Curtis, the lead plaintiff in the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1999 case that upheld the community integration mandate of the Americans with Disabilities Act, died on November 3, 2022, of pancreatic cancer at her home outside of Atlanta. (Curtis’s co-plaintiff, Elaine Wilson, died in 2004.) The Olmstead decision had a significance in the disability rights community that has been compared to Brown v. Board of Education. "We went from a system in 1999 that the only places that most people with disabilities and older adults could get services were in institutions like nursing homes and psychiatric hospitals, to systems that are primarily focused on supporting people with services in their own homes,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services official Alison Barkoff told NPR. For the NPR article, click here.
Music May Improve Mental Health as Much as Exercise, Research Shows
“[A] scientific review published in JAMA concludes that music’s benefit to mental health is actually comparable to that of exercise…The review found “moderate-quality quantitative evidence of associations between music interventions and clinically significant changes in mental HRQOL [health-related quality of life]...However, the review is not without limitations, including the broad nature of inclusion criteria and the possibility of bias in the studies analyzed.” For the article, in Nice News, click here.
CONFERENCES, TRAININGS, AND WEBINARS
MHAAO Issues Call for Proposals for Peerpocalypse; Deadline: November 30
The deadline to apply to present a workshop at Peerpocalypse, presented by the Mental Health & Addiction Association of Oregon (MHAAO), is November 30! The conference will be held May 8-11, 2023, in Seaside, Oregon, and virtually. For more information and to submit a proposal, click here. For more about the conference, click here. (The deadline on the form is October 31; however, it has been extended to November 30.)
Mindspring to Present Numerous Free Webinars in November and December
“Talking to Kids about Mental Health,” the first of many upcoming webinars offered by Mindspring Mental Health Alliance, will take place on November 28, 2022, at 1 p.m. ET. Mindspring writes: ”Learn how to help children understand what mental illness is and is not, and how to answer their questions, with a licensed therapist.” For more information and to register, click here. For information about upcoming Mindspring webinars on November 29 and 30 and in December, click here.
PSCFL Presents Speaker Series Featuring Peer Entrepreneurs
On December 1, 2022, at 12 p.m. ET, the Peer Support Coalition of Florida (PSCFL) will host Kwadeidra Zhane Wilson, “the creative eye and old soul behind Experience KZW.” PSCFL writes: “Join us for this inspiring series where we will ‘Take a Walk in the Shoes of a Peer Entrepreneur!…Learn about their businesses, how they got started, and how they balance managing their wellness while running a successful business.” Questions? Contact Sherry Warner, sherry@peersupportfl.org, 407.793.1139 ext. 108. For details and to register, click here.
“Serving an Underserved Population: Peer Support, Disability, and Mental Health”
On December 1, 2022, at 2 p.m. ET, Mental Health America will present a free, 60-minute webinar entitled “Serving an Underserved Population: Peer Support, Disability, and Mental Health.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Adults with disabilities report experiencing frequent mental distress almost 5 times as often as adults without disabilities.” Mental Health America writes that “persons with disabilities face additional challenges to both recovery and the services of peer support.” For details and to register, click here.
NEC to Present an International Virtual eCPR Training, Beginning December 2
The National Empowerment Center (NEC) will present an international virtual eCPR (emotional CPR) training comprising three four-hour sessions, on December 2, 9, and 16, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. ET. The training is limited to 12 participants. To receive a certificate, you need to attend all three four-hour sessions. NEC writes: “The cost is $120 to $250; please pay what you can afford. Those who can afford to pay $250 will help subsidize those who cannot. A limited number of scholarships are available; to apply, please email info@emotional-cpr.org.” For details and to register, click here.
“The Peer Support Specialist Workforce During Covid-19: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities”
On December 7, 2022, at 1 p.m. ET, the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation will present “The Peer Support Specialist Workforce During Covid-19: Changes, Challenges, and Opportunities” as part of its “Making Sense of Employment Research” webinar series “designed to discuss a recently published research study, in a clear and relevant way, even for those who know little or nothing about research.” For more information and to register, click here.
“Integrating Behavioral Health Peer Support Specialists into Crisis Response”
On December 8, 2022, at 1 p.m. ET, the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Academic Training Initiative to Inform Police Responses will present a one-hour webinar that will “provide an overview of the roles of behavioral health peer support specialists across the criminal [legal] system, discuss the newer role of peer support specialists in crisis response, and provide examples of how peer support specialists are trained and embedded in teams of professionals tasked with responding to crisis calls in the community. Additionally, this webinar will consider how people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) might be integrated into similar peer support roles to enhance crisis responses to people with IDD.” For details and to register, click here. (Courtesy of Elizabeth R. Stone)
National Empowerment Center to Host a Virtual Coffee House on December 8
On December 8, 2022, from 12 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET, the National Empowerment Center will host Kim’s Coffee House, “a virtual space where we can informally get together, share stories, perhaps strategize together, and support each other. We are opening the Coffee House in December particularly because the holidays can be such a difficult time for folks and we wanted to hold space for anybody who would like some support or just pop in to say hi. Everyone is welcome at Kim's Coffee House, no matter where you are or how you are doing; positive and celebratory sharing is welcome as much as holding space for folks going through a hard time.” For more information and to register (for free), click here.
McLean Hospital Offers “The Global Impact of Emotional Trauma: A Course for Professionals”
“McLean Hospital is pleased to offer this on-demand course aimed at dispelling long-held misconceptions about assessing and treating emotional trauma. Experts from around the world will share the latest updates in the field, including delivering care in low-resource settings and exploring special populations such as the unique experiences of refugees and displaced persons.” For more information and to register, click here. For other free on-demand McLean webinars on mental health topics, click here.
Peer Support Coalition of Florida Offers a Variety of Free Trainings
The Peer Support Coalition of Florida (PSCFL)–dedicated to advancing peer support in Florida and throughout the nation–is offering a number of free trainings, which are outlined in their 10-page training calendar. The dates of the trainings–for peers, for peer supervisors, and for youth and those who serve youth–are on page 10 of the catalog, which is available here.
OPPORTUNITIES
HSRI Offers Policy Fellowship for People with Lived Experience
The Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) has established a Policy Fellowship for people with lived experience of behavioral health systems to gain experience with applied research into behavioral health systems. HSRI writes: “We're deeply committed to hiring and developing leaders with lived experience, and this fellowship is one more step in that direction. It's designed for people who may not have a ton of research experience and want to get a foot in the door. Please get in touch with Bevin Croft (bcroft@hsri.org) if you have any questions. Applicants are asked to respond here: HSRI’s Career Center.”
TU Collaborative Wants to Hear Your Story!
“We are working on a project to better understand social connections among adults with significant mental health challenges,” the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion writes. “We are seeking your stories on your social connections generally” and “what those connections mean to you.” The TU Collaborative will compile these stories based on a series of brief surveys. For details and to share your story, click here.
Telehealth Research Study for Behavioral Health Services Providers
The Great Lakes MHTTC is seeking participants for their research study on the use of virtual behavioral health services and its benefits and challenges…If you choose to be in this voluntary study, please complete this 10-minute survey developed by the Great Lakes MHTTC to gain a better understanding of a) how telehealth is being used by behavioral health services providers, b) its benefits, c) its challenges, and d) projected use in the future. You can receive a copy of the survey results by including your email at the end of the survey. The survey results will also be available on the Great Lakes MHTTC website. Note: This survey is open to the public, regardless of location.” Take the survey here. Questions? todd.molfenter@wisc.edu
Call for Papers: “Recovery at 30: Emancipation, cooptation, or the end of an era?”
“The year 2023 marks exactly three decades since the publication of Bill Anthony’s seminal “Recovery from mental illness: the guiding vision of the mental health service system in the 1990s" (click here)...”In this special issue of Community Mental Health Journal,” the editors write, “we are soliciting both concept pieces (commentaries, critical reviews) and empirical work (qualitative, quantitative, ethnographic or mixed methods) that explore the question of whether recovery policy remains relevant and emancipatory today or whether the psy-fields are instead in need of fresh thinking and new, more diverse values-based frameworks.” The submission deadline is September 1, 2023. For more information, click here.
RESOURCES
Common Threads: Stories of Survival & Recovery from Mental Illness
Common Threads: Stories of Survival & Recovery from Mental Illness, a 108-page compendium, includes “tales of survival and recovery” by a number of Floridians. To quote from the Introduction, “Many of the people in these stories have lived significant portions of their lives in psychiatric institutions, and only through their strengths have they found their way back to the community…In these tales, we hear about the importance of education and peer support…” To download the free document, click here.
MHA Publishes “Getting Started Guide for New Caregivers”
Mental Health America’s “Getting Started Guide for New Caregivers” is “an online guide to help new mental health caregivers navigate their role.” The web page offers links to Getting Started; Challenging Stigma; Starting a Conversation; Legal Caregivers; Caregiving in the Treatment Setting; Navigating Red Tape, Cost, & Logistics; Best Practices in Supporting Your Loved One; Understanding Challenges During the Recovery Process; Caregiver Concerns; Taking Care of Yourself; and Additional Resources. For the online guide, click here.
“Physical Wellness for Work” Workbook Offers Activities to Augment Health and Wellness
“Success at work requires a level of stamina, energy, and concentration that can be challenging to sustain without attention to daily wellness habits and routines. ‘Physical Wellness for Work’ offers manageable activities to augment health and wellness. Its underlying philosophy is that even small changes in daily habits can result in increased energy and health for a better and more satisfying workday.” For the free 21-page workbook, a product of the UIC Health & Recovery Solutions Suite, click here. (Courtesy of Peggy Swarbrick via Jacek Haciak)
The December 2022 Digest of Articles Offering Healthy Lifestyle Advice
For “Feeling Dismissed? How to Spot ‘Medical Gaslighting’ and What to Do About It. Experts share tips on advocating for yourself in a health care setting,” click here. For “Can’t Sleep? Try Sticking Your Head in the Freezer. In a new book, a sleep scientist offers tips for better rest—without reaching for a pill,” click here.
The December 2022 Digest of Articles about the Criminal Legal System, in Which Many Individuals with Mental Health Conditions Are Incarcerated (and the Key Update continues after this Digest)
For “Why So Many Jails Are in a ‘State of Complete Meltdown’: Overcrowding, violence and abuse proliferate at jails across the country, as staffing problems make long-simmering problems worse,” click here. For “Record numbers of people are dying in Georgia’s largest jails: The deaths have been attributed to drug overdoses, suicides and other causes in the state’s five biggest lockups amid a trio of crises,” click here. For “Who’s Really Cycling In and Out of Cleveland’s Courts? Often miscast as violent criminals, most repeat defendants commit nonviolent crimes borne out of untreated addiction and mental illness, a Marshall Project analysis shows,” click here. For “The Problem With How Courts Decide Whether Someone Can Be Executed: The criminal justice system is unequipped to grapple with the complexity of mental illness,” click here. For “An autistic teen needed mental health help. He spent weeks in an ER instead. Zach Chafos languished for a total of 76 days in a Maryland ER waiting for a psychiatric bed -- part of a growing mental health treatment crisis for teens across the country,” click here. For “Inmate Suicides Rose Sharply in U.S. Prisons, Jails During Pandemic: More inmates kill themselves amid pandemic isolation, increased use of drugs, staff shortages,” click here. For “He Pocketed His Victims’ Organs. Was His Death Penalty Trial Fair? As Andre Thomas faces execution for three gory murders, a court questions jury bias and his competency,” click here. For “In Pa. county jails, people with mental illness are routinely met with pepper spray and stun guns: A WITF investigation finds that corrections officers use physical force on people who may be unable to comply with orders due to a mental health condition,” click here. For “Chilling Audio Provides Rare Glimpse Into Abuse at Troubled Illinois Residential Facility: No one was charged when staff were caught on a 911 tape threatening violence against a Choate Mental Health and Developmental Center resident who has developmental disabilities. New reporting shows a culture of cover-ups at the facility,” click here. For “New Orleans capital defense attorney Billy Sothern dies,” click here. For “Billy Sothern, Crusading New Orleans Defense Lawyer, Dies at 45: He was known for taking on some of Louisiana’s toughest cases, including the wrongful conviction of Albert Woodfox, who spent 42 years in solitary confinement,” click here. For “Rochester to Pay $12 Million to Family of Man Killed by the Police: Daniel Prude died in March 2020 after police officers put a mesh hood over his head and pressed his face into the pavement,” click here. For “Florida’s Voter Fraud Arrests Are Scaring Away Formerly Incarcerated Voters: DeSantis made a spectacle of arresting voters with felony convictions. Now, some eligible voters are opting out of midterms even beyond Florida,” click here. For “After an autistic teen’s in-custody death, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office used criminal search warrants to dig into his past,” click here. For “In San Francisco, ‘No Intention to Seek Justice’: Internal emails, interviews with former DA staff, and the recent treatment of certain victim families show how Chesa Boudin’s recall and Brooke Jenkins’s early decisions disrupted the city’s most sensitive and rarely-prosecuted cases—police killings,” click here. For “I Spent Over 40 Years Working in Corrections. I Wasn’t Ready for Rikers. Rikers Island jail complex ‘reflects our nation’s racist and destructive fixation on imprisonment,’ writes former New York City jails commissioner Vincent Schiraldi. ‘It’s Exhibit A for why we need to end mass incarceration,’” click here. For “A deputy mistook a blind man’s cane for a gun. He ended up in jail anyway. Sheriff Mark Hunter called the man’s arrest ‘unacceptable’ as he announced the deputy and her supervisor had been punished,” click here. For “Report Finds ‘Code of Silence’ at Mental Health Facility Where Staff Abused and Neglected Patients: A newly released report from an agency watchdog echoes reporting published earlier this year that revealed widespread collusion to cover up misconduct at the Illinois facility,” click here. For “Forced Prison Labor Was Also on the Ballot: Voters in four states—Alabama, Oregon, Tennessee, and Vermont —approved ending the practice of involuntary labor and slavery as punishment for a criminal conviction,” click here. For “La. voters keep ‘slavery’ at Angola prison, once and still a plantation,” click here. For “End of slavery exception in state constitutions could reform prison labor: ‘Personal profit in the system is an opening for justice to be corrupted,’” click here. For “7 Key Criminal Justice Takeaways From the Midterms: Sheriffs. Prosecutors. Abortion and slavery amendments,” click here. For “Bobby Bostic released on parole after being imprisoned in Missouri for 27 years: The St. Louis native who has been behind bars since he was 16 was among 100 people given life sentences as juveniles who got a new chance at parole after state legislators passed a law in 2021,” click here. For “A Passport to the Future: Restoring Pell grants for incarcerated students is long overdue. But without meaningful infrastructure, true freedom will remain elusive,” click here. For “Jeffery Gerritt: Extend moratorium, then kill Pa.'s death penalty,” click here. For “He Pocketed His Victims’ Organs. Was His Death Penalty Trial Fair? As Andre Thomas faces execution for three gory murders, a court questions jury bias and his competency,” click here. For “D’Angelo Burgess Fled From Police. Does That Make Him a Killer? An Oklahoma case raises issues about both felony murder charges and high-speed police pursuits,” click here. For “Record number of defendants with mental illness 'decompensating' in Washington jails. More people than ever before with mental illness are waiting in Washington jails for court-ordered treatment. Research shows this causes their illnesses to worsen,” click here. For “Why unhoused people in the US are choosing to go to jail: ‘I kept reoffending’: People on the street who are resistant to shelters face a cruel choice: living rough in the cold or spending time behind bars,” click here. For “Son's killing by officers forges a mom's campaign to divert the police,” click here. For “How Mass Incarceration Shapes Our Elections,” click here. For “Wait times for mental health services in WA jails worsen as fines spiral,” click here. For “‘I will not be party to this violent system’: An abolitionist against jailing gets a jury summons in Baltimore City | GUEST COMMENTARY,” click here. For “Prosecutors in These States Can Review Sentences They Deem Extreme. Few Do. Five states now allow prosecutors to seek shorter sentences in old cases. Louisiana shows why many DAs haven’t,” click here. For “Course Correcctions: The Return of Prison Education: Federal grants are rebooting higher education behind bars, but the benefits aren't evenly distributed to all of the incarcerated,” click here. For “What’s It Like to Be an Editor of a Prison Newspaper? The incarcerated editor of The Nash News in North Carolina shares about the power of higher ed and his work at the prison newspaper,” click here. For “Recidivism Is Inadequate Measure of Success After Prison; New Measurements and National Standards Are Needed, Says New Report,” click here. For “Juvenile (in)justice: girls in the system,” click here.
FROM PREVIOUS EDITIONS OF THE KEY UPDATE BUT STILL FRESH!
CONFERENCES, WEBINARS, AND TRAININGS
30th Annual (Virtual) Forensic Rights and Treatment Conference, Nov. 30-Dec. 1
The theme of Drexel University’s 30th Annual Forensic Rights and Treatment Conference, to be held November 30-December 1, 2022, is Homeward Bound: Exploring Issues Faced by Justice-Involved Persons. Drexel writes: “The conference will be available to registrants until December 31, 2022, and you will be able to see all of the workshop offerings. Once you complete the evaluation tool and a validation tool, you will receive your CE credit within two weeks…The times represented on the brochure may slightly change in the virtual event.” Questions? Write to bheweb@drexel.edu or call us at 215.831.4055. For more information and to register, click here.
“So You’re Ready to Work; Now What?”
On October 11, 2022, at 12 p.m. ET, Rebel Leadership Group LLC and CAFE TAC launched a new, 12-part interactive employment training series! “This series will be recovery-centered and strengths-based, examining the process of finding, applying for, and succeeding in a job through the lens of recovery, helping attendees to identify strengths and skills, align the job-seeking and employment experience with their personal recovery path, and providing opportunity for discussion in a peer-centered space…Registering for any of the 12 sessions will automatically register you for all future sessions.” For details and to register, click here.
ISEPP’s 2021 Conference Is Available to View Online
The 2021 conference of the International Society for Ethical Psychology and Psychiatry can be viewed online. The theme of the conference, convened October 9-10, 2021, was “The Destructive Propaganda of the Mental Health Industry: How Did We Get Here? Where Are We Going?” It was dedicated to the life and memory of Paula J. Caplan, Ph.D. To buy a ticket to watch the full conference recording for $22.85, click here.
Rutgers University Sponsors Free Wellness Self-Care Program for Service Providers
The Wellness Training Learning Collaborative of the Rutgers Center of Alcohol and Substance Use Studies Is sponsoring a series of free wellness trainings, designed as stand-alone sessions, for health care professionals. They write: “Join us to engage in a series of interactive sessions to empower [health care] professionals to practice simple self-care strategies to stay well. Learn how to build these wellness self-care habits into day-to-day life.” The upcoming sessions are on Dec. 8, 2022, and Jan. 19 and Jan. 26, 2023. For descriptions and to register for one or more of the sessions, whose times vary, click here and scroll down to page 5. (Although all the times say EDT, EST began on Nov. 6.)
NASMHPD’s 2014 Webinar Series on Trauma-Informed Peer Support Is Still Relevant“
SAMHSA’s National Center for Trauma-Informed Care (NCTIC) hosted a series of three 75-minute webinars in September 2014 that introduced key concepts in NCTIC’s day-long Trauma-Informed Peer Support (TIPS) training. Peer support providers are the primary audience. For more information and to listen to the recordings and download the PowerPoint slides, click here.
PsychAlive Offers a Variety of Webinars on Mental Health Topics, Many Free, Others $15
PsychAlive is a free, nonprofit resource created by the Glendon Association, whose mission is “to save lives and enhance mental health by addressing the social problems of suicide, violence, child abuse and troubled interpersonal relationships.” Psychalive.org offers a variety of upcoming and archived webinars, many of which are free, while others are available for $15. Among the myriad topics are “From Anxiety to Action: How to Stay Sane While Fighting Climate Change,” “How to Overcome Insecurity,” “Powerful Tools to Fight Depression,” and “Understanding and Overcoming Adverse Childhood Experiences.” To check out the webinars, click here.
Learning Collaborative Webinar Series Offers Several Archived Presentations
The Doors to Wellbeing website offers a number of webinars that you may find of interest: “The Importance of Policies and Procedures in Peer-run Organizations”; “Building Partnerships to Enhance the Peer Workforce,” by Kyneta Lee, Tim Saubers, and Todd Noack; “Handing Over the Keys: Leadership Succession Planning in Non-Profit Organizations,” by Elise Padilla and Maxine Henry; “How to Embed Strategic Planning into the Culture of Your Organization,” by Oryx Cohen; “Fundraising and Sustainability: Building your Organization by Telling the Right Story to the Right Audience”; “Developing a Board of Directors for Mental Health Organizations,” by Amey Dettmer and Matthew Federici; and “Conflict Management in Peer-Run Organizations: Tools for Effective Conversations.” Certificates of attendance are not available for any of these presentations. For more information and to register for any or all of them, click here.
National Safety Council Offers a Free Webinar Series Focusing on Mental Health in the Workplace
"The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will affect employees well beyond the initial crisis," the National Safety Council writes. "Employers have a unique ability and responsibility to address the mental health and wellbeing of their workers, which is a true organization-wide effort. This free Mental Health Webinar Series led by the National Safety Council, and first presented in August 2020, speaks to a variety of positions within an organization and how each one can address stress and mental health." Four of the five webinars are titled: "Supporting Employee Mental Health" and respectively subtitled "Resources for Employees," "Actions for Leadership," "Actions for Supervisors," and "Actions for HR Professionals." To view the free, archived webinars, click here.
OPPORTUNITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH
Young Adults with Psychiatric Diagnoses Are Sought for Study on Community Participation
The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion is recruiting young adults (ages 18-30) with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression to take part in ConnectionsRx, designed to support engagement in meaningful community activities. Participants will be enrolled in the peer-led study for six months, and receive support to help meet community participation goals. Interviews (approximately 60 minutes each) will take place on Zoom. Participants will receive a $15 Amazon gift card (to a maximum of $45) for each survey completed. For the website, click here. Questions? Write to ConnectionsRx@temple.edu.
Researchers Ask, How Can Community-Based Organizations Use Data to Thrive?
“Researchers at Live & Learn Inc. are exploring the needs and preferences of community-based organizations that want to use data to improve and sustain their programs. What we learn will help us to develop tools to support community-based organizations to conduct program evaluation. If you represent a community-based organization that offers programs and services to support the well-being of people with mental health and substance use concerns, please take 15 minutes to complete our survey. Survey respondents will be entered into a raffle for a $25 eGift card. After the survey, we may invite you to participate in an interview, for which you will be compensated. Responses to the survey and interviews will not be shared with anyone outside of the research team. For more information, visit our website or contact Morgan Pelot: morgan@livelearninc.net, 805.244.5262.”
South Southwest MHTTC Launches Youth and Young Adult Peer Supporters Survey
“Are you a peer specialist who provides peer support to other people under the age of 30? We want to hear from you! Please fill out the survey to assist the South Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (South Southwest MHTTC) in learning more about youth peer support across the country! The intent is to be able to include these peer supporters in research, training, and technical assistance activities surrounding youth peer support. The form should take 5-10 minutes to fill out, and can be done from a phone or a computer browser. To take the survey, click here.” Questions? Write to southsouthwest@mhttcnetwork.org.
Are You Interested in Pursuing Graduate School and/or a Research Career? Read Below.
Stephania Hayes (UC Davis), Shannon Pagdon (Columbia/NYS Psychiatric Institute/University of Pittsburgh), and Nev Jones (University of Pittsburgh) write: “We are gathering information from people with lived experience in the Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) or early psychosis space (including peer specialists, current/former CSC participants, and CSC youth coordinators) who are potentially interested in pursuing graduate school and/or a research career. All of us identify as having lived experience, work in CSC, and are invested in supporting the next generation of scholars who also have lived experience. We would like to create a discussion group and/or other supports for people interested in this career path. The link below leads to a very brief survey that will help us understand the level of interest in such supports, as well as areas of career interest. (Please note that this is not a research study.)” To participate in the anonymous survey, click here.
“Help Us Map the Landscape of Lived Experience and Family Involvement in 988 Policy and Related Crisis Response System Planning!”
“As 988 implementation rolls out alongside additional efforts to strengthen crisis response systems throughout the U.S., it's important to gauge the extent to which direct stakeholders (i.e., individuals who use or have used mental health crisis services and their families) have been involved in related policy, implementation and evaluation at the local, regional, state or federal levels. To map out involvement nationally, Mental Health America (lead: Kelly Davis), Nev Jones (University of Pittsburgh) and Keris Myrick (National Association of Peer Supporters) have developed a survey aimed at documenting the extent of stakeholder involvement, the forms this involvement has taken, and, where available, what concerns stakeholders have raised. Any individual with knowledge of lived experience and family involvement is eligible to participate; individuals completing the survey do not have to have lived experience themselves.” For more information and to access the survey, click here.
Survey Seeks Respondents Who Have Taken Mental Health Courses Involving Their Own Diagnoses
Have you taken a mental health course that covers a diagnosis you have? If so, you are invited to participate in a brief, anonymous, online survey--designed by a University of Pittsburgh MSW student--about what it's like for students with lived experience to study their own diagnoses in a classroom. The survey covers students' experiences of studying such subjects as "abnormal psychology," "psychopathology," and diagnosis and assessment when their own diagnoses are covered. "The goal of the project is to better understand what it feels like to take courses in which someone’s diagnosis is being taught/defined/discussed. There is currently no literature or reporting on the experiences of students in the above circumstances, or the associated impact." Interested? Please click here. Questions? Please email the project lead, Charlie Clement, at cjc204@pitt.edu
Peer Support in Higher Education Survey Seeks Respondents
“Peer support programs are growing on college campuses across the U.S. Mental Health America, Doors to Wellbeing, and the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion want to better understand the availability of peer support in higher education as well as the experiences and needs of students accessing peer support programs…We hope to use this research to support the expansion of peer support in higher education, including developing a national database of peer support programs in higher education and documenting pressing issues in campus programs…You may also indicate if you are interested in having your school’s peer support program listed in a national database of peer support programs in higher education.” For more information and to complete the survey, click here.
BU Seeks Peer Support Specialists for a Research Study
The Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston University is developing and testing the effectiveness of a coaching service called Coaching and Advancement for Peer Providers (CAPP) “to increase organizational commitment and job satisfaction and decrease turnover among mental health peer providers.” BU CPR writes: “We need Peer Support Specialists (PSS) to participate in our study. Who can participate? People who are in a paid job as a Peer Support Specialist providing support to other people with mental health challenges, who are employed at least 10 hours per week, who have worked for the past six months in a mental health program, and who are experiencing stress because of challenges in the workplace. The study involves 16 one-hour sessions of coaching over a four-month period designed to help you with your job, meeting online (through Zoom, for example) with your coach, and filling out surveys one time before coaching starts and three additional times. You will have a 50/50 chance of getting a coach or having a one-time meeting to give you information about challenges at work. Benefits? You may learn strategies to help make work less stressful.” For more information, click here. For questions, contact Principal Investigator E. Sally Rogers, Sc.D., at erogers@bu.edu or 617-353-3549.
Supported Education Survey Needs Your Help
Do you operate a program that provides dedicated supported education services for individuals with psychiatric disabilities/mental health conditions? If so, you are invited to complete the survey at the link below. The primary goal of the survey is to help create a National Supported Education Database (NSEdD) that will be "a searchable listing of diverse supported education programs and services for individuals experiencing psychiatric disabilities and/or mental health challenges...across the US and its territories." The NSEdD project is sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and co-administered by the five SAMHSA-funded national consumer and consumer-supporter technical assistance centers, in collaboration with research partners Drs. Nev Jones (University of Pittsburgh) and Mark Salzer (Temple University). For a link to the survey, which includes a definition of supported education, click here. For a flyer with information about the survey, click here.
National Survey on Student Rights, Discrimination, and Accommodations in Higher Education Seeks Respondents
"Have you experienced psychiatric disability-based discrimination or the denial of an accommodation in a postsecondary institution in the United States? Interested in informing national advocacy focus on psych disability rights in higher ed? Mental Health America (lead: Kelly Davis) and collaborators Dr. Nev Jones (University of Pittsburgh), Stefanie Kaufman-Mthimkhulu (Project LETS) and Brit Vanneman Esq. (Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law) have developed "a survey aimed at providing a more comprehensive understanding of student experiences of campus-based discrimination, mandated leaves of absence, and/or denial of academic, administrative and/or student-work accommodations in the U.S. Data will be used to inform national advocacy efforts and future projects, and in reports, presentations and publications." For eligibility and to access the survey, click here.
If You've Had, or Been Labeled with, "Negative Symptoms" in the Context of Psychosis...
"If you have experienced or been labeled with 'negative symptoms' in the context of psychosis, please consider contributing an anonymous account of your views and experiences," Dr. Nev Jones writes. "Currently, there is nowhere one can go to find lived experience perspectives/accounts on this topic—even though 'negative symptoms' regularly feature in research and clinical trials. Help us change this!" This survey is a companion to Psychosis Outside the Box; for that survey, click here. For more information and/or to share your story about "negative symptoms," click here.
"Are You Between the Ages of 21 and 60 and Drink Alcohol?"
"Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are seeking adults--[both smokers and non-smokers]--to study whether a gene and smoking may affect drinking alcohol. Volunteers should be healthy and drug-free, and not seeking treatment for alcohol-related problems. Research participation includes three outpatient visits at the NIH Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD; alcohol consumption; brain scans (MRI), blood draws, and filling out questionnaires. There is no cost to participate and compensation may be provided." For more information, click here. (Courtesy of Fran Hazam)
TU Collaborative Seeks Participants for Its Parenting Through Leisure Project; See Also the TU Collaborative's Parenting Resources, Including Information on Custody Issues
The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion is seeking parents with lived experience of a mental health condition to participate in a paid research study. The TU Collaborative writes: "Our program, Parenting Through Leisure, focuses on helping parents with a serious mental illness participate in leisure activities with their child. We are looking for individuals who are 18 and older; are an adult parent with a diagnosis of schizophrenia-spectrum disorder, bipolar disorder, or depression; have a child who is 7 to 15 years old and is interested in participating in family leisure with you; have legal visitation rights, joint custody or full custody of the child, with at least weekly contact; and have a desire to engage in more leisure activities with their child." For details about the study and the remuneration as well as other benefits to eligible participants, and a link to sign up, click here. Questions? Please contact TUCollab@temple.edu. And for the TU Collaborative's Parenting web page--which includes links to many resources for parents with lived experience, including information about custody laws and a model family reunification statute--click here.
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)
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
OTHER OPPORTUNITIES AND RESOURCES
“Crisis Now” Offers a “Roadmap to Safe, Effective Crisis Care”
The goal of Crisis Now: Transforming Crisis Services—led by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) and developed with the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, and RI International—is “to provide all communities a roadmap to safe, effective crisis care that diverts people in distress from the emergency department and jail by developing a continuum of crisis care services that match people’s clinical needs.” Among the resources offered on the website are SAMHSA’s 80-page “National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care Best Practice Toolkit” (2020), an “Overview of Crisis Funding Sources Available to States and Localities” (last updated March 2, 2022), and assessment tools, such as “How Does Your Crisis System Rate?” The Crisis Now partners write: “Are you interested in adding your organization to the list supporting Crisis Now, or do you have questions? Reach out to us at info@crisisnow.com. For the website, click here. (Courtesy of Kevin Fitts)
“What Is the Meaning of Life?” This Free Online Collection Offers Answers
Excellence Reporter offers more than “1,200 articles-interviews on ‘What Is the Meaning of Life?’ written by renowned spiritual leaders, mindfulness experts, great thinkers and authors, elders, artists, musicians, CEOs, etc.” The contributors include such renowned figures as Bertrand Russell; Carl Jung; the Dalai Lama; Eleanor Roosevelt; Epicurus; Erich Fromm; Kahlil Gibran; Buckminster Fuller; Robert Louis Stevenson; and Ron Bassman, executive director of MindFreedom International. To browse the free compendium, click here.
The UIC Center’s Solutions Suite for Health & Recovery Offers Free Tools
"The UIC Center offers tools, curricula, and implementation manuals for free use in community-based programs, peer-run programs, or one's own life. You can introduce the entire complement of products to foster improved health, wellness, and mental health recovery. Or, you can choose the ones that will work best for your program or your life. The Suite was developed in collaboration with Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey. The UIC Center is funded by NIDILRR (National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research). For the UIC Solutions Suite for Health & Recovery, click here. (Courtesy of Peggy Swarbrick via Jacek Haciak)
Poetry Coalition to Launch "Poetry & Disability Justice" Initiative
"This year, the 25+ organizations nationwide that comprise the Poetry Coalition will launch 'The future lives in our bodies: Poetry & Disability Justice,' the coalition’s sixth annual programming initiative...Poetry Coalition members aim to demonstrate how poetry can inspire questions in their communities about disability justice and spark increased engagement with this important theme. Member organizations are committed to offering programming that is accessible and that includes disabled, neurodivergent, and d/Deaf poets and those of diverse racial, ethnic, and gender identities, backgrounds, and communities. All organizations and others interested are invited to create programs on this theme in 2022 and share their efforts using the hashtags #DisabilityJustice and #PoetryCoalition. For some additional resources to assist with programming, particularly in creating accessible programming, click here.
U.S. Surgeon General Creates Community Toolkit for Addressing Health Misinformation
"The U.S. Surgeon General’s Community Toolkit for Addressing Health Misinformation, developed in collaboration with the HHS Office of Evaluation Sciences (OES), provides specific guidance and resources for health care providers, educators, librarians, faith leaders, and trusted community members to understand, identify, and stop the spread of health misinformation in their communities." For information about the toolkit (a 22-page overview of health misinformation, and resources to stop it), and links to a “Talk to Your Community About Health Misinformation” Infographic, a “Health Misinformation Checklist” Infographic, and the Surgeon General's press release, click here.
"Psychiatrist with Philosophical Interests" leads "Conversations in Critical Psychiatry," a Psychiatric Times Series
Awais Aftab, who describes himself as a "psychiatrist with philosophical interests" in his Twitter bio, leads "Conversations in Critical Psychiatry," which, he says, "explores critical and philosophical perspectives in psychiatry and engages with prominent commentators within and outside the profession who have made meaningful criticisms of the status quo." Among those interviewed are Allen Frances, M.D., author of Saving Normal; Sandra Steingard, M.D., and G. Scott Waterman, M.D., on "Integrating Academic Inquiry and Reformist Activism in Psychiatry"; Susannah Cahalan, author of Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness, on "50 Shades of Misdiagnosis"; Kathy Flaherty, J.D., executive director of the Connecticut Legal Rights Project, Inc., on "Reconsidering Care and Coercion in Psychiatry"; Nev Jones, Ph.D., on "Phenomenology, Power, Polarization, and the Discourse on Psychosis"; Dainius Puras, M.D., on "Global Psychiatry's Crisis of Values"; and many others. For the archived interviews, click here.
CNN Offers “A Guide to Helping and Getting Help During the Coronavirus Crisis”
CNN writes: “The coronavirus pandemic is overwhelming, and one of the most excruciating parts for many people is the feeling of utter helplessness in the face of widespread suffering and hardship. CNN’s Impact Your World has compiled a list of donation opportunities and tips to help those affected by the crisis. Click on a category or scroll down to browse a list of organizations, resources and ideas. Need help? Most categories also include resources for financial, emotional or social support.” For the free guide, click here.
U.S. DOL Releases Guidance on FMLA Leave and Mental Health
The U.S. Department of Labor’s newly issued Fact Sheet #280 about the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) explains when eligible employees may take FMLA leave to address mental health conditions, and new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) offers additional information. (Although the FMLA covers public and private employers nationwide, only those private employers who have 50 or more employees for at least 20 workweeks in a year are required to provide their eligible employees with FMLA leave.) For details, click here.
Hearing Voices Network Is Now Hosting Online Groups
“There are now ONLINE opportunities to connect, share experiences, and find mutual support,” the Hearing Voices Network (HVN) writes. “These groups are accessible via web-based platforms and by phone…Online groups are specifically for those with personal lived experience with hearing voices, seeing visions, and/or negotiating alternative realities. They are voice-hearer facilitated. With further questions and for details on how to access the group[s], please email info@hearingvoicesusa.org.” To read this announcement online and for more information, click here.
Virtual Group Works to Advance Peer Research Capacity, Leadership, and Involvement
Nev Jones, PhD—a strong advocate for building research capacity, leadership, and involvement among peers, survivors, and service users—leads a virtual group dedicated to this effort. Dr. Jones—assistant professor, School of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh—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.
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.
Seven Ways to Keep a Digital Copy of Your Vaccination Card on Your Smartphone
“You'll need proof of vaccination to go back to work or enter many restaurants, gyms and event venues, so keep your COVID-19 card handy.” This is the advice of CNET.com, a tech support website. Besides the obvious—taking a photo of the card to store on your phone—there are six other suggestions. For details, click here. (Courtesy of Yvonne Smith)
ISPS-US Offers an Array of Archived Webinars—Free but Donations Are Welcomed
The ISPS-US (The International Society for Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychosis-US Chapter) is offering a whole raft of archived webinars, which are free (although donations are welcomed). Among the webinars are "Cognitive Behavioral & Related Therapies for Psychosis: Diverse Approaches to Supporting Recovery," "How Can the Uncontainable Be Contained? Paradoxes of Madness & Philosophy," "Robert Whitaker: The Rising Non-Pharmaceutical Paradigm for 'Psychosis,'" "Life with Voices: A Guide for Harmony," "COPE Project: Non-Pharmaceutical Research on Influencing Voices and Visions," "What Hurts and What Helps In Treatment For 'Psychosis': Insider Perspectives," and many others. For more information and to access the webinars, click here.
“Where DNA and Medications Meet”
Not all drugs are effective for all people; therapeutic response rates for many drugs are only 50%-75%. “OneOme, co-founded by [the] Mayo Clinic, provides evidence-based pharmacogenomic solutions that help improve patient outcomes and reduce costs through more personalized medication decisions.” OneOme’s RightMed Test is “a doctor-ordered pharmacogenomic (PGx) test that analyzes your DNA and provides your doctors with genetic information to help them determine how you may respond to certain medications. The results may help your doctors reduce medication trial and error, minimize risk of side effects, save you time and money, and make more informed prescribing decisions. Because your DNA doesn’t change over time, your doctors can use your test results to make more personalized medication decisions for you over the course of your lifetime.” For more information, click here. (Courtesy of Robin Osborne)
Doors to Wellbeing Offers “State Selfies: A Picture of Peer Services Reported by Peers”
Doors to Wellbeing’s “Peer Album” is a directory of nearly 600 peer-run organizations throughout the U.S. They invite updates and offer instructions for providing them and add, “If your entry has not made this first draft, we encourage you to re-submit.” For the 158-page directory, click here.
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 19, No. 6, December 2022. For content, reproduction or publication information, please contact Susan Rogers at selfhelpclearinghouse@gmail.com. Follow Susan on Twitter at @SusanRogersMH