New News
Funding for Consumer Groups
The Regional Recovery Work Group in Northern
Virginia has released a grant application announcing $345,000 in
one-time funding for consumer-operated programs, less formal consumer groups,
and for individual consumers who provide peer services. The deadline for this
application is February 15, 2008. The
purpose of the grant is to strengthen existing consumer-operated programs and
promote the development of new ones. For the latest information check at http://pathwayhomes.org/Recovery.html
Conference Scholarships
The following conferences have full scholarships for
consumers available. Deadline: February
15, 2008. For scholarship applications and more information, contact: Jackee
Williams, AFYA, Inc. 8101 Sandy Spring Road, Suite 301, Laurel, MD 20707, Phone:
(301) 957-3040, Ext. 263.
National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare May
1-3, 2008, Boston,
MA http://www.thenationalcouncil.org/cs/boston
The International Conference on Self-Determination May
27-29, 2008 Detroit,
MI http://www.self-determination.com
(highly recommended by national consumer leaders)
National Association of Rural Mental Health August 6-9, 2008
Burlington, VT http://www.narmh.org/
National Association of Peer Specialists August 20-22, 2008, Philadelphia,
PA http://naops.org/
2008 SAMHSA/CMS Invitational Conference on Medicaid and
Mental Health Services and Substance Abuse Treatment September 23-24, 2008
Baltimore, MD
Scholarships to NAMI
Convention
The 2008 NAMI Convention will be held in Orlando, FL
June 13-16. Scholarships for consumers are now available. Scholarships can cover registration, travel and lodging. Deadline is
February 29, 2008. For more information contact: Jackee Williams, (301) 957-3040, ext. 263, jwilliams@afyainc.com or Hanem Ali at 703-524-7600.
VOCAL Conference
VOCAL statewide consumer/survivor conference will take place
May 20 through 22 in Harrisonburg.
This is your conference! We appreciate all the input we've received in
the past on how this gathering can meet your needs, and hope to hear from you as we plan
this one. Send an email or call us.
If you would like to
present a workshop or arrange for your group to meet during the conference, please contact
Yolande Long Hairfield, Conference Coordinator via email at yolande@vocalvirginia.org or call
her at (804) 343-1777 or toll free at (877) 862-5638.
Meet Me at the Mountain Top
A publication of personal narratives from consumers in
recovery from mental illness. Sponsored by: The Consumer Advisory Council of
Region Ten CSB. If you would like a copy of the book, contact Debra Knighton cac@regionten.org.
VOCAL Network
Advocacy Team
~ From Ann Benner, VOCAL Network Program Director
In January and February the VOCAL Network will focus on
following proposed mental health-related legislation, so that we can work
together with VOCAL members to educate legislators on our best interests. In Richmond an Advocacy Team
is developing under Advocacy Coordinator Bonnie Neighbour's leadership.
The Team will first meet January 18.
Whether you are just starting to get involved, or have
experience with advocacy, you're welcome to join this team. Participation from home is a
possibility, too. Contact Bonnie at bonnie@vocalvirginia.org
or (804)343-1777.
For peers throughout the state, we encourage you to build a
relationship with your legislator so that you can educate him or her about how to
best serve people recovering from mental illness. Again, please contact Bonnie for help
with this process.
CELT Leadership
Academy
A leadership training program for consumers in Virginia. Training,
lodging, transportation, and food are free.
For further information contact Sharon Lilly, Assistant CELT Director, MHAV, 804-257-5591
or at Sharon@mhav.org. February 25-29 in Virginia Beach, April 22-25 in McLean, June 2-5 in McLean
Job Opening
DC Department of Mental Health. Director of Consumer and
Family Affairs. Salary
Range: $88,545 - $123,963.
The incumbent provides leadership and direction in planning, developing, and
coordinating ways to promote involvement of consumers and family members of the
District of Columbia.
Complete job description at: http://www.power2u.org/jobs.html
Peer-run Crisis
Training
Intentional peer support is a way of thinking about
purposeful relationships. It is a process where both people (or a group of
people) use the relationship to look at things from new angles, develop greater
awareness of personal and relational patterns, and to support and challenge
each other as we try new things. Training Facilitated by: Shery Mead & Associates. Dates:
April 14-18 2008. Location: Vermont, USA. Further Enquiries: Lenora Kimball lenorakimball@gmail.com Ph: 1 802 249
1541
VOCAL in the News!
An excellent article from the Daily Progress featuring Ann
Benner & Brian Parrish from VOCAL and Frank Blankenship from Mindfreedom
Virginia:
Ann Benner said more money is needed for treatment of those
who seek it voluntarily, and involuntary care is "a deceptive solution to the
problem."
"Ultimately, we need better services. We need enough
services and we need effective, recovery-oriented services," said Benner,
program director for the Virginia Organization of Consumers Asserting Leadership,
a nonprofit group dedicated to mental health recovery, empowerment and peer
leadership.
She said forced treatment drives people away from seeking
the sparsely funded mental health services Virginia offers.
Brian Parrish said that "in any given year, 26.2 percent of the
adult population is experiencing a diagnosable mental disorder" and faces a lot
of cultural stigmas in seeking treatment.
"There's a lot of hoops somebody's going to have to jump
through in order to get services and then, when you get there, they've got a
waiting list. The people who most want the service are turned away,". . . Read The Complete Article
