er and Executive Director of the National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse, a consumer-run national technical assistance center funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services.

In 1984, Joseph Rogers created Project SHARE (Self-Help and Advocacy Resource Exchange), a peer-support and advocacy organization, under MHASP's auspices. As a result of Rogers' vision and leadership, Project SHARE grew until it was blended with MHASP, which Rogers had built from a small regional mental health advocacy agency into one of the largest mental health associations in the country, including an array of peer-run programs serving local, statewide, and national constituencies. From 1997 to 2007, Rogers served as President and CEO of MHASP.

A national leader of the mental health consumer movement, Joseph Rogers has testified before U.S. Senate committees and has consulted in more than 30 states, as well as nationally and internationally, on behavioral health policy issues. He has chaired and/or served on numerous boards and committees, such as the Executive Committee of the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, and the Congressionally appointed Task Force on the Rights and Empowerment of People with Disabilities, which helped pass the Americans with Disabilities Act. He was a key player in the closing of Philadelphia State Hospital and in the successful struggle to get the dollars to follow the patients into the community, to establish what has become a model system of community-based services, including peer-run services.

Rogers has appeared on numerous radio and TV shows to publicize the self-help/advocacy movement and fight prejudice and discrimination.

His many awards include the Heinz Award for the Human Condition (2005), the Outstanding Non-Psychiatrist Award of the American Association of Community Psychiatrists (2002), and the Timothy Coakley Behavioral Health Leadership Award of the American College of Mental Health Administration (2009), for his leadership in transforming mental health care in this country.

Thursday March 14th  

Laurie Mitchell Empowerment and Career Center Offers Free Microsoft Office Training for People with Disabilities - Posted 2.28

Option to take the MOS (Microsoft Office Specialist) certification exams.
The course will feature Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook 2007, Windows, and Internet. As part of the program, students will also

Requirements include: basic computer skills, ability to type 20 wpm, documentation of your disability, reside in Fairfax County, City of Fairfax, or City of Falls Church, ability to commit to 19 weeks of training, Monday through Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., interest in becoming employed in the next 6 months.

New classes will start March 18th. Space is limited. Call today to set up an interview/appointment. 

 To apply please contact Albert Cervantes, email: acervantes@lmec.org703-461-3886 Ext 247; or Lauren Goldschmidt, email:  lauren.goldschmidt@servicesource.org 

Location: ServiceSource, 6295 Edsall Road, Ste 175, Alexandria (22312)

Laurie Mitchell Empowerment and Career Center also provides free computer classes, workshops, support groups and employment services.

 

Last Day of Assessments will be: March 8th

Supported by funding from the Fairfax County Consolidated Community Funding Pool System

Join WRAP Facilitator,Dawn Heffernan, in exploring how WRAP has helped her create the plan that works for her around food. As Dawn says: "I make no promises but developing your own WRAP around food is possible and achieving your goal is not as impossible as you might think."

Dawn has used WRAP to balance her own life for 14 years. She was proud and privileged to take and complete the WRAP Facilitator Training in NC in August 2012. She comes to us from the UK and hopes you enjoy listening and sharing with her.

This is an excellent webinar for anyone who has struggled with their wellness choices when it comes to food, or anyone who supports people who are struggling with these sorts of issues.

SAMHSA's Service Members, Veterans, and their Families Technical Assistance Center Webinar: "Fostering and Expanding Peer Support Services for Service Members, Veterans, and their Families" - Posted 3.7

 Wednesday, March 27^th from 1:00-2:30 p.m.  

Presenters:  Moderator: Nicholas Meyer, Assistant Director, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Service Members, Veterans, and their Families (SMVF) Technical Assistance Center

Daniel O'Brien-Mazza, M.S., Director of Peer Support Services, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

William L. White, M.A., Senior Emeritus Senior Research Consultant at Chestnut Health Systems/Lighthouse Institute

John Harris, M.S.W., Q.M.H.P., Military and Veterans Program Manager, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services

Peer support has been recognized as an important strategy in supporting the behavioral health needs of SMVF. Individuals with lived experience provide a bridge to services and help ease SMVF transition to their communities.  Peers with military experience and experience with recovery from trauma, mental health, or addiction issues offer valuable knowledge and skills to assist others. This support can be provided through a variety of established peer models.

Many states have already begun to bring their peer initiatives together across systems and now stakeholders must assess how best to work together.  Coordinated systems of peer support services for SMVF can succeed with collaboration and consensus. 

This webinar will include discussions related to best practice resources and tools, how communities can build on commonalities, and the many roles peers play.  The presentation will be followed by a question and answer session.

 

Objectives: 

• Discuss opportunities for peer support services in relation to SMVF
• Explore the recently issued Presidential Executive Order that advances peer models within the VA
• Identify ethical considerations and decision points for developing SMVF peer models
• Recognize the varied roles and responsibilities of SMVF peers
• Identify resources and next steps for developing peer support services

Target Audience:

To register in advance of the event, please click here.

 

If you have any questions about your registration, please contact Michelle Cleary, Project Associate, at 518-439-7415 ext. 5259 or by email at mcleary@prainc.com.

 

Presenter Biographies

Nicholas Meyer is the Assistant Director for SAMHSA's SMVF TA Center, where he coordinates the day-to-day operations of the TA Center and participates in technical activities as a peer subject matter expert. Mr. Meyer is currently pursuing his M.P.A at Marist College. Formerly, Mr. Meyer served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps with three tours of duty to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. His military decorations include: the Navy Achievement Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Unit Commendation, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with three stars, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, and the Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with three stars.

Daniel O'Brien-Mazza, M.S., is the National Director of Peer Support Services at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs where he oversees the national curriculum and credentialing of Peer Support Services at the VA. Previously, he was Team Leader of the Syracuse VA's Community Care Center's Psychosocial Rehabilitation Programs, where he supervised the day treatment, homeless, Mental Health Intensive Case Management, and vocational programs, while also directing the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 2's supported employment project. He has also provided vocational counseling and substance abuse services to veterans in Syracuse. He received his M.S. from Syracuse University's Rehabilitation Counseling Education program. He is also a recipient of the VA Secretary's Heart and Hands Award. Mr. O'Brien-Mazza is a U.S. Air Force Veteran.

William L. White, M.A., is Emeritus Senior Research Consultant at Chestnut Health Systems/Lighthouse Institute and past Chair of the Board of Recovery Communities United. He has worked full time in the addictions field since 1969 as a street worker, counselor, clinical director, researcher, and well-traveled trainer and consultant. He has authored or co-authored more than 400 articles, monographs, research reports, book chapters, and 16 books. His book, Slaying the Dragon - The History of Addiction Treatment and Recovery in America, received the McGovern Family Foundation Award for the best book on addiction recovery. Mr. White's research and work on peer support services has been published extensively and can be found here. He received his M.A. from Goddard College in Addiction Studies.

John W. Harris, M.S.W., Q.M.H.P., is a Mental Health Program Manager in the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services in North Carolina's Department of Health and Human Services. Mr. Harris serves as the state of North Carolina's SMVF interagency peer workgroup leader. In this capacity, he has been working to establish a military and civilian reintegration system and is currently developing a peer-to-peer recovery network in connection with local universities. Mr. Harris has 23 years of direct experience in planning, coordinating, and administering behavioral health and social services programs. Mr. Harris received his M.S.W from the University of Georgia. He honorably served as a seaman in the U.S. Navy and as an Officer in the U.S. Army.

Third in Series of Free Webinars Discussing Peer Specialist Roles in Today's MH Systems - Posted - 3.7

March's webinar - sponsored by the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion of Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities and the National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse - focuses on the roles that Peer Specialists can play in promoting the competitive employment goals of the people with mental health conditions with whom they work.   

The four-part free webinar series - jointly funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) - is designed to provide a national platform for the discussion of roles that peer specialists and peer-run programs can play in offering the supports and services that individuals may need to participate more fully in the day-to-day lives of their communities.

The third webinar, March, 14th, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. will focus on the ways Peer Specialists can assist individuals in gaining meaningful employment. One of the presenters will be Richard Baron, Director of Knowledge Translation at the Temple University Collaborative; and the webinar will draw on research in this area, conducted over the years by The Temple University Collaborative. Mr. Baron will be joined by other experts in this area, including:

Nicole Darr, Program Manager, ICAN, Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania
Lori Ashcraft, Ph.D. , Executive Director, Recovery Innovations
Carol Ward-Colasante, Consultant, Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion and Fred McLaren, Peer Specialist    The webinar will include discussion of training available to peer specialists who are interested in helping people return to work, as well as the ways to help people within a Medicaid-funded peer specialist program.

To register for the seminar, go to:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/774331412551428352
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Report Finds No Relationship Between Gun Violence and the Availability of Psychiatric Hospital Beds - Posted 3.4

A new analysis by the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law has found "no meaningful correlations between the availability of psychiatric hospital beds and either murders involving firearms or incarceration rates." The researchers used data from the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI and NAMI in order to consider the logic of public policy arguments in favor of increasing the number of psychiatric beds in order to prevent gun violence. "If expanding the number of psychiatric beds is a meaningful remedy to firearm related murders in this country, one would expect a clear inverse relationship, showing that states with low per capita numbers of psychiatric hospital beds have higher rates of firearm-related homicides or higher rates of incarceration. Correlations among these factors were found to be strikingly low and not statistically significant," the researchers found. The report is available for free at the following link:

http://www.bazelon.org/portals/0/Archives/Statements%20&%20Releases/Relationship%20Between%20Psychiatric%20Hospital%20Beds%20and%20Firearm%20Murder1.15.13.pdf