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By Amy Jeppesen
November 3, 2009
Peers and consumers serve vital roles in our community. In 2008, the Mental Health Transformation Project's (MHTP) Technical Work Group (TWG) formed a subcommittee on employment and use of Peer Counselors. Early on, a primary focus development and implementation of a survey of those who had taken the Peer Counselor training and certification.
Read full article: The Vital Role of Peer Counselors
By Rena Shawver
October 14, 2009
Every classroom has a child with a “behavioral” problem. It’s sometimes the withdrawn student with failing grades who rarely says anything until she or he punches someone on the playground. It’s the student who vandalizes the school or steals. Or it’s the bully who continually taunts and teases other children into tears.
Many of these students get into trouble, and are disciplined by school authorities. Yet discipline rarely “solves” the behavior or addresses the underlying reason for the behavior.
Read full article: Behind Every Child’s “Bad” Behavior is a Story Waiting to be Told
October 2, 2009
Did you know that serious mental illness is a leading cause of disability worldwide, yet only a small fraction of people who need treatment have access to care in their communities? Many more are subject to neglect and abuse of their human and civil rights..
Read full article: Join the Effort to Rethink Mental Health
September 25, 2009
Link to Dr. Jemelka's presentation on mental health transformation to the Tribal Communities Transforming Mental Health Conference, September 11th, 2009 at the Great Wolf Lodge, Grand Mound, Washington.
Read full presentation: The Path of Transformation
September 17, 2009
People living with serious mental illnesses are dying 25 year earlier than the rest of the population, in large part due to unmanaged physical health conditions. To address the gap in current thinking about this health disparity, this paper presents evidence-based approaches to a person-centered healthcare home for the population living with serious mental illnesses. In doing so, it brings together current developments around the patient-centered medical home with evidence-based approaches to the integration of primary care and behavioral health.
By Rena Shawver
June 11, 2009
Changing the mental health service delivery model to incorporate recovery and resiliency as core principles is as much of a social movement in Washington State as fighting for minority rights and equality. To promote this shift in thinking, four consumer groups across the state have formed and have begun implementing regional organizing initiatives (ROIs) in support of this monumental undertaking.
Read full article: Mental health “recovery movement” gets boost from consumer groups in Washington
By Rena Shawver
June 12, 2009
Employment is one of the leading priorities voiced by mental health consumers when asked about their life goals and desires. Yet national employment rates for people with mental disabilities run as low as 15%. Washington State has taken on employment as a primary goal for improvement for individuals with mental illness, acknowledging that mental health consumers succeed when placed in jobs of their choice and provided ongoing support.
Read full article: Transforming Employment Outcomes for People with Mental Illness
By Rena Shawver
June 11, 2009
Changing the mental health service delivery model to incorporate recovery and resiliency as core principles is as much of a social movement in Washington State as fighting for minority rights and equality. To promote this shift in thinking, four consumer groups across the state have formed and have begun implementing regional organizing initiatives (ROIs) in support of this monumental undertaking.
Read full article: Mental health “recovery movement” gets boost from consumer groups in Washington
By Rena Shawver
June 11, 2009
Social stigma against people with mental illness is alive and well in Washington State, creating barriers to recovery and wellness for thousands of individuals. Since public opinions are shaped by popular and news media, this training will help raise awareness of the ways in which media characterizations can be inaccurate, how language shapes community attitudes and how to work successfully with local reporters to provide accurate information about mental health.
When Barbara Bate was three years old her mother disappeared. She feared her dead. Her father never said she was at a psychiatric clinic receiving treatment for post partum depression. After recovery, Bate’s mother Claire became an advocate for mental health awareness, but her father never acknowledged the brain-related illnesses in the family.
Thirteen of 39 counties in Washington have now adopted a local sales tax to fund mental health and chemical dependency services, indicating increased interest for local support of mental health programs state-wide. A report released this month by the Mental Health Transformation Project (MHTP) and the Washington Institute for Mental Health Research and Training (WIMHRT) outlines the progress of counties in using the tax.
Read full article: Counties Begin Use of Tax Dollars for Mental Health Services
"If my life wasn’t funny, it would just be true," sets the tone for "Wishful Drinking," a hilariously witty session of on-stage self-analysis with actress Carrie Fisher (Star Wars, Austin Powers, Blues Brothers), who takes the audience through her personal journey of alcoholism, manic depression, and life behind stardom….
Read full article: A Humorous Look at Bi Polar and Substance Abuse with Actress Carrie Fisher
He was born an Irish immigrant and became the first homesteader of Des Moines when he came to the Washington Territory around 1854. He died in 1899 of dementia. Along with more than 3200 other hospital patients who died between 1876 – 1953 at Western State Hospital, John Moore (#447) was buried with only a stone grave marker etched with a number on it to anonymously identify the resting place of his remains and avoid the public shame and stigma associated with mental illness…..
Read Archived News ArticlesYou can read more news articles like those above by heading to the News Archives section of this website.
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