Mental Health Leader Larry Fricks Named Peer Services Vice President for Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

(CHICAGO- Aug. 28, 2007) — The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), the nation’s largest consumer-run organization focusing on the most prevalent mental illnesses, today announced that nationally-recognized consumer leader Larry Fricks has been named vice president of peer services, effective August 20.

Fricks is internationally known for his work designing the first Medicaid-billable certified peer specialists program in the U.S. during his nearly 13 years as director of Georgia’s Office of Consumer Relations and Recovery in the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Addictive Diseases. The program is currently billing over $10 million a year. He is also a founder of the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network, Inc., that now has some 3,000 members; a founder of Georgia’s Peer Specialist Training and Certification; and a founder of the Georgia Peer Support Institute. He served on the Planning Board for the 1999 Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Mental Health America (MHA, formerly the National Mental Health Association). He also sits on the The Carter Center’s Advisory Board for the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism. 

Holding a journalism degree from the University of Georgia, Fricks has won awards from the Associated Press, the Georgia Press Association, Gannet Newspapers, the National Mental Health Association (now MHA) of Georgia and the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Georgia. He is the 1995 recipient of the Clifford W. Beers Award, given annually by Mental Health America, and the 2001 recipient of the American Association for World Health Award for significant contributions to improving community mental health. In 2004, he received the Recovery Award from International Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services. 

In his capacity as VP of peer services for DBSA, Frick’s primary responsibilities will be to develop and implement new peer-led programs focusing on issues such as whole health, the metabolic syndrome, the relaxation response and other recovery-oriented services. He will collaborate with the DBSA team to expand our certified peer specialists work throughout individual states, the Department of Veterans Affairs and private insurance companies.

Fricks’ day-to-day responsibilities will include enhancing DBSA’s certified peer specialists programs, training and consultation. He will also work on developing new consumer services that address the factors in the mental health consumer community that lead to death 25 years earlier than in the non-consumer population. In addition, Fricks will continue his work as the Director of the Appalachian Consulting Group, Inc., a peer-led, recovery-oriented organization based in Georgia.

“It’s an amazing gift to have Larry join the DBSA team as a staff member,” said DBSA President Sue Bergeson. “Larry brings an incredible creativity aligned with a passion for harnessing the unique strengths each of us brings to our recovery. There is no question that, with Larry on the team, DBSA will be bringing new, exciting and innovative recovery-oriented peer services to the consumer community.” 

Fricks joins Peter C. Ashenden, DBSA’s new executive vice president, and Ed Knight, PhD, a consultant for DBSA, as the third member of DBSA’s new “consumer dream team.”