DBSA e-Update July 2008: Events & Programs
Rock 'n' Roll Recovery: Enter New Music Contest
 Share your musical gifts, inspire others, and maybe even win cash prizes … enter the DBSA “Facing Us” 2008 Music Contest! This contest honors the power of music to heal the soul and soothe the spirit. And this summer, DBSA and Dave’s Spark: Start Something are celebrating the creative spark of musicians living with mood disorders.
Are you one of those artists who finds solace through song? Send us your audio clip … you could win up to $900! If you’re not musically inclined, you can still get involved, starting September 8, by voting online for your favorite contestant—you choose the winners!
All of the “fine print” on contest details and rules can be found at www.FacingUsContest.org/, but here are the basics:
- Audio clip submissions will be accepted through September 1, 2008.
- Songs must be original work, written and performed by the artist.
- Entrants must self-identify as having, or having had, a lived experience of depression or bipolar disorder.
- Online voting runs September 8-October 1, 2008.
- Prizes: 1st Place, $900 / 2nd Place, $600 / 3rd Place, $300
- Winners will also be featured on a compilation CD and FacingUs.org.
Celebrate the creative spark through the DBSA “Facing Us” 2008 Music Contest!
Julie A. Fast Joins List of High-Profile Conference Speakers!
DBSA is proud to announce that award-winning author, radio host and consumer Julie A. Fast will be presenting at the 2008 National Conference! On Saturday, September 13, she will lead the conference breakout session, “Successful Interpersonal Relationships.” And that’s not all! She will also host our special pre-conference institute, “At Home with Wellness: Families & Recovery,” on Friday, September 12. Sponsored by Rebecca’s Dream, this hands-on program will explore the way mood disorders affect individuals and their families. Participants will leave with a renewed sense of hope, helpful communication techniques, and a complimentary copy of Julie’s book, Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder: A Four-Step Plan for You and Your Loved Ones to Manage the Illness.
To attend Julie’s pre-conference institute,
visit www.DBSAlliance.org/Conference2008 or call (800) 826-3632.
Or save 20% and attend the institute and the full conference
when you register for the “Family Package!”
But hurry!
Advance registration rates
end August 3!
Besides Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder, Julie A. Fast is also the author of Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder: Helping and Understanding Your Partner and Get it Done When You’re Depressed: 50 Strategies for Keeping Your Life on Track. Julie’s partner of 10 years was unexpectedly diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1994, and she was very unexpectedly diagnosed a year later! In all of her presentations, Julie openly tells of her struggles as a partner of someone with a mood disorder, as well as how she currently manages her chronic bipolar disorder. Julie believes that education, inspiration and conversation are the keys to successful mood disorder management. Julie is the recipient of the Mental Health America Award for excellence in mental health journalism, as well as the Eli Lilly Achievement Award for her mental health writing and advocacy.
For a closer look at the presenters of all 15 breakout sessions, click here.
DBSA e-Update June 2008: Advocacy
Closer than Ever Before to Parity
 We’re delighted to announce that U.S. Senate and House negotiators have reached an historic agreement on the Mental Health Parity compromise bill. Since early March, when the Senate passed its own version of the bill (S. 558), the House and Senate have been engaged in intense negotiations to reconcile differences between the two bills. (The House bill, H.R. 1424, passed in early March).
Now the bill must go for one more, final vote in both chambers before going to the President for his signature. There’s great optimism on Capitol Hill that the bill will pass soon, but let's not leave anything to chance. Please send a letter to your legislators in both the House and Senate asking them to pass the compromise bill now.
You are all amazing! True advocates, you’ve hung in for the long haul for many years. Let’s rally once more so that the House and Senate quickly pass this bill.
Connect and Be Counted!
Click here to send a letter now.
DBSA e-Update June 2008: Peer Services & Training
August 12 CE Course: How Clinical, Peer Providers Work Together
 The next live webinar in DBSA’s Peer Specialist Continuing Education (CE) program will be Tuesday, August 12: “The Complementary Roles of Peer Specialist and Professional Staff.”
As peer specialists go to work alongside social workers, psychologists and other clinical providers, a clear definition of their complementary roles is critical. In this course, you’ll explore the unique role of peers in a multidisciplinary setting and learn the basics about effectively interpreting their duties and worth to others. The course will present guidelines on how peer support services can complement clinical services while still retaining a recovery focus. Hear from both clinical providers and peer specialists about their experiences and successes partnering in the workplace. The webinar will be presented by Kathleen Dohoney, PsyD, director of the Dallas VA Medical Center’s Mental Health Service Rehabilitation Module and Vanessa Sweeney, MPS, program manager at Jefferson Parish (LA) Human Services Authority.
1.5 Continuing Education (CE) credits are available to all course participants who successfully complete the post-course examination (CE application pending, Illinois Certification Board).
Register Now*
“The Complementary Roles of Peer Specialist and Professional Staff”
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
2:00-3:30 p.m., Central Daylight Time (CDT)
$75 per individual registrant
New at Our Conference: Peer Specialist CE Course!
If you’re a peer specialist seeking continuing education (CE) credits, you can register for a special one-day course at our DBSA 2008 National Conference, “The Power of Peers.” This one-day, pre-conference institute will focus on two topics: “Peer Specialist Ethics and Boundaries” and “Peer-Led Wellness Strategies.” The course presenters are Sue Bergeson, DBSA President; Sharon Jenkins-Tucker, Executive Director, Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network; and Brenda Bergeson, MD, DBSA Director of Scientific Affairs.
For more information, or to sign up, click here.
Miss a CE Webinar? Take Our Online, Self-Study Courses
If you missed the live webinar, you can still take DBSA’s peer specialist continuing education course online, whenever you’d like, at your own pace. These self-study courses are currently available:
DBSA e-Update June 2008: Chapter Update
Have a Special Talent or Skill? Share Your Expertise
 DBSA chapters are best known for their support groups, but they do so much more! They’re also actively involved in community outreach, education and advocacy work … and they need the talents of people like you to make a difference! Maybe you have a special knack for web design, or you’re a whiz at accounting … help make your local chapter a success by volunteering your time and expertise. DBSA chapters need people like you who can help them with:
-
Graphic design of flyers, brochures, etc. -
Passing out or posting flyers in the community -
Accounting/bookkeeping -
Event management -
Advocacy campaigns -
Advertising -
Website design and maintenance -
Fundraising and/or securing donations -
Answering phone calls or e-mails -
Administrative needs such as filing, organizing lending libraries, etc. -
Facilitating support groups -
Giving presentations -
And much more!
To find the chapter closest to you and see how you can share your talent and expertise, please visit www.DBSAlliance.org/FindSupport!
New Chapters in June
DBSA Los Angeles (Calif.)
DBSA South Bay (Calif.)
DBSA Branford (Conn.)
DBSA Greater Elgin Area (Ill.)
DBSA Twin Cities (Mich.)
DBSA Mississippi Gulf Coast (Miss.)
DBSA Greater Seacoast, NH (N.H.)
DBSA North Oregon & South Washington Coast (Ore.)
DBSA e-Update June 2008: Ignite the Light
One Good Deed Deserves Another
 Kindhearted and bighearted … these two words sum up the gift that the Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation, along with its chair Mr. Wolcott Henry, have given DBSA—a $10,000 challenge grant. Their good deed will enable us to do even more “good deeds” for the nearly five million people who contact us each year for hope, help and support. The Foundation will donate this compassionate, generous gift to DBSA … if you can help us match that amount before this December 31!
Their gift, and yours, will help bring recovery to those living with depression or bipolar disorder. Ignite the Light funds will support a variety of DBSA services and resources: advocacy efforts in Washington that push for legislation like mental health parity … scholarships that allow those otherwise unable to attend our heartening and empowering National Conference … the far-reaching new technology of online support groups … continued work to help our nation’s veterans cope with the aftermath of war … and more training to bring peer specialists into the mental health workforce, an effort that brings much-needed transformation to our country’s mental health system.
The Curtis and Edith Munson Foundation made a gift, in hopes of making a change in the life of someone with depression or bipolar disorder. You can too. Even a few dollars is a kindhearted and bighearted gift. Every dollar that’s given will double, so your good deed, however big or small, will make a huge difference.
Make a gift. Make a change. Give to the Ignite the Light campaign.
 Have You Tried iSearchiGive?
iSearchiGive.com is a brand-new search engine, powered by Yahoo! Search and iGive.com. It’s fast, free and, for every qualified search, you can earn 1¢ for DBSA’s mission!
A Planned Giving Update
Questions about planned giving? Estate planning? Your will? Each month, new articles and interactive features that cover topics like these are available to you at www.DBSAlliance.org/Future. Here are some of the latest topics:
- Discover the Joy of Giving Without Using Cash
- Endowments—Gifts with Timeless Benefits
- Good Things Happen When You Make a Bequest
- Click here to learn more!
DBSA e-Update June 2008: Web Connections
DBSA Chat: “Online Support Groups—Benefits & Challenges”
DBSA Chapter Recruitment Manager Elizabeth Siegel
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
RSVP here (it's FREE!)
 Want to learn more about DBSA’s online, real-time groups? Join us for this interactive chat! “This is a necessary part of our commitment to bring support to everyone who wants it, no matter where they are or how they need it,” says Elizabeth Siegel, DBSA’s Chapter Relations Manager who currently oversees the online support groups’ operation. “We are the only organization offering this kind of virtual, real-time peer support to people with mental illness.”
One of the benefits of online support groups (OSGs) is the support it offers to all of those who don’t have access to DBSA’s local support groups, either because they live too far away or have limited mobility, or because they wish to remain anonymous. One of the challenges that OSG participants face in their text-only world is how to communicate the nonverbal expression that face-to-face groups might take for granted—a simple nod of support or a smile, for example, as someone tells his or her story. Find out how OSG participants and facilitators manage these challenges and reap the benefits of connecting with peers online.
Check Out the Latest DBSA Real Recovery Podcasts
Coming in August!
DBSA Recovery Chat: “Stamp Out Stigma and Rev Up Your Recovery!”
Stephen Propst, MBA
August Date & Time: To be announced soon—stay tuned to DBSA!
 Be a stigma-buster! Did you know that fighting stigma can bolster your recovery? This is the topic of the breakout session hosted by Stephen Propst at the DBSA 2008 National Conference. In this online event, he’ll give you a sneak preview of this conference session. Chat with him about what’s behind stigma, how to deal with it head-on and why doing so pays off.
Propst is chair of DBSA’s board of directors, president of DBSA Metro Atlanta and an active voice on radio, television and in print, and his “Mind Over Mood” column appears regularly in bp Magazine. He is a writer, conference speaker and consultant to families and patients who seek to successfully confront mental illness and have meaningful lives. Propst holds an MBA from Michigan State University and previously worked in the hotel/restaurant field.
Share Your Story on the New Lifeline Gallery Website!
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline has launched its most exciting project to date—Lifeline Gallery: Stories of Hope and Recovery—with the help of Oddcast, SPAN USA, Active Minds, and a generous donation from Simpsons’ producer James L. Brooks. The Lifeline Gallery (http://www.lifelinegallery.org/) allows you to share your story with thousands in an engaging, interactive, therapeutic online forum. It uses speaking avatar products to enable suicide survivors, attempt survivors, and suicide prevention supporters to share their stories of hope and recovery. The compilation of stories illustrates the many ways in which suicide affects others and offers comfort to those who may be suffering alone.
DBSA e-Update June 2008: Wellness Tips
 Truth, the Black Hole and Thinking Versus Living
In the Facing Us Clubhouse, consumers who have found small ways to make a big difference in their recovery can share wellness tips like those listed here. Visit the Clubhouse to be inspired by your peers … and to pass on some of your own inspiration.
Thinking v. Living
You can not “think” yourself into a new way of living; rather you must live your way into a new way of thinking.
The Truth
Always tell people around you the truth, especially your psychiatrist. If you’re unwilling, or unable, to trust your psychiatrist, try a new one….No, they’re not infallible, but they do their best.
Keeping the “Black Hole” at Bay
Do something active. No sitting and staring, thinking about the same things over and over. Making myself do something, getting up and doing one little thing, then one little thing after that, can keep the black hole of depression at bay—or totally away— because I am at least active. I may only organize drawers, but I feel good about it when the task and day is over. I organized the drawers, so I feel good about myself. It’s really difficult for depression to feed on someone who is even slightly proud of themselves.
To share some of your “wellness wisdom,” click here!____________________________________________________________________________________
A Note about FacingUs.org:
When you visit the Facing Us Clubhouse, you’ll notice that several "rooms,” including the room that houses wellness tips, require you to log in or create an account. Why is this necessary? Because in these sections, you are creating personal journals, books or a plan that is uniquely yours. So, we need a way to pull your unique information--like pulling your file out of a filing cabinet.
Joining the Facing Us Clubhouse is easy and FREE! We only need two things to create an account just for you—your e-mail and a password. Please be assured that we will not distribute or sell your information to anyone outside of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. The media room of the site does not require registration. The only reason we require registration for other parts of the site is so that you can create your own personal wellness tools.
DBSA e-Update June 2008: In the News
A First: Consumer Named USPRA Chair Elect
 For this first time ever in the history of the U.S. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (USPRA), a consumer has been chosen as the organization’s chair elect. And DBSA is privileged to announce that the new USPRA Chair Elect is our very own executive vice president, Peter C. Ashenden. Congratulations, Peter, on this honor!
As the chair elect, Peter is the person “in waiting” for USPRA’s Board of Directors Chair. He’ll serve for the next two years and take over as chair when the current chairperson, Tom Updike, completes his term. The chair elect is chosen through a majority vote by the Board of Directors from a pool of internal nominees. As one of USPRA’s four elected officers, Peter will play an important part in the annual evaluation of the CEO. He’ll also help the CEO create and carry out USPRA’s strategic plan.
Established in 1975, USPRA is the leading psychiatric rehabilitation organization in the United States and has nearly 1,400 members. It is the only organization founded on a shared commitment to improve and promote the practice and outcomes of psychiatric rehabilitation. Learn more about USPRA’s influential work at http://www.uspra.org/.
New “Ticket to Work Program” from Social Security Administration
If you receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and want to explore the possibility of working, the new “Ticket to Work Program” is just for you. This program from the Social Security Administration (SSA) connects you with employment service providers, giving you real choices in getting the services/resources you need to find and maintain a job, while providing a safety net to help you in that transition. You can take the next step and maintain your SSDI or SSI benefits.
To learn more, sign up for the July 21 webinar, “Ticket to Work 101,” visit www.socialsecurity.gov/work or contact David Jones, account manager for SSA Ticket to Work Recruitment & Outreach, at djones@cessi.net or (703) 448-6155, ext. 201.
The Latest from SAMHSA
The following is a listing of headlines from this past month’s SAMHSA and CMHS announcements. To read the full announcement for each, visit the News and Announcements page of the “Peers Helping Peers” DBSA Technical Assistance Center (TAC) website at www.PeersHelpingPeers.org/news.php
(07.07.08)
Free Webcast: “Working with the Media to Support the Campaign for Mental Health Recovery
(07.02.08)
Deadline July 18: Photos Needed for Consumer/Survivor History Exhibit
(06.18.08)
Leadership Training Opportunity for Nonprofit Organization Leaders through Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
AHRQ Podcast: Patient Advisory Councils, Advice on Choosing a Health Plan |