The Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care just completed its fourth annual board retreat in North Carolina-with views of the Blue Ridge Mountains just out the window and views of the Foundation’s future just as intriguing.
Time together as a board is always stimulating and energizing. This year was exceptional in that way with reports on initiatives that are clearly bearing more and more fruit for changing the standard of care from medical maintenance to vibrant recovery. Five presentations constituted highlights for me as President and CEO and for every board member present.
The first of these reports was Dr. Chris Gordon’s on the Collaborative Pathway early psychosis project, which is entering its third year in Framingham, Massachusetts. Chris’s honesty in sharing his views of the process of adapting the Finnish Open Dialogue model to a working-class New England community was matched by his excitement about the results for young people and their families-young people who are returning to school, getting into the job market and reducing and in some instances eliminating the use of psychiatric medications. Several board members told me it was one of the best program presentations they had ever heard.
Dr. Doug Ziedonis, Chair of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, complemented Chris’s report with a walk through his recently completed “Key Elements of Dialogic Practice in Open Dialogue: Fidelity Criteria.” This manual, co-authored with Mary Olson and Jaakko Seikkula, focuses on 12 key elements of fidelity to the seven basic principles of Open Dialogue. Of special note is that the paper is generating considerable attention internationally and is now being translated into seven languages, including Japanese.
The Foundation has supported the expansion of the Hearing Voices Network and heard another important report by Dr. Gail Hornstein, a collaborator with Jacqui Dillon in the UK. Gail challenged the board to support the next steps to expand Hearing Voices across the United States with five regional training and support centers. We look forward to securing funding to make this vision a reality in the next year.
Dr. Dan Fisher highlighted Emotional CPR trainings and the work his team is doing to get people trained in several locations in North America and abroad. Emotional CPR is a holistic, empowering approach to assisting persons to cope with emotional crisis and is endorsed by several entities including the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), Los Angeles County, and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).
Finally, Bob Nikkel updated the board on the Mad in America Continuing Education Project. The first course curriculum is now complete thanks to Dr. Sandy Steingard who presents on neuroleptics, short-term and long-term effects, and to Kermit Cole who applied the magic of his videography to the cause. CMEs and CEUs have been approved for the course and will be granted to physicians, social workers, marriage and family counselors, nurses, and alcohol/drug professionals who take the online course and complete the post-test. The registration cost has been established at $45 for 4.5 CMEs or 3.0 CEUs. This class is available now at madinamericacontinuinged.org.
The board worked through a number of business and project issues and welcomed two new members-Dr. Gayle Berg, PhD of Long Island attended her first board meeting and Giovan Bazan, youth advocate and inspirational speaker attended his first board retreat. The Foundation is poised to make good on the promise of blending the gifts of philanthropy with the best unbiased science and innovative practice changes-all as a part of the first and only international community foundation focused solely on mental health recovery.
We have also been fortunate to receive a challenge grant which means every dollar received by The Foundation between now and December 31st will be matched up to $250,000 by a generous donor. You can also donate when you buy at Amazon. Go to www.smile.amazon.com and choose Foundation for Excellence in Mental Health Care. Amazon will give .5% of your purchase price to the Foundation.
If you haven’t checked us out lately, please do so at www.mentalhealthexcellence.org
