Empowerment

On April 27, 2013, members of the community and PEERS staff joined forces to share stories of recovery and bless the new Peace and Wellness Garden at the first annual Day of Unity. Hear from those involved how the garden, which is located at Peralta Hacienda Historical Park, plays an important role in the maintenance of wellness.

Brian Wetzel is a public speaker and comedian who has struggled with depression since the age of 20. Learn how Brian uses comedy and performance to educate society about mental health issues and heal from his own experiences. Hear the lessons he learned from his suicide attempt and how he is able to spot the silver linings in even the most dire of situations.

Stories of Recovery is a video series featuring real, honest, and hopeful stories of mental health recovery. Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a family member of someone with mental health challenges? Peggy Rahman, President of NAMI Alameda County, discusses the stigma she faced as the mother of a child with schizophrenia. Hear how she advocated for her daughter, why she thinks hope is so important to recovery, and how her experiences made her a better parent and wife.

Mental health challenges can be trying for anyone, but for those who are forced to flee their home country and take up residence in a new one, they can seem downright impossible to manage. Learn about the unique challenges that refugees face when trying to manage mental health issues in a new and unfamiliar land. Host Shannon Eliot joins Jamila Ghanm, an Iraqi refugee originally from Baghdad, and Dr. James Livingston, a psychologist and the Clinical Services Manager for Center for Survivors of Torture in San Jose.

Roberto Roman is a mental health community support worker with Contra Costa Behavioral Health Care Services. After experiencing traumatic losses early in his life, Roberto discusses when and why he decided to seek treatment, his experience with hospitalization, and the oft-forgotten dangers of being misdiagnosed. Hear the lessons he gained from his mental health struggles, his thoughts on his diagnosis, and why he believes recovery is possible for anyone.

How can anti-psychotics, anti-depressants, mood stabilizers, and other drugs be used wisely? What are the risks and benefits? How can we collaborate effectively with prescribers, and what about reducing and discontinuing medications? Come learn a pragmatic harm reduction approach that is neither pro- nor anti- medication, but instead based in mental diversity. Everyone is welcome: professionals, survivors, students, family, and anyone taking or not taking medications.

California Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg, the chief author of the Mental Health Services Act (Prop 63) in 2004, recounts his own journey of working on mental health legislation and predicts what the next few years will bring for the mental health consumer movement. Listen to why he believes that mental health was and is one of the great under-attended-to issues in modern society.