News
PEERS launches consumer mask display in downtown Oakland
A new consumer mask art exhibit debuted in downtown Oakland today next to the Paramount Theatre and will last through the end of February. The display, which highlights masks made by four consumers through the "Reformation: Moving Beyond Stigma" workshop, serves to educate the public and foster dialogue around mental health stigma and discrimination.
"This display has multiple goals, but the overarching focus is to promote and perpetuate the message of the Social Inclusion Campaign, which is...
PEERS joins Entertainment Industries Council in statewide mental health education, outreach program
PEERS has joined a team of communications and community outreach organizations in a three-year program to end mental health stigma and stereotypes in entertainment and news media. Led by the Entertainment Industries Council, Inc., the effort aims to change public attitudes about people with mental health challenges and encourages individuals who are struggling to seek mental health services before problems become crises.
Funded by the Mental Health Services Act (Prop. 63) administered by the California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA), the program is part of the...
Prayer bead workshop offers creative, spiritual outlets for consumers
Fifteen mental health consumers came together last week to participate in the inaugural prayer bead workshop hosted at PEERS. The workshop, created and led by Rev. Lujuan Thompson, aims to stimulate an interest in the use of prayer beads and one's own creativity as a spiritual practice for calming and centering the mind.
After starting with a brief history of prayer beads, participants introduced themselves and discussed how they saw spirituality and prayer beads playing a role in their wellness.
PEERS Spirituality Liaison Monique Tarver was heartened to see...
PEERS to bring WRAP to spiritual communities
As part of the Social Inclusion Campaign's goal to integrate spirituality with mental health, PEERS will be launching two new WRAP groups in spiritual communities starting in 2012.
Open to individuals of all faiths, the two ongoing WRAP sessions will be held at Church for Today in Berkeley and the Family Bible Fellowship in Newark. The two locations were chosen for the pilot program because of their strong leadership and previous work around mental health, according to Spirituality Liaison Monique Tarver.
"We are lucky to have two senior pastors in spiritual...
PEERS awarded SAMHSA grant to produce TAY documentary on mental health issues
As part of its expanding effort to promote dialogue about mental health in the youth community, PEERS was recently named one of six winners of the national SAMHSA Campaign for Social Inclusion State Awards.
PEERS was granted $20,000 to create a documentary film highlighting the personal stories of three to five youths living with behavioral health issues and the impact of violence and trauma in Oakland. Issues such as the influence of racism, violence, trauma, cultural norms, and socioeconomic status will be highlighted through the diverse voices of the youth who are profiled....
Growing number of consumers living below poverty line
People with mental health issues make up 36 percent of Social Security allocations — up from 24 percent two decades prior — and possess a standard of living that often falls below federal poverty guidelines, according to Alternatives presenters Donita Diamata and Amy Zulich.
With the federal poverty guideline set at $10,890 per year and Social Security payments set at $8,064 annually, consumers relying solely on government income face a deficit of more than $2,000 each year in meeting basic living expenses, according to Diamata.
In addition to not being able to...
Victorious Black Women share tribulations, triumphs
In an effort to combat mental health stigma and discrimination within the African American community, five women shared their personal stories of struggle and recovery in an Alternatives presentation on Saturday.
Known as "Victorious Black Women," the group strives to create and promote culturally responsive peer recovery and support services, in addition to self-help tools and techniques for African American consumers, communities, and family members.
While the group represents a diverse array of backgrounds, cultures, and experiences, it is united by a shared...
Zinman: Consumer, survivor movement still evolving after 40 years
The modern consumer movement has experienced great change since its start in the 1970s and is still evolving today, leading to both new opportunities and new challenges, according to long-time mental health activist Sally Zinman.
In describing the history of the consumer movement, Zinman contrasted the grassroots beginnings of the 1970s with the system culture and policy changes brought about in the 2000s.
"In the beginning, everything was without us, about us," Zinman said. "[Powerholders] never would have thought about including a mental patient in...
Workshop teaches ABCs of getting your Zzzzzzs
Effective sleep management is key to preventing major illnesses and minimizing symptoms of mental health challenges, according to Alternatives presenter Larry Fricks.
It is especially important to give one's body the required 7-9 hours of sleep each night, says Fricks, because research has shown links between insomnia (the inability to fall or stay asleep) and depression. While depression has been linked as a cause of insomnia, untreated insomnia may also be a risk factor for depression.
Fricks started the session by sharing how and why he is so committed to sleep...
Photography used to give voice to disenfranchised, marginalized populations
Giving individuals cameras and encouraging them to photograph and write about problems that affect their lives can lead to profound social change, according to a morning workshop at Alternatives on Saturday. Known as Photovoice, the process was developed in the early 1990s by Dr. Caroline Wang of the University of Michigan and Mary Ann Burris of the Ford Foundation, with the first project on the lives of women in rural China.
Photovoice is unique in that it gives individuals who may not be able to communicate via traditional means — or who may not even know immediately what...