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The Road to Recovery Through Housing and Employment
People USA is thrilled to contribute to this important issue of Behavioral Health News on housing and employment. We first considered sharing data demonstrating our positive outcomes in these areas. Instead, we thought the true story of a person with lived experience would better illustrate the...
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Lived Experience as a Professional Pathway
The philosophy of The Mental Health Association of Westchester’s (MHA) housing and employment services and peer support is rooted in the principles of person-centered practice and the belief that individuals with behavioral health conditions – even those with histories of instability or little...
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Enhancing Recovery and Pioneering Hope: Integrating Outpatient and Residential Treatment Amid the Opioid Crisis
The battle against addiction is a pressing concern, as communities across the United States grapple with the devastating impact of the opioid crisis. In response, the New York State (NYS) government has taken a pioneering step forward by introducing Comprehensive Integrated Outpatient Treatment...
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Nurturing Healing Within Our Homes: Pathways to Treatment Within the Family
Nature versus nurture has plagued our educational and sociological philosophy for decades in social service and the mental health field. The idea behind treating addiction as a “family disease” has long been established in the understanding that there is a genetic component to addiction and...
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Helping Families Cope with Serious Mental Illness: Maternal vs Social Work Instincts
I am a Social Worker. I am also a mom of an adult child with SMI, specifically bi-polar disorder. My child is 23 and I pray that she welcomes God into her life. That’s the mom in me talking. As a social worker, I want her to get a job, find a great partner who will love her, and become as...
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Consumer Perspectives: Overcoming Mental Health Challenges
This article is part of a quarterly series giving voice to the perspectives of individuals with lived experiences as they share their opinions on a particular topic. The authors are served by Services for the UnderServed (S:US), a New York City-based nonprofit that is committed to giving every New...
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The Evolution of the 988 Lifeline: A Year After the Transition
On July 16, 2022, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline announced the transition of the former 1-800-273-TALK (8255) phone number to 988, an easy-to-remember three digit-number for 24/7 crisis care across the United States and its territories. A year after the transition, the 988 Suicide...
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Organizational Strategies for Anti-Stigma Work Within Our Four Walls
Mental health stigma affects all of us. It is so ingrained in our society, that we have to consciously choose to share or not to share our experiences or connections to mental health challenges. This conscious level decision-making brings a processing we engage in asking ourselves either, “Am I...
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The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Playing a Vital Role in Building a Crisis Care Continuum
Ease of access to crisis care and a lack of funds to sustain operations of local, backup, and specialized crisis centers have long posed tremendous challenges to our behavioral health system. But on July 16, 2022, the nation went some way towards addressing that with the transition to the new, easy...
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Consumer Perspectives: Regaining Hope in Our Future
This article is part of a quarterly series giving voice to the perspectives of individuals with lived experiences as they share their opinions on a particular topic. The authors are served by Services for the UnderServed (S:US), a New York City-based nonprofit that is committed to giving every New...
