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The Vote is the Sword We Use to Slay Dragons By MIRIAM S. WEXLER, CRC, Special Project Coordinator, Mental Health Voter Empowerment Project "Now, we are no longer powerless. To vote is to have power." A Brief History of Voices By FRANKLYN ROBB "New York City Voices has been working toward improving the quality of life of individuals with psychiatric conditions in New York City since 1995." The Lowdown on Recreation Therapy By MATT GOLD, CTRS "In a state of learned helplessness, we tend to give up, and feel that we have no control over situations and their outcomes. In a state of perceived freedom, we feel skilled and competent, feel free to exercise choice, and become totally absorbed in the activity or experience." NYU Child Study Center is Changing the Face of Children's Mental Health By MARIANN COLEMAN "Dr. Koplewicz is trying to answer the questions that we—parents with mentally ill children—have. Fortunately, the center treats the child and family together." NYAPRS Advocates Strong in 2004 By VUKA STRIEVIC, Co-Chair, Public Policy Committee, New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services "Beginning decades ago, the consumer advocacy movement continues to successfully influence law, improve resource allocation, and result in necessary oversights, systemic reforms, and protection of human rights." Nationwide Disability Movement: We Can't Fight Alone By MICHAEL M. FAENZA, MSSW, President and CEO of the National Mental Health Association "One shining example [of different communities fighting for one goal] is the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. All the disability groups compromised and worked together for the common good." Albany Legislative Year in Review By MICHAEL SEEREITER, Director of Public Policy, Mental Health Association in New York State "Just one week after saying he had 'profound concerns' with the budget passed by the Assembly and Senate, the Governor wielded his veto pen and vetoed 195 items in the budget totaling $1.8 billion." |
Persevering with a Special Needs Child By KURT DOUGLAS SASS "I picked up a chair and threw it past Kurt, close enough for the others in the room to think he was the target. I will never forget the look of fear on Kurt's face for as long as I live….Was it worth it? Yes." Councilwoman Margarita Lopez on the Issues By ERIC JACKSON "The State is planning to put a piece of legislation that is going to destroy the psychosocial clubs, the clinics, the entire network that we have created in the mental health system in the city." Interview with Assemblyman James Brennan By CARL BLUMENTHAL "Once a mental health advocate, always a mental health advocate" A Consumer Agency and PROS, Baltic Street Column By DANA ANTHONY, Executive Director, Baltic Street Mental Health Board "For us, the challenge is to maintain our perspective and mission, based in the value of consumer-choice as an essential component of recovery." Alone in My Room By CHRYSTAL WOODSON "And my art is my ob-gyn." Looking at Depression Supplements By SUSAN BATKIN "…supplements are not required to conduct research studies in humans to prove that they are safe or effective." Suicide Survivors Channel Emotions Through Art By DANIEL FREY "The following is taken from an interview with Kim Strouse, Director of Rita Project ("Rita" is Sanskrit for "Truth"), which is designed to give survivors of suicide-whether they be consumers, family members or friends-a space to express their feelings through the creation of art. " |
Letters
to the Editors "Therapy can be very painful, but you must get toward the deep water and diving board to feel better. " Life Succeeds Death at Boerum Hill Halfway House By CARL BLUMENTHAL "Peer pressure played a big role in why we drank and drugged. Peer support plays a bigger role in why we're clean and sober." Don't Be a Girly-Man! By CHRISTINA BRUNI "Moderate, consistent exercise is better than random bursts of intense activity." Goodbye to Activist Heather Barr By DANIEL FREY "…[RIPPD members are] real people who everyone feels are really messed up…[but they] become real people with real power…from feeling powerless to knowing they are really powerful and can make changes for other people." A Cause to Kill For By CHRISTINA BRUNI "You have to believe in your potential. You can't let fear stop you from fulfilling your dreams." As I See It: Twenty-One Years Wasted By MARVIN SPIELER "[I am saddened that in my life] I went with the flow of a rudderless ship. I was not a captain at the helm…[yet] after twenty years of non-compliance and twenty-one years of taking pills, I can [still] realize my dream to some degree." Finding Your Own Way, A Column By CHRISTIAN HUYGEN, Ph.D., Director, Rainbow Heights Clubhouse "A good relationship (sexual or otherwise) can be a big asset to your mental, emotional and physical health. A bad relationship can be just the opposite…So take your time in finding your own way." Creative Arts Therapists Help Heal 9/11 Trauma Victims By CARL BLUMENTHAL "For the sake of those still seeking their way from danger to safety, we need to remember how to find 'the little red door' inside us." In Memoriam: Tom Butch By ANGELO BARBIERI "I will miss Tom, but it helps to know that he spent his time on Earth serving the needs of the mentally ill."
Copyright ©2004 City Voices |
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