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National Empowerment Center

SAMHSA Summer Teleconference Series


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Involving Consumers in Decision-Making At All Levels of the Service System: Strategies for Putting Goal 2 of the New Freedom Initiative Into Action

As part of its Summer Teleconference Series, SAMHSA's New Freedom Initiative/Olmstead State Coalitions to Promote Community-Based Care held a national teleconference with Patricia E. Deegan, Ph.D.

This two-part teleconference took place on June 22 and June 29, 2006.  To view/listen to the archived version(s) please visit www.olmsteadcommunity.org/EvaluationForm.html 

In transformed mental health systems, consumers are fully involved in orienting the mental health system toward recovery and services are consumer-driven. In this two-part teleconference, Dr. Deegan explored effective strategies for supporting consumer involvement at the systems/policy level and at the level of the psychopharmacology consultation.

Part I: Overcoming Barriers to Effective Consumer/Survivor Participation in Policymaking

Part II: Beyond Compliance: Shared Decision-Making About Psychiatric Medications

Pat Deegan is an internationally-recognized leader in the mental health consumer movement; President of Pat Deegan, Ph.D. & Associates, LLC; a Senior Associate with Advocates for Human Potential, Inc.; and an adjunct professor at Boston University. Dr. Deegan has 29 published papers on topics related to recovery, empowerment, and systems transformation. She has given keynote addresses, lectures, and workshops across the United States and in several other countries, and her papers have been have been translated into eight languages.  Dr. Deegan has also directed or consulted on films regarding recovery for people with mental illnesses, including the hour-long documentary film Inside Outside: Building a Meaningful Life After the Hospital.