Announcements

NEC Response to COVID-19

In these times of fear, uncertainty and increased isolation, NEC believes our society needs more than ever to connect and feel empowered. Social distancing has been recommended as an important way to slow the spread of COVID-19. We need to distinguish between physical distancing of at least 6 feet and social distancing. Physical distancing is recommended now, but social distancing can be damaging and retraumatizing, especially to vulnerable individuals.  However, even when we are physically distant we can socially connect online.  Those of us with lived experience of severe emotional distress are well prepared for this disaster because we have long known that our healing and resilience are enhanced by our connecting at a heart-to-heart level. So we need not turn physical distancing into social isolation. We have developed Emotional CPR (eCPR) as a way to enhance everyone’s capacity to Connect, emPower, and Revitalize each other through mutual support. To adapt to present life, we have developed an online version of eCPR which we are rolling out now. We are now offering online eCPR certification trainings, support groups, and communities of practice. These efforts are helping to alleviate the trauma of social isolation through physical distancing and lay the foundation for healing.

Email [email protected] if you want to participate in these Emotional CPR offerings and check www.emotional-cpr.org for updates.

NEC’s Oryx Cohen Featured on Break Down Wake Up Podcast

In this episode, Oryx Cohen shares his story of traveling to far away places via his psyche to find his own answers and insights.

The episode explores the value that extreme states of consciousness have in processing unresolved trauma, how we can ground ourselves when we are feeling disconnected through physical touch and present attention, and how feeling connected to people and things influence our care and investment in them.

Click here to listen.

Upcoming Webinar: Revolutionizing Young Adult Peer Support: Empowerment, Advocacy, & Leadership

Wednesday, September 30th, 4:30-6:00 ET

Presenters: Shayn McDonald and Vesper Moore

Webinar Description:

This presentation will discuss the components of Young Adult Peer Support as they currently exist and efforts to revolutionize the work. Topics that will be discussed include understanding how to connect to young adults as a social class, how to promote and foster leadership among young adults, and how to properly advocate with youth and young adults.

Click here to register.

Recording Now Available: The Living Room – A Welcoming Space for those in Crisis

Presenter: Keith Scott

Webinar Description:

For many people in crisis, connecting with another person with shared lived experience can be a vital factor on the journey to mental health and addiction recovery. That connection is available at The Living Room hosted by Advocates, a welcoming space where people experiencing emotional distress can walk in and connect with a peer specialist on the spot.

The Living Room in Framingham, Massachusetts provides a 24-hour crisis response. No referral is necessary to visit this comfortable, home-like location, staffed entirely by trained, certified peer specialists. The Living Room creates an experience that is entirely voluntary and focused on respect, mutuality, and trust.

In this webinar, Keith Scott will describe the Living Room model and how it can be a valuable source of support during a mental health crisis.

Click here for the webinar recording, and here for the PowerPoint slides.

Recent Work

Webinar: Emotional CPR Brings Hope, Life and Community to a Sad World

British Columbia Psychosocial Rehabilitation | Advanced Practice is very pleased to announce a webinar with Dr. Daniel Fisher CEO of The National Empowerment Center, and Shontelle Prokipcak from Mental Health and Addiction Services of Ottawa! Click here for the webinar overview

Recent Interview with NEC’s Dan Fisher on Polish Radio Station

Daniel Fisher was recently interviewed in Katowice,Poland by a TV station. There is an introduction in Polish, but rest of interview is in English with translation into Polish. See below for the interview.

Updated Hearing Voices Curriculum Now Available!

Originally developed by Dr. Pat Deegan, the NEC Hearing Voices Curriculum now includes updates developed by Dr. Dan Fisher, Oryx Cohen, and Digital Eyes Film.  In addition to the original simulation exercises, the updates include a new DVD featuring one of the co-founders of the Hearing Voices Network, Dr. Marius Romme, as well as testimony from voice hearers themselves.  The updated curriculum includes new discussion questions that will help participants better understand how they can support voice hearers after the training.

For more information about the curriculum click here.

Learn more about the updated Hearing Voices Curriculum in the video below.

Resource of the Week

Measuring the Promise: A Compendium of Recovery Measures

One of a series of materials produced by the Evaluation [email protected] This compendium provides a resource of current recovery and recovery-related instruments for adult mental health system stakeholders to use in research and evaluation particularly towards the end of identifying evidence-based practices. [Click to view Measuring the Promise (PDF – 7,917KB, 254 pages)]

Daniel B. Fisher is co-author of Psychiatry Online article on Virtual Support for Recovery

Enhancing Standards and Principles in Digital Mental Health With Recovery-Focused Guidelines for Mobile, Online, and Remote Monitoring Technologies (PDF, 2 pages, 434KB)

NEC Now Hosting Empower! Radio Show

Dan Fisher and Oryx Cohen are now hosting a monthly radio show on Unity Radio, WUTY 102.9 FM, Worcester’s Community Connection! Be sure to check out the latest episode!

Visit EMPOWER! on Unity Radio

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Hearing Voices Curriculum

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Heartbeats of Hope

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Featured Video

An Introduction to Emotional CPR (eCPR)

Finding Our Voice
Finding Our Voice is a program for training emerging c/s/x leaders in advocacy skills and ways of being. The following video was produced by one our graduates, Miriam Israel using the skills that she learned in our training.

Quick Resources Guide

Warmlines

A warmline is a peer-run listening line staffed by people with lived experience of mental health challenges. Click here for a list of warmlines in each state.

Online and Phone Supports During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Click here to access listings of online and phone-based peer support groups from PeerGalaxy, Western Mass RLC, and Peerly Human during this time of physical distancing.

Psychiatric Advance Directives

Psychiatric advance directives are legal instruments that may be used to document a person’s specific instructions or preferences regarding future mental health treatment. Click here to visit the National Resource Center on Psychiatric Advance Directives.

Protection and Advocacy Systems by State

Each state has a designated protection and advocacy system that offers advocacy and assistance with legal and civil rights issues pertaining to disability. Click here to find your state’s protection and advocacy system.

Mission:

To carry a message of recovery, empowerment, hope and healing to people with lived experience with mental health issues, trauma, and extreme states.