Other Crisis Alternatives
Another Way
Website: www.anotherwayvt.org
Location: 125 Barre Street Montpelier, VT 05602
Phone: 802-595-2987
Community Center 802-229-0920
Voluntary alternatives to conventional mental health services rooted in community, advocacy, and empowerment. Another Way is a Community Center in Montpelier, Vermont. We provide voluntary alternatives to conventional mental health services. We offer a variety of supports and provide resources for people to lead vibrant lives as valued members of an encouraging, inspiring community.
American Association of Suicidology
The American Association of Suicidology includes suicide attempt survivors in their leadership and has information on support groups, many of which are led by attempt survivors themselves.
Website: http://attemptsurvivors.com
American Association of Suicidology Best Practice
Part Two: Further Discussion about Developing more Comprehensive Guidelines for Lethality Assessment by Jim Probert, Ph.D. (PDF, 90KB, 14 pages)
Back to School
Toolkits to Support the Full Inclusion of Students with Early Psychosis in Higher Education (PDF, 92 pages)
Honu Home
Website: https://mha-ne.org/programs-services/honu.html
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska, Mental Health Association of Nebraska
Phone: 402-975-2032
Email: dcommuso@mah-ne.org
Honu Home is a peer-run respite program offering an alternative support system to adults transitioning from the state correction system who are living with mental and substance use issues. Honu Home provides a comfortable, clean, furnished five-bedroom house in a quiet and safe neighborhood. Trained peer companions who are compassionate, understanding, and empowering offer self-help and proactive recovery tools to regain and maintain wellness. In addition to living with behavioral health issues themselves, all Honu staff also have experience with the correctional system and they understand the unique challenges and the need for support in difficult times, and offer strength, hope, and knowledge about recovery to those individuals who need a supportive and healing environment.
How the Better Days Approach Can Help in a Crisis
This webinar will explore how the Better Days approach developed by Craig Lewis can help in crisis situations. Better Days means honoring that you are the expert on you! A crisis is when factors contribute to a situation that for any number of reasons results in a psychic lack of control. Often, these factors are in the form of a metaphorical minefield while we live, work, and love in blissful unawareness. When reality hits, and madness invades you so quickly that you lose yourself; you must do all you can to move forward on your life journey and live life to its fullest.
Presenter: Craig Lewis
Craig Lewis is an Expert by Experience, a Psychiatric Survivor, the author of Better Days – A Mental Health Recovery Workbook, a life long punk rocker, a fearless activist, a workshop trainer, and international speaker. Craig has survived a lifetime of struggle and has chosen to not allow his suffering to be wasted. Craig shares his experiences, knowledge, and lessons learned, in hopes of supporting others in living happier, healthier, and more satisfying lives. This is a ongoing journey and Craig, like all of us, is a work in progress. Craig Lewis’ website –www.betterdaysrecovery.com
Emotional CPR Webinar – An Introduction to Assisting Others Through Emotional Crisis
Click here to view the PowerPoint presentation (3.98MB)
PowerPoint presentation as a PDF (841KB, 36 pages)
Click here to listen to or download an audio file of the webinar (82.3MB)
Legacy Treatment Services Wellness Respite Service
Legacy Treatment Services Wellness Respite Service (WRS) is a crisis diversion resource located in Ocean County. Serving individuals who are 21 years of age or older and who are experiencing crisis or severe emotional distress, the WRS is geared for people who seek assistance in managing an acute crisis that interferes with their personal recovery and wellness. Guests are able to receive support in a comfortable home environment located in the community for up to 10 days, and an additional 30 days of follow-up support. The WRS is a unique opportunity for peers in crisis to connect, build relationships, gain support to lessen emotional distress.
Ocean County Wellness Respite Services Phone Line: 848-221-3022
Funded by the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services
The Living Room
Website: https://advocates.org/services/livingroom
Location: Framingham, MA
Phone: 508-661-3333
Email: thelivingroom@advocates.org
The focus of The Living Room is to create connections, provide support and offer choices and opportunities for people in crisis to explore without surrendering control of their lives. The Living Room is a welcoming, homelike space that provides a 24-hour, completely peer-staffed crisis alternative to emergency department visits, traditional respites and hospitalization. Located in Framingham, The Living Room is the only program of its kind accessible to people in the MetroWest and greater Boston areas. The Living Room supports up to eight people at a time between the hours of 8:00 am. and 9:00 pm and, if requested, and after a conversation with a Peer Specialist about the reason for additional support, up to six people from 9:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m.
At The Living Room, there is no assumption that simply quieting discomfort is enough, or even the desirable approach. Peer Specialists at The Living Room know that there is much to be considered and learned through the process of struggle. Anyone who is 18 or older and having difficulty with a variety of issues related to emotional distress will be able to approach The Living Room directly, without needing to navigate your way through red tape, insurance, or other barriers. Participation in The Living Room is completely voluntary and our focus is on respect, mutuality, personal responsibility and trust.
This article describes the Living Room model and tells the story of a suicide attempt survivor and the need for more spaces where people can get emotional and peer support. Click here for the article.
Open Dialogue
For more information, updates and training opportunities regarding the development of Open Dialogue in the United States, please go to: http://www.dialogicpractice.net
Open Dialogue: Increasing Resources in Severe Crises by Jaakko Seikkula (PDF, 289KB, 27 pages)
Click here to order Daniel Mackler’s documentary film on Open Dialogue.
Parachute NYC
Website: www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/mental/parachute.shtml
Parachute NYC is an innovative project that provides options for people experiencing a psychiatric crisis, i.e. emotional/mental health issues that make it difficult to manage without help. Instead of going to a hospital, Parachute NYC offers rapid access (within 24 hours) to home-based treatment and crisis respite centers where people can stay in a calm, supportive environment, staffed by trained peers. Click here for more information about this innovative NYC project.
Safe Harbor
Website: www.community-alliance.org/www/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=140&Itemid=134
Location: 415 South 25th Avenue, Annex Building, Omaha, NE 68131
Phone: 402-884-9044
Warmline: 402-715-4226
Funded by Region 6 Behavioral Healthcare and the Nebraska Division of Behavioral Health
Contact: Ken Timmerman
Safe Harbor offers assistance to adults with mental illness who are experiencing a crisis in their lives that is causing significant stress, yet does not require immediate psychiatric care or hospitalization. With the support that is provided by Safe Harbor Peer Specialists – people who themselves have experienced a mental illness and are in recovery – a hospital stay may be able to be avoided.
Soteria
Soteria-Alaska
Website: www.soteria-alaska.com
Soteria-Alaska was established to provide an alternative to psychiatric hospitalization under the principles established by the beloved, late Dr. Loren Mosher in his Soteria-House project. The small, community based facility has 2 staff and rooms for up to 10 guests. LENGTH OF STAY: sufficient time for relationships to develop that allow precipitating events to be acknowledged, usually disavowed, painful emotions to be experienced and expressed and put into perspective by fitting them into the continuity of a person’s life.
Relationships are central to the program’s work
- Facilitated by staff being ideologically uncommitted ( i.e. to approach psychosis with an open mind)
- Convey positive expectations of recovery
- Validate the psychotic person’s subjective experience of psychosis as real by developing an understanding of it by “being with” and “doing with” the clients
- No psychiatric jargon is used in interactions with these clients.
Soteria Internationally
For more information on the latest developments of the Soteria Network internationally, check out: http://www.soterianetwork.org.uk
Soteria-Vermont
Soteria-Vermont Development Report by Pathways Vermont (PDF, 1.1MB, 69 pages)
The Wellness Co-op
Website: www.thewellnesscoop.org
Location: Burlington, Vermont
Phone: 888-492-8218 x 300
Contact: thewellnesscoop@pathwaysvermont.org
The Wellness Co-op is a peer-run community center that has free community based activities, events, and support/discussion circles. Our focus is promoting emotional and mental health and wellness, including employment supports. We have regular drop in hours, free Wi-fi, a lending library and are open to the public.