On Monday, November 15, 2010 I facilitated a NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) program called In Our Own Voice (IOOV). The program's objective is to fight stigma by sharing one's story of recovery. The presentation involves a 15 minute DVD of several testimonies that is divided by chapters that emphasize the struggle, or worse part of the illness, acceptance and coping skills, as well as a section on hopes and dreams.
The audience was very receptive to my experience of living with schizophrenia. The audience were mostly police officers, however, the program can be for any sort of audience including consumers, someone living with a mental health diagnosis, students, etc. These police officers were in a training program called Crisis Intervention Team (CIT). They asked so many questions that I had to limit them- it felt really good to have their full attention and to bring about awareness.
I am excited about the program and I look forward to facilitating the next presentation. Many times I announce these presentations on Facebook, so check out our Facebook page.
To learn more about schizophrenia visit Embracing My Mind, Inc., NAMI, and Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (SSNS) in Canada.
The Author
- Ashley Smith
- Atlanta, Georgia, United States
- My name is Ashley Smith and I am a Certified Peer Specialist (CPS), health blogger, mental health advocate, speaker, and non-fiction author. To contact me go to the "contact" page. Thank you for visiting my blog!
2 comments:
That's exciting that you got to do a presentation-I haven't done one yet. I'm afraid I won't be scheduled as much as some people, because I don't have any police stories. I am excited though, because I think I'm doing one in January at Charis-a feminist bookstore in Atlanta-and this store has a near and dear place in my heart.
I am happy for you K.C. Jones!
Ashley
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