(By Amanda Saake, Director of the OMH Office of Consumer Affairs)
Please join NYS Office of Mental Health and the Office of Consumer Affairs in sadly acknowledging the passing of Darby Penney, a longtime activist in the human rights movement for people with psychiatric histories.
(Photo Credit: Mad in America)
Darby led studies and projects at the national, state, and local levels, encompassing subjects such as peer support, trauma-informed practices, and homelessness.
For a decade, Darby served as the first Director of Recipient Affairs at the New York State Office of Mental Health, where she brought the perspectives of people with psychiatric histories into all aspects of policymaking, program development, and evaluation. She was a fierce advocate for mental health equity, teaching, supporting, researching, effecting both the mental health systems and the lives of people directly affected by these systems. She will be greatly missed by friends and family, as well as, the world of those who have worked shoulder to shoulder with her to create equity, transparency, and alignment with the values of authentic peer support.
The National Association of Rights, Protection and Advocacy (NARPA) will be holding a Memorial for Darby at 2:00 pm Eastern on November 19, 2021. More Information.
October 10 Is World Mental Health Day (Courtesy The Key Update)
The World Health Organization’s theme for World Mental Health Day 2021 (October 10) is “Mental health care for all: let’s make it a reality.”
To read more about the WHO’s suggestions, click here.
For WikiHow’s ideas about how to celebrate World Mental Health Day, click here.
For the WHO’s 296-page “Guidance on Community Mental Health Services: Promoting Person-centered and Rights-based Approaches” (courtesy of Janet Paleo), published in the September 2021 Key Update, click here.
For a WHO press release–“New WHO Guidance Seeks to Put an End to Human Rights Violations in Mental Health Care,” from the July Key Update, click here.
For “Former UN Special Rapporteur Denounces ‘Global Psychiatry’s Crisis of Values,’” from the June 2021 Key Update, click here.
For “World Mental Health Day: Prioritize Social Justice, Not Only Access to Care,”click here.
Fall sports 2020 were unique Fall sports 2021 are shrouded in mystique Seasons and rules were changed often Champions were named to make the blow soften.
Welcome everyone to Fall Sports 2021 Where there are games to be played and to be won Whether we enjoy baseball or football Perhaps for some it is hockey or basketball.
Now fall sports are back for all to see Cheering for our favorite team is the way to be Whether we watch on TV or live sitting in the stands Staring at the ball or puck to see where it lands.
Baseball now competing in their playoff season While basketball and hockey are in the exhibition season Football have played a few of their games With many players injured with a variety of pains.
Most players pushing ahead with all their might Never give up and continue their fight Keeping up by maintaining their paces With blood and sweat all over their faces.
All of the schedules are very long Some of the teams have gone very wrong Athletes compete for many a reason There is hope for a better next season.
HOWARD DIAMOND IS A NEW YORK STATE CERTIFIED PEER SPECIALIST FROM LONG ISLAND
This week is Mental Illness Awareness Week. You’ll be hearing a lot about stigma. It is extremely important to know and talk about stigma. However, we need to always remember that what it says about us is lies.
Those of us who have experienced the pain and suffering of stigma and have learned that it is full of lies must help our peers realize the same. Since reaching recovery 3 years ago after an 18-year struggle, I’ve been speaking out about stigma to help my peers. Part of my message is to ignore stigma, but even when in recovery it’s not always possible. We have to work at it. I try as much as I can to focus on what I can change. This includes self-stigma and working hard to rid myself of its influence. But most importantly I do all that I can to thrive in recovery and strongly encourage others to believe recovery is possible.
Recovery is a game-changer for mental illness. Recovery is possible for the majority of us, but too few know it. We are unlikely to eradicate stigma in the foreseeable future. But the real possibility of recovery can fill us with hope now. You and our peers may be suffering right now. We all need hope. Seeing a relatable example of recovery can spark the tiniest flicker of hope that can ignite our recovery journey in an instant. We can’t wait on society to shed its stigmas. Recovery is possible now. And recovery is the best defense against stigma.
“The Greatest Form of Support is Being Heard” with Dr. Jonathan P. Edwards
October 2, 2021
Dr. Jonathan P. Edwards (he/him) has worked as a public health professional for more than 25 years, serves as adjunct faculty at Columbia School of Social Work, is an emerging researcher, plays a major role nationally in peer support workforce development and as a Board Member of National Association of Peer Supporters and he is an Unapologetically Black Unicorn. Dr. Edwards shares his personal story including his upbringing and his recovery journey. They talk about Dr. Edwards working in both social work and peer support, advancing leadership for people of color, and the impact of the self-help tools and resources on his personal growth.
Have you ever chatted with an Unapologetically Black Unicorn- someone who symbolizes freedom, power, strength and is a true force of nature and thought, ‘WOW people need to hear this’? Now you can and learn how to be a U.B.U. too! Join the weekly conversation with host Keris Jän Myrick, an unapologetically Black unicorn in their own right, and nationally recognized mental health advocate chatting with amazing U.B.U. folk who are advancing all things mental health, racial justice, and anything cool to enhance human existence.
Words of Wellness is published monthly by Collaborative Support Partners of New Jersey, co-edited by Peggy Swarbrick and Pat Nemec.
Celebrate Every Day in October!
National Go On A Field Trip Month
Go somewhere local or take a virtual trip to a museum or national park. Have a conversation about where you have gone, where you would like to go, and why you’d want to go there.
Positive Attitude Month
Draw a “mood feeling” picture. Describe your own drawing to a group, then discuss how everyone feels during specific situations.
Celebrate for a whole week!
The week of October 3-9 is Get Organized Week as well as International Postcard Week and National Carry A Tune Week.
Celebrate for a day!
Oct. 1 World Smile Day
Oct. 2 World Card Making Day
Oct. 5 National Do Something Nice Day
Oct. 6 National Pumpkin Seed Day
Oct. 7 You Matter To Me Day
Oct. 9 Universal Music Day
Oct. 31 National Knock-Knock Jokes Day
National Oatmeal Day
On October 29th, we hope you’ll join us in celebrating National Oatmeal Day! Oatmeal is a healthy grain with lots of soluble fiber, making it a great choice for breakfast or even a snack! There are many other ways to enjoy oats, including muesli, oatmeal muffins, overnight oatmeal, and oatmeal cookies.
Gluten-free? No problem—just look for oats that are marked as gluten-free, to ensure they are handled properly when processed and tested.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is launching an Office of Recovery, within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, to advance the agency’s commitment to, and support of, recovery for all Americans. September marks National Recovery Month, and in organizing this new office, SAMHSA will now have a dedicated team with a deep understanding of recovery to promote policies, programs and services to those in or seeking recovery.
“We have identified recovery as a crosscutting principle throughout SAMHSA’s policies and programs,” said Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of SAMHSA. “In standing up this new office, SAMHSA is committed to growing and expanding recovery support services nationwide.”
Recovery is enhanced by peer-delivered services. These peer support services have proven to be effective as the support, outreach and engagement with new networks help sustain recovery over the long term.
Peer services are critical, given the significant workforce shortages in behavioral health. SAMHSA’s new Office of Recovery will promote the involvement of people with lived experience throughout agency and stakeholder activities, foster relationships with internal and external organizations in the mental health and addiction recovery fields and identify health disparities in high-risk and vulnerable populations to ensure equity for support services across the Nation.
“SAMHSA believes in recovery and recognizes the importance of including families, loved ones and allies,” said Assistant Secretary Delphin-Rittmon. “If people are struggling, they don’t need to struggle alone – services and supports are available across the country, which can help people find long-term recovery.”
SAMHSA has a long history of advancing Recovery Support dating back to the 1980s with the Community Support Program and the 1990s, when the first Recovery Community Support Programs were funded. SAMHSA defines recovery as a process of change through which individuals improve their health and wellness, live self-directed lives and strive to reach their full potential.
People searching for treatment for mental or substance use disorders can find treatment by visiting https://findtreatment.samhsa.gov or by calling SAMHSA’s National Helpline, 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
From well known actress to mental health advocate to game show host. Pictured here, Mayim Bialik during her weekly podcast,Mayim Bialik’s Breakdown.
Mayim Bialik seeks to dispel myths and misunderstandings about mental health. While Dr. Bialik holds a PhD in Neuroscience, she is not a medical doctor and can not diagnose, provide treatment, or make suggestions which prevent disease. MBB is for entertainment, education, and informational purposes only. If you are experiencing a medical issue, please seek medical help from a licensed professional.
In August 2021, it was announced that Bialik will host the primetime version of Jeopardy!. After Mike Richards stepped down from hosting the syndicated version of the show later that month, Bialik started concurrently hosting that version as well (sharing duties with Ken Jennings).
Mayim remains dedicated to the weekly podcast, which has featured guests such as: Jaleel White, Salmon Khan, Alison Desire, Lamorne Morris, Jackson Galaxy, Anthony Green, Jalen Rose, Alan Gordon, David Archuleta, Matthew McConaughey, Rainn Wilson, Timber Hawkeye, Kevin Sussman, Bobby Moynihan, Dan Matthews, Wil Wheaton, and Kunal Nayyar. For a short introduction to her podcast:
By Mac McClellan; New York Times (courtesy The Key Update)
September 27, 2017
Despite Ann’s determination to betray no emotion, a drop of sweat rolled down her temple as a guard painstakingly examined her lunch items. That Sunday morning, she had taken two buses, two trains and a shuttle to get from her home to the New York state psychiatric facility where her son is confined. Frustrated, she pushed back a little, but just a little, when the guard took away two sealed bottles of fruit-flavored water, a special treat that Ann had made an extra stop to buy. She watched as he held them up to examine them and concluded that they must contain caffeine — which is not allowed — because they did not read, “Does not contain caffeine.”
“They’re testing you,” she said to her son, James, after she was finally cleared, metal-detected and led upstairs to the visiting room, a spare, linoleum-floored space inside the hospital’s high-security building. Ann, who asked that her nickname and her son’s middle name be used to protect their privacy, usually comes to see James three times a week. Obstacles like these are routine. James, a middle-aged white man with thinning hair and a thickening waistline, listened to her complaints in a routine way, too, glancing up from the newspaper his mother had brought, the two of them sitting at a table, the same arch in their brown eyebrows, eating homemade coleslaw and sandwiches. They’ve been doing this a long time.
Is it autumn already? As Brian Hyland began his song, “Tho we gotta say goodbye for the summer” but it will return again in nine months. However, the seasons are moving and some baseball teams are getting ready for the playoffs and American Professional Football started last month. Soon the leaves on the trees will come out in different colors and eventually fall to the ground. Not long from now, snow will be on the streets. Of course, let us not rush it, because the white stuff comes quickly enough. Looking at the future one day at a time might be a better way, since that is what happens whether we like it or not. For summer 2021 and as in the above-mentioned song concludes with, “Sealed With a Kiss”.
Hey everyone! Has anyone noticed, The Academy of Peer Services website has a modern new and improved look? Let’s hope and I hope that these revisions are for the better. “She’s got the look” lyrics are used several times in the 1988 song by the Swedish pop duo, Roxette. Maybe the Academy of Peer Services also has the look.
By the day this is published, all the kinks will be worked out and people are using the new and improved site. Of course, I am not talking about the rock group, “The Kinks”, but the issues with the coursework classes. “Try to remember the kind of September,” from the initial song in the longest running off-broadway musical comedy called The Fantasticks, portrays the reflecting on the end of summer, very well.
During the middle of September, New York Peer Specialists trek upstate to a three-day conference to learn about changes and fortify their knowledge of the Mental Health System. Over the last two years, this conference was done virtually. Way back in the year 1597, Sir Francis Bacon wrote, “Knowledge is Power”. Almost three centuries later, British Politician Lord Acton stated, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely”.
These statements are just for everyone to ponder, or think about, perhaps, not. Enough of this heavy stuff.
Peer Specialists just like most people want to learn and to be trained for something. At the Academy of Peer Services, there are a multitude of on-line classes that can be taken to gain insight on what and how one becomes a New York State Certified Peer Specialist. Since last November, I have been a Certified Peer Specialist. Each term affords me and all of the Peers out there, the opportunity to take new and exciting courses. A commercial once said, “Try it, you’ll like it”.
One of the best parts of doing the courses at the Academy is completing each of them at your own pace. Like Fleetwood Mac sang, “Go your own way”. Also, Burger King’s slogan was, “Have it your way”. Now the saying is, “Be your way”. Everything happens in its own time and we cannot rush it. Now we have another change of season, whether we like it or not.
Remember, always be grateful for what we have now, because we cannot alter what is going to happen and try to remain positive as much as one can. Yes, I am aware that this is not always easy, especially for me. Most of the time, I am focusing on the present and what I can do, not my past negativity nor what I did not do nor I am projecting my future on what I am about to do. I say, “Let your future be your present because you cannot modify any of your past”. Of course, that does mean, I think about my significant other Maureen. I love you, I miss you and I still wish you were here. Happy Autumn. See you in the NewsBlogs.
Howard Diamond, is a New York State Certified Peer Specialist from Long Island
Michelle Longmore, MS
Michelle is an APS Instructional Designer who specializes in graphic and instructional design. She has created marketing materials and websites for a variety of businesses throughout her career. Creating interactive courses, as well as developing curriculum and training materials. She enjoys researching cutting-edge educational technology and enhancing the learning experience.
Ivanna Bond
Ivanna Bond is a mental health advocate and survivor with over 25 years’ in nonprofit business management experience. She is a graduate of the Howie the Harp peer training program at Community Access and is currently Assistant Program Director, Community Access, Crisis Respite Center. In the context of her Howie the Harp training she worked at the ACT Institute at the Center for Practice Innovation at the NY State Psychiatric Institute/Columbia University, on a Scope of Practice Guideline for Peers on ACT Teams in NY State. Bond is also Chairperson of the NYC Peer Workforce Coalition, a professional association for peer workers (peer specialists and peer advocates).
Sara Goodman
Tanya Stevens
Scott McDonald
Scott is originally from the Bronx, New York. He has over 20 years’ experience in the retail and management field. Scott enjoyed much success both professionally and personally. After both his career and personal life crashed in 2008, Scott experienced the worst times in his life. After considering ending his own life on multiple occasions and experiencing homelessness, Scott searched for assistance to restart his life. The second half of Scott’s journey has been filled with receiving both valuable assistance and education from individuals who tirelessly work in the mental health community. Scott was so impressed by these individuals he chose to “pay it forward” and has, for the last 11 years, worked in the mental health community to assist his fellow peers on their journey. Currently, Scott serves as the Lead Peer Specialist for the New York State Office of Mental Health at Bronx Psychiatric Center.
Chacku Mathai
Chacku Mathai is an Indian-American who became involved in consumer/survivor/ex-patient advocacy and peer support when he was 15 years old. Chacku’s personal experiences with racism, xenophobia, racialized trauma, suicide attempts, and disabling mental health and substance use conditions, including psychosis as a youth and young adult, launched Chacku and his family towards a number of efforts to advocate for improved services, social conditions, and alternative supports in the community. He has since accumulated over thirty-five years of experience in behavioral health systems in a wide variety of roles such as youth leadership and community organizing, executive and board management and behavioral health infrastructure development. Chacku is the Director for the SAMHSA Healthy Transitions Initiative with the Center for Practice Innovations and OnTrackNY, a Coordinated Specialty Care model for young people experiencing early psychosis in New York State. He volunteers his time in roles such as the President for Friends of Recovery – New York, a statewide coalition of people in recovery from addiction, as Vice-President for the National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy, and as co-founder of Healing through Hip Hop. He is a National Advisory Council member for the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health in Texas and the National Center on Advancing Person-Centered Practices and Systems. Chacku serves on several advisory boards for key research initiatives at Boston, Columbia, Lesley and Rutgers universities. Chacku is also an appointed member of the New York State Integrated Block Grant Committee and the Governor’s Behavioral Health Services Advisory Council.
Oscar Jimenez-Solomon
Oscar Jiménez-Solomon is a mental health researcher and advocate who has dedicated his career to improving the financial wellness of people with psychiatric conditions through research, program development, training and technical assistance, and policy advocacy. Mr. Jiménez-Solomon’s commitment to helping others overcome unemployment and poverty stems from his personal experience of financial hardship and recovery. Mr. Jiménez-Solomon obtained a Master of Public Health at Columbia University and an undergraduate degree in Sociology at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru. He is currently pursuing studies leading to a Ph.D. in Social Policy at the Columbia University School of Social Work. Since 2013 he has served as Research Scientist at the Center of Excellence for Cultural Competence, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Oscar is the principal investigator of a grant from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) to develop and pilot a peer-led intervention with the goal of building financial hope, improving financial wellness, and reducing distress and suicide risk. As part of his doctoral training he is conducting research at the Columbia University Center on Poverty and Social Policy to examine the impact of economic hardship on hope, life satisfaction and psychiatric distress. Mr. Jiménez-Solomon is Vice-Chair for the Board of the National Disability Institute (NDI), a national organization dedicated to improving the financial wellbeing of people with disabilities. He is also Instructor at the Rutgers University Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, where he teaches coursework for the peer support certificate. Oscar’s previous roles include Director of Community and Economic Development at the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRS), Director of Quality Management at the Arc of New York State, and Consultant at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). He has authored or co-authored peer-reviewed articles, training manuals, and online training modules on economic empowerment, cultural competence, and language access. He has also authored book chapters, reports, empowerment videos and training manuals in mental and public health in the United States and Latin America.
Ruth Colon-Wagner
Ruth Colón-Wagner: Director of Training & Development (NYAPRS) has 30+ years experience in Child Welfare, Homeless Services, Employment, and Mental Health Care working with children, adults, and families. For the last 25 of those years Ruth has worked in a variety of leadership positions. Prior to joining NYAPRS, Ruth served as Director of Rehabilitation and Treatment of adult mental health services in the Hudson Valley region of New York. As Director of Training & Development, Ruth manages various initiatives which includes technical assistance to organizations (nationally) on organizational culture change; organizational capacity building and sustainability, board development, succession planning and strategic planning. Other specialties include Group Facilitation, Program Management and Compassion Fatigue. Ruth is a certified Dialectical Behavioral Therapist, a Functional Family Therapist and a Life-Skills Educator. Ruth received her MSW from Hunter College School of Social Work and is licensed as a social worker in NYS.
Gina Calhoun
Gina Calhoun is the Director of Doors to Wellbeing, a SAMHSA funded National Technical Assistance Center and a Program of the Copeland Center. She participated in public mental health services for 20 years and is now proud to be a Certified Peer Specialist and Mental Health Educator. When Gina is not promoting wellness and recovery, she enjoys adult gymnastics as well as spending time with her large dynamic family. Gina won the Timothy J. Coakley National Behavioral Health Leadership Award. This award honors peer and family leaders in the behavioral health field whose work is characterized by the highest degree of integrity and a passion for creative approaches for improving the lives of persons living with mental health challenges, especially in the public sector.
Lori Ashcraft, MSW, MPA, PhD
During her 40 year behavioral health career, Lori has had a strong interest in the therapeutic effects of self-determination, choice, and personal freedom. She did her dissertation on freedom, spending a month in Russia at the time the Soviet Union collapsed, and focused her inquiry in Soviet mental hospitals where the lack of freedom and choice was pervasive.
After a full career in California that included the Deputy Director for Community Programs of state Department of Mental Health, she re-located to Arizona where she accepted the position as Director for Adult Services where her commitment to recovery principles became a passion. In 2007, Lori founded the Recovery Opportunity Center at Recovery Innovations. Early in 2015, Lori left Recovery Innovations creating a new company, Resilience, Inc. which his now part of Crestwood. Being part of Crestwood has allowed her to learn more about using recovery and resilience principles and practice them in the unique environment of Crestwood. Most exciting is desire of Crestwood to learn and grow as more is known about recovery. Lori’s vision for the future is to continue teaching recovery principles and practices, assuring people that they can recover.
Celia Brown
Celia Brown is a psychiatric survivor and a long-time advocate for people with psychiatric disabilities. Celia was one of the first Peer Specialist in New York. She was instrumental in developing and implementing the Peer Specialist Civil Service title for the NYS Office of Mental Health. She currently works in the position of Regional Advocacy Specialist for the Office of Consumer Affairs at the NYS Office of Mental Health.Celia provides technical assistance and support to people with psychiatric disabilities and their families. She facilitates trainings on peer support, wellness and recovery approaches in community mental health agencies. Celia is a long-time leader in the peer movement.She is a certified peer specialist in New York State. Celia has presented nationally and internationally.Celia was the main representative to the United Nations for MindFreedom International and collaborated with other Disability organizations on the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.
Lynnae Brown,
Lynnae Brown is the Director of Howie The Harp (HTH) Advocacy Center – a peer led employment training program for people in mental health recovery. Based in Harlem, New York City HTH has trained hundreds of individuals across the metropolitan area to offer supportive services using their lived experience along with peer support principles. Lynnae is a NYS Certified Peer Specialist and her work was featured in BRICTV’s #BHheard Mental Health Series in 2018.
Maryam Husamudeen, BA, NYCPS, eCPR, ASIS, MHFA
Maryam Husamudeen has been a Peer Bridger for NYAPRS since 2013 and the User Support Staff for APS since 2018. Her background work experience allows her to be highly skilled in the field of High Risk Populations. She is an Advocate and Consultant. She is very dedicated to servicing the community. Her objective is to enlighten service providers on the barriers to care of these populations and develop Quality Improvement Techniques to have a more efficient interaction. She is a seasoned nonprofit professional with over 30 years’ experience. She has earned her BA in Sociology. She is a NY State Certified Peer Specialist and newly trained in eCPR amongst other certifications.
Yumi Ikuta, MBA
Yumiko Ikuta is a consumer and the Director of the Office of Rehabilitation in the Bureau of Mental Health at the NYC Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene. Her office oversees over 80 non-clinical treatment and rehabilitation programs, including supported employment, education support services, clubhouses, psychosocial clubs, peer support, respite, self-help, advocacy and outreach, as well as peer specialist training programs. Her experience in peer specialist education is extensive as the former Deputy Director of Howie the Harp Peer Advocacy Center and the former Program Manager of the Academy of Peer Services. Yumiko also worked closely with the NYS Office of Mental Health to develop Medicaid billable Home and Community Based Services and its delivery system. She worked for over 15 years in the corporate sector and for the US Agency for International Development at the Dept. of State as an economic development officer in several developing countries. She also started and operated her own wholesale and retail fine jewelry business on Madison Avenue in NYC. Yumiko holds a BA in Economics and East Asian Studies and an MBA in Marketing and International Business both from Columbia University.
Len Statham
Len Statham is the Chief Operating Officer with the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services. He has worked with people with mental health and substance use issues for more than 25 years, promoting recovery focused services and service provision. Through SAMHSA’s BRSS TACS program, he has helped peer-run organizations from across the country increase their capacity to provide peer-run services in a value-based healthcare world. Additionally, Len also works with the National Development and Research Institutes Addiction Technology Transfer Center (NDRI-ATTC) and The Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston University offering training and technical assistance to organizations across the country providing employment services to people in mental health recovery. Critically, Len is a person with lived experience in the mental health system and this experience informs and strengthens his work on recovery and employment issues.
Steve Miccio
Steve Miccio is the CEO of People-USA located in Poughkeepsie, NY. People-USA is a peer operated advocacy and service organization serving people throughout New York State. Steve has used his personal experiences to help provide valuable insight in creating, leading and manage alternative peer operated crisis diversion/respite/stabilization services and has assisted in the creation of various complimentary peer services in NY and across the United States and Europe.
Cheryle Hinds Leslie
Cheryle Hinds Leslie is a State Certified Peer Specialist, an advocate for social justice and a voice for peers. Cheryle is from the Bronx. She was her mother’s right hand for countless projects. Cheryle is a member of the North Bronx National Council of Negro Women for 40 years working on countless services. Cheryle helped start the North Bronx NCNW Child Development Center. In the Peer Movement, Cheryle graduated from Howie The Harp, and has been a part of Community Access, Bronx Crisis Respite, and managing Baltic Street Bronx Peer Advocacy Center. She has fought for peers in Albany with NYAPRS, Coalition for Women Prisoners, and the Supported Housing Network of New York. Cheryle sits on the Mayors Community Service Board & Community Service Board Mental Health Sub Committee, in NYC. Cheryle is the Entitlements Coordinator for the Jewish Board Brooklyn Supported Housing and Treatment Apartment Programs.
Denise Ranaghan, LMHC, CPRP, NYSCPS
Denise Ranaghan shares a powerful personal recovery story that has driven her 20 year record of service in the mental health field. She received a Masters of Art and Education from Teachers College, CU and went on to hold multiple positions in the mental health system including Residential Manager, Peer Specialist, Rehabilitation Coordinator, Director of Wellness Services and Director of Assertive Community Treatment Team. While Director of Mental Health Association’s Wellness Program Denise initiated projects that collaborated with community organizations to bring mental health and substance use related issues into public discussions. She is a certified WRAP facilitator who has both helped to start and support alternative peer run self-help groups. While serving as the Director of Peer Services at the New York Association for Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services, Denise oversaw multiple projects that employed Peer Bridgers and trained providers on how to incorporate peer services into their organizations. She has presented on Peer Support, Trauma Informed Care, Voice Hearing, Cultural Diversity, Suicide, and the Human Canine Connection. She is the author of multiple essays on recovery as well as the book “Institutional-Eyes,” which profiles her experience in the military where she was first psychiatrically hospitalized. She is a writer and a pastel artist, currently living in New Paltz, NY with her partner and their five dogs and two cats.
Carlton Whitmore
Carlton Whitmore is the Director of New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene’s Office of Consumer Affairs. The Office of Consumer Affairs is responsible for assuring the voice of those with lived experience is heard and integrated into all levels of policy and planning. Carlton’s primary function in this role is to advocate on behalf of individuals and families who may not have access to resources needed to support their recovery.
Liz Breier, MA, CPRP
Liz Breier holds a Master of Arts in Health Advocacy from Sarah Lawrence College, is a Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner from The Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, as well as a Certified Peer Specialist for the state of New York. Additionally, Liz is a Certified Health Coach and is a candidate for additional certification with The Institute For Functional Medicine. Liz has worked in the field of Behavioral Health in a variety of leadership and supervisory roles in the states of Florida, New Jersey, and New York. Since 2000 Liz has been actively involved in supporting individuals in creating and sustaining their personal vision of recovery as well as helping to create and shape a service system that is person centered, anti-racist, recovery focused and consistent with the principles of psychiatric rehabilitation. Additionally, Liz uses her personal lived experience as a part of her advocacy and work around individual self-determination and healing from trauma.
Jonathan Edwards, PhD
Jonathan P. Edwards consults nationally on peer support services implementation and supervision and plays an integral role in advancing peer workforce development. Jonathan wears many hats; recently earning a PhD from the Social Welfare program at CUNY Graduate Center and a Doctoral Fellow in the SAMHSA-funded Council on Social Work Education’s Minority Fellowship Program; as an adjunct professor at the Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College; as a licensed clinical social worker and member of the Academy of Certified Social Workers; as a program consultant, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Use Prevention, Care, and Treatment; as a member of the National Association of Peer Supporters Board; as an executive member of the New York Peer Specialist Certification Board; a New York Certified Peer Specialist; and a person in long-term recovery.
Gita Enders, LMSW, MA, CPRP
Gita Enders currently holds the position of Director in the NYC Health + Hospitals / Office of Behavioral Health, where she oversees numerous health care delivery system activities and concerns impacting individuals who use mental health, substance use, and co-occurring treatment services. Gita has presented locally and nationally on programming and supervision. She is a Licensed Master Social Worker; she has a Master’s degree in English (Creative Writing), a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology, and is a Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner (CPRP) and New York Certified Peer Specialist. She serves as supervisor to the Peer Advisor Program as part of the Public Psychiatry Fellowship of Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute, and is also involved with the Community Access Howie the Harp Advocacy Center as a Peer Training Program instructor.
Clinton Green, LMSW
Clinton Green is a Senior Training and Implementation Specialist at The Center for Rehabilitation and Recovery. He collaborates with New York City behavioral health providers on enhancing access and quality of person-centered and recovery-oriented services through her provision of trainings and technical assistance. Prior to this position, he was the Program Director for a new peer training model under the ThriveNYC grant. Clinton has worked over ten (10+) years with individuals with mental health challenges in recovery-oriented programs including over four (4+) plus years in a supervisory role. In these roles, he assisted with the creation of trauma informed policies and assessment material. Mr. Green has also trained on Community Inclusion Principals with Dr. Mark Salzer from Temple University.
Athena Anderson, PhD, MEd
Athena has been an Instructional Designer with APS since March of 2020. Before switching to a career in ID, she was a field ecologist and taught college biology courses for 17 years. She is also a certified feline training and behavior specialist and Cultural Intelligence Facilitator. Athena will try just about anything once, but her most common hobbies include writing, dancing, travel, cat rescue, and anything related to Monty Python. She currently has a crush on Michael Palin.
Ken Gill, PhD
Dr. Gill’s research interests encompass a broad range of topics with the psychiatric rehabilitation of persons with serious mental illnesses. These include evidence-based and promising practices in terms of employment, education, health and wellness promotion, and techniques to promote community integration, quality of life, and recovery. In addition, he has a strong interest in the educational techniques and approaches that promote practitioner development through academic and other educational approaches.
Rita Cronise
Rita is an instructional designer with lived experience of a major mental health diagnosis who has been a certified peer support specialist, an advanced level WRAP facilitator, Recovery to Practice advanced peer specialist training developer, and for two years served as acting Director of Operations at the International Association of Peer Supporters (iNAPS) where she had coordinated efforts to develop National Practice Guidelines for the peer workforce. Rita currently holds a faculty position at Rutgers University as the lead instructional designer on the online Academy of Peer Services (APS), the training and testing component of the New York State peer specialist certification and the companion Virtual Community of Practice. She continues to serve on a national workgroup for supervision of peer specialist and peer support workforce development and is a frequent lecturer on peer support values, practice, and supervision.
Amy Spagnolo, PhD
Amy B. Spagnolo, APS Project Manager, is a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions at Rutgers, the State University. In addition to teaching and administration, her experience includes over 20 years of curriculum design, staff training and consultation for the behavioral health sector. She also brings a decade long commitment to training and educating the peer support provider workforce. Currently, in her role as the Project Manager for the Academy of Peer Services, she oversees the instructional design and technical offering of 50 online-based training modules for New York Peer Specialist Certification. This is the only online training and testing platform for peer specialist training of its kind.
Karen Richards, PhD, EdS, MS
Karen Richards is an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Rutgers University Biomedical and Health Sciences, School of Health Professions, in Newark, NJ. Dr. Richards is also the Director of Instructional Design, Media, and Technology at the MJHS Institute for Innovation in Palliative Care in New York City, NY. She has been working in the field of Web development and e-learning for over two decades, specializing in online scenario-based and problem-based learning. In her role as instructional designer for the Academy of Peer Services, at Rutgers University since 2013, Dr. Richards works with subject-matter experts to design online courses for peer support specialists. She continues to contribute to the body of research in the field of designing online environments for learners with mental health disorders. As Director of Instructional Design, Media, and Technology at the MJHS Institute, Dr. Richards oversees the organization’s website, learning management system, and all online continuing educational programming for physicians, nurses, social workers, and other allied healthcare professionals.
Varsha Kamat
Varsha Kamat has been a Web Support Specialist for the Academy of Peer Services at Rutgers University for the past four years. She works with Instructional Designers and the User Support Specialist to maintain the APS website. She also does data analysis. Varsha has more than 25 years of experience in Information Technology, and you can find her at the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ. On a personal note, Varsha likes gardening, sewing, cooking and dancing. She is also a good photographer.
