The Vermont Psychiatric Care Hospital (VPCH) Advisory Committee is a group that includes interested community members, individuals who self-identify as peers, representatives from Disability Rights Vermont, VPS, and NAMI  the Commissioner of the Department of Mental Health (DMH) or designee, and the VPCH Chief Executive Officer (CEO) who functions as Committee Chair.

The COVID-19 pandemic and restricted community access has increased public awareness of how important it is to simply get out of the house. While we may not have thought about this pre-pandemic, the impact of not leaving the house has been the reality for many individuals with disabilities for quite some time.

In this session, Drs. Gretchen Snethen and Gena Bell Vargas will present research on the relationship between ‘getting out of the house’ and the health indicators for individuals with psychiatric disabilities. Additionally, we will discuss examples of how this is translated into practice and the role of public and allied health professionals to support individuals with disabilities to engage in their communities. 

Join the Texas Health & Human Services Office of Disability Prevention for Children (ODPC) for an informative discussion on Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS), an often-overlooked condition in children. Presenters will discuss the causes of PANS, as well as the importance of early identification and diagnosis of the syndrome.

PANS is a clinical condition defined by the sudden “encephalitic-like” onset of obsessive-compulsive symptoms and/or severe eating restrictions, along with at least two concurrent cognitive, behavioral, or neurological symptoms. Based on research, approximately 11,000 children under 18 years of age develop this sudden, devastating illness each year in Texas.

This webinar is intended for parents, caregivers and people who work with families and children.

Presenters include:

Qazi Javed, M.D., PANS Advisory Council member; double board-certified integrative medicine physician practicing child, adolescent and adult psychiatry with Integrated Psychiatry Austin; Diplomate, American Board of Integrated and Holistic Medicine, and Irma Villarreal, Program Development Specialist with the HHSC Office of Disability Prevention for Children (ODPC)

This session will consider person-centred theories of severe mental distress and how we might work with someone who is experiencing severe mental distress and/or has a psychiatric diagnosis. A basic knowledge of person-centred theory will be useful for this workshop.

This workshop will be hosted on the Zoom meeting platform where we will use our camera and microphones to interact with each other as a group.

To support practitioners in this time of extraordinary circumstances we are offering access to this group for a self-select fee.

The self-select fee is a radical inclusion policy to open learning for all colleagues. The guide price for this event is £20.00, however, we appreciate that income varies greatly in different locations and circumstances. Please contribute what you can to help us maintain inclusive professional training.

The principles prohibiting discrimination in the workplace under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other applicable laws originated with both physical and psychiatric disabilities in mind. However, employers tend to focus more on physical disabilities. According to a 2013 study by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, an estimated 61.5 million Americans have experienced mental health impairment in a given year. That number, if anything, continues to rise. This webinar will discuss the employment rights of persons with psychiatric disabilities and conversely the employer's responsibilities toward those employees under the ADA and other applicable laws, with emphasis on workplace accommodations and discuss issues that arise including: How the broadened definition of disability under the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) affects individuals with psychiatric disabilities? Determining when a person with a psychiatric disability is "qualified" for a job. Common workplace issues involving persons with psychiatric disabilities applicable case examples. Identifying when safety issues or concerns arise and how the concept of "direct threat" may apply. Resources for both employers and employees, among many others.

A celebration is on the horizon as we are fast approaching our 40th Anniversary Gala on 10-18-19! !

About this Event

Triple C Housing focuses on the mission of creating permanent supportive housing opportunities coupled with innovative support services empowering individuals and families with psychiatric disabilities to live with dignity and fulfill their utmost potential.

This year marks our 40th year of working toward our mission and to celebrate, we are hosting a Gala/Fundraising event.

Seats are filling up fast and we have limited space left for Ad Journal purchases. Please join us as we celebrate this huge milestone achievement and honor our awardees:

• The Honorable Mayor Lankey;
• Romark Logistics;
• Fernando Lynch;
• and last, but not least, our FABULOUS Family Advisory Board members!

The Canadian Psychiatric Association’s (CPA) Annual Conference is the largest psychiatric continuing professional development (CPD) program in Canada. Each year, more than 1,200 psychiatrists and other mental health care professionals attend the conference to keep up-to-date on the latest research, exchange ideas and network with colleagues from across the country.

The Community Inclusion Project (CIP) was designed to provide outpatient evaluations for individuals with dual diagnoses (Intellectual disabilities and co-morbid mental health diagnoses) moving from In-patient psychiatric facilities. The outpatient evaluations were used to provide intensive staff training and monitoring of therapeutic progress, to develop comprehensive support plans specifically tailored to consumer needs, and to document variables related to successful community transition. The goal this presentation is to provide a framework for guiding collaborative service delivery among behavior analysts, psychiatrists, and medical professionals. The objectives of this presentation are to (a) define the roles and responsibilities of support teams, (b) identify which professionals are responsible for services, and how to work within the framework of the policies governing healthcare for people with dual diagnoses, and (c) provide careproviders with an understanding of how support coordinators, behavior analysts, psychiatrists, and medical professionals can work together to reduce barriers that influence the quality of life for consumers.

About Dr. May:

Dr. May has 20 years of experience working with children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, severe challenging behavior, and adults with acquired brain injury across a variety of settings. His research has included translational and applied research. Dr. May has contributed to three edited books and has been published in several peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, American Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Physiology and Behavior, and Brain Research. Before coming to The Chicago School, he served as the clinical coordinator of the Vanderbilt Behavior Analysis Clinic coordinating behavior-analytic, psychiatric, and medical interventions for young adults with intellectual and mental health diagnoses transitioning from mental health and developmental institutions.

Patients ready for release kept at N.S. psychiatric hospital for years, hearing told

Some patients held at the East Coast Forensic Hospital are kept there years longer than needed because of a lack of Outpatient Services, a data analyst with the Nova Scotia Health Authority told a Human Rights inquiry Tuesday.

Individuals with intellectual disabilities are sometimes prone to complex psychiatric and behavioural challenges that require a multi-disciplinary approach. In this highly interactive workshop, presenter Dr. John C.C. Chan of the Centre for Behaviour Health Services explores a complementary relationship between psychiatry and applied behaviour analysis (ABA) through several case vignettes. Emphasis will be placed on assessing and conceptualizing clinical presentations while exploring and problem-solving these cases using biopsychosocial and behavioural strategy models. This is a highly informative and interactive talk with focus on current evidence-based, best practice perspectives for individuals with dual diagnosis.

In-Service training for Direct Support Professionals, caregivers, and Administrators. Tickets are $10/person through May 7th or $15/person at the door. Space is limited.

This class also qualifies for ARF Administrator CEUs (4 hours).

Most mental-health patients don’t get timely psychiatric care in Ontario, study finds

The majority of people treated in an Ontario emergency room after a suicide attempt are not seen by a psychiatrist within six months, according to a new study.

Ontario psychiatric hospital offers sweat lodge ceremony

Waypoint Centre for Mental Health in Penetanguishene Ontario Offers Sweat Lodge Ceremony for Patients

The Center for the Human Rights of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry (CHRUSP)

The Center for the Human Rights of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry (CHRUSP) aims to provide strategic leadership in human rights advocacy, implementation and monitoring relevant to people experiencing or labeled with madness, mental health problems or trauma. 

http://chrusp.org/

Treatment at mental health facility was 'torture,' Ontario judge finds

Ontario Judge Finds Treatment at Penetang Psychiatric Hospital Amounted to Torture

Quadriplegic woman who seeks hunting licence among those being helped by Sask. group

Being Astonished Program Helping to Fulfill Quadriplegic Woman' s Dream of Receiving a Hunting License