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Advocacy Unlimited, Inc.
2075
Silas Deane Hwy.
Rocky Hill, CT 06067
9am-5pm
(860) 505-7581
advocacyunlimited.org
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Join Rise Be
2075
Silas Deane Hwy.
Rocky Hill, CT 06067
9am-5pm
(855) 646-7366
joinrisebe.org
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Toivo Center
1477 Park St.
Suite 102
Hartford, CT 06106
9am-5pm
(860) 296-2338
toivocenter.org
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Featured Article: Leading a Movement Away From Psychiatric Medication By Ellen Barry
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CREATIVITY PUZZLE
Remote Associates Test
The Remote Associates Test normally takes a linguistic form: given three words, the participant is asked to come up with a fourth word associated with all three of them.
Example: Square | Cardboard | Open - BOX
Light, Birthday, Stick |ASSOCIATED WORD
ANSWER AT THE BOTTOM OF NEWSLETTER!
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Leading a Movement Away From Psychiatric Medication
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On a recent Friday morning, Daniel, a lawyer in his early 40s, was in a Zoom counseling session describing tapering off lithium. Earlier that week he had awakened with racing thoughts, so anxious that he could not read, and he counted the hours before sunrise.
At those moments, Daniel doubted his decision to wean off the cocktail of psychiatric medications which had been part of his life since his senior year in high school, when he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Was this his body adjusting to the lower dosage? Was it a reaction to the taco seasoning he had eaten the night before? Or was it what his psychiatrist would have called it: a relapse?
“It still does go to the place of — what if the doctors are right?” said Daniel.
On his screen, Laura Delano nodded sympathetically.
Ms. Delano is not a doctor; her main qualification, she likes to say, is having been “a professional psychiatric patient between the ages of 13 and 27.” During those years, when she attended Harvard and was a nationally ranked squash player, she was prescribed 19 psychiatric medications, often in combinations of three or four at a time.
Then Ms. Delano decided to walk away from psychiatric care altogether, a journey she detailed in a new memoir, “Unshrunk: A Story of Psychiatric Treatment Resistance.” Fourteen years after taking her last psychotropic drug, Ms. Delano projects a radiant good health that also serves as her argument — living proof that, all along, her psychiatrists were wrong.
Since then, to the alarm of some physicians, an online DIY subculture focused on quitting psychiatric medications has expanded and begun to mature into a service industry.
Ms. Delano is a central figure in this shift. From her house outside Hartford, Conn., she offers coaching to paying clients like Daniel. But her ambitions are grander. Through Inner Compass Initiative, the nonprofit she runs with her husband, Cooper Davis, she hopes to provide support to a large swath of people interested in reducing or quitting psychiatric medications.
“People are realizing, ‘I don’t actually need to go find a doctor who knows how to do this,’” she said. In fact, she added, they may not even need to tell their doctor.
“That sounds quite radical,” she allowed. “I imagine a lot of people would hear that and be, like, ‘That’s dangerous.’ But it’s just been the reality for thousands and thousands of people out there who have realized, ‘I have to stop thinking that psychiatry is going to get me out of this situation.’”
Increasingly, many psychiatrists agree that the health care system needs to do a better job helping patients get off psychotropic medications when they are ineffective or no longer necessary. The portion of American adults taking them approached 25 percent during the pandemic, according to government data, more than triple what it was in the early 1990s.
But they also warn that quitting medications without clinical supervision can be dangerous. Severe withdrawal symptoms can occur, and so can a relapse, and it takes expertise to tease them apart. Psychosis and depression may flare up, and the risk of suicide rises. And for people with the most disabling mental illnesses, like schizophrenia, medication remains the only evidence-based treatment.
“What makes tremendous sense for Laura” and “millions of people who are over-diagnosed and over-treated makes no sense at all for people who can’t get medicine,” said Dr. Allen Frances, a professor emeritus of psychiatry at Duke University School of Medicine.
“Laura does not generalize to the person with chronic mental illness and has a clear chance of ending up homeless or in the hospital,” he said. “Those people don’t wind up looking like Laura when they are taken off medication.”
It was hard to say what a life after psychiatric treatment would look like for Daniel, who asked to be identified by only his first name to discuss his mental health history. He has been tapering off lithium for nine months under the care of a nurse-practitioner, and settled, for the moment, at 450 milligrams, half his original dose
He had become convinced that the drugs were harming him. And yet, when the waves of anxiety and insomnia hit him, he wavered. Daniel is a litigator. He had depositions coming up at work, and the way his thoughts were jumping around scared him...
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Engage in our continuing education for ongoing personal and professional development. Learn to connect with participants and peers through our interactive seminars and webinars. Explore new approaches to self-care and holistic practices in our peer forums.
Click here to read our community informed consent statement: INFORMED CONSENT
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BREATHWORK CLASSES:
(IN PERSON & VIRTUAL)
| | | Beyond Binary: Peer Forum | | | Supporting Recovery During the Transition to Adulthood | | | Register for the RSS Retreat! | | | Meet Up With the Bridger Program | | | |
YOUNG ADULT WARMLINE | PHONE-BASED PEER SUPPORT
855-646-7366 | 7 Days a week | 12pm-9pm
| | Thoughts of suicide and attempts are among the most marginalized human experiences. The experience itself is isolating, and many people with suicidal urges carry shame about their feelings. At Alt2Su our aim is not only to provide support, but to take the shame and stigma off of these experiences. Alt2su takes a different perspective than traditional Suicide Prevention. There is no referral or assessment process. There is no formal attendance taken at any group. This is a safe space for people to share their experiences without fear of shame, stigma, or hospitalization. To learn more about our group values click the link above to view our website. | |
GROUP TIMES
Hartford In-Person Group
Meets: Wednesdays from 5:00-6:30pm
Location: Toivo
1477 Park St, Suite 102, Hartford
Contact: Toivo- connect@toivocenter.org
Zoom Monday Group
Meets: Mondays from 3:30-5:00pm
For Zoom link contact us at- info@advocacyunlimited.org
| | CT HEARING VOICES NETWORK | | | |
| The CT Hearing Voices Network provides statewide support for people who hear voices or have other alternative experiences. CTHVN group times can be subject to change throughout the month. Updated times and dates can be found on the CTHVN webpages linked below. | | |
VIRTUAL GROUPS
To find the virtual group that will work best for you and your schedule please visit cthvn.org/virtual.
FRIENDS AND FAMILY GROUP
This group's purpose is to support friends and family of voice-hearers. To learn more please visit cthvn.org/friends-and-family.
IN PERSON GROUPS
CTHVN is excited to announce several new in person groups beginning soon! View more information below or visit cthvn.org/find-a-group to find the nearest in person group to you.
| | MAASTRICHT APPROACH PROJECT | | | | The Maastricht Approach Project (MAP) is a community of informed supporters working together to normalize and embrace the full spectrum of human experiences | |
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Learn skills to cope and negotiate with voices to build a more positive relationship with the voices.
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Research shows that control over voices is possible and benefits clinical outcomes.[i]
- Voice hearers can learn to have pride in their experience and to give their voices personal and positive meaning.
- Learn to no longer be dominated by ones voices, and make their own choices.
| | PARTICIPATE IN A MAP INTERVIEW | |
The Maastricht Interview is a questionnaire that includes questions related to the experience of voice hearing and paranoia.
The interview is a 1:1 approach, and conducted between 6-8 sessions.
The interview encourages the participant to explore the experience of voice hearing, built trust, openness, and understanding in their own experience. This occurs in a structured and supportive environment, led by trained Maastricht’s Guides.
The outcome is a document written fully in the words of the participant, outlines their unique lived experience, as well as identified points of interest to work towards personal recovery.
The act of documenting ones experience can be validating to the Voice Hearer. With continued conversation, ultimately reducing internalized stigma, and promoting social engagement.
For More Information:
Email info@advocacyunlimited.org
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[i] Mourgues, et. al. (2022). Measuring Voluntary Control Over Hallucinations: The Yale Control Over Perceptual Experiences (COPE) Scales. Schizophrenia bulletin, 48(3), 673–683. https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbab144
| | CONNECT WITH A COMMUNITY BRIDGER | | |
The Bridger Program at Advocacy Unlimited Inc. provides non-clinical, person-centered support to adults statewide whose lives have been affected by psychiatry, trauma and/or addiction.
The Bridger Team is made up of individuals who draw from their own diverse lived experiences, coupled with the principles of Intentional Peer Support and their training as Recovery Support Specialist to build authentic, safe relationships defined by mutual trust, respect and personal agency. Engagement in the Bridger Program is 100% voluntary.
For more information contact us at:
860-505-7581 | info@advocacyunlimited.org
| | | YOUNG ADULTS | JOIN RISE BE | | | | AN EMERGING ADULT RECOVERY INITIATIVE | We are a grant funded peer-led initiative built by young people for young people. We are based in New Britain, Connecticut and travel statewide to create space through presentations, workshops, and peer-groups. We our shared lived experience so others feel comfortable to do the same. We are here to influence positive change across our current mental health system and within our communities. Through our effort we cultivate the belief that recovery is possible and we all have the capacity to achieve self-defined success. | | |
UPCOMING MEETINGS
April 3
May 2
June 5
| | YOUNG ADULT ADVISORY BOARD EVERY FIRST THURSDAY | 11AM-1PM | |
A space for young adults from across Connecticut to share, connect and use our collective experiences to improve the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services' young adult programming.
During meetings, we connect, share, and plan statewide recovery and leadership events. We are currently planning the 2023 Young Adult Summer Funfest.
TO REGISTER EMAIL CONNECT@JOINRISEBE.ORG
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Our Warmline offers statewide phone-based peer support for young adults.
Similar to hotlines, staff connect callers to community resources, hold space, and inspire callers to step forward and towards a life of self-defined purpose.
Callers may be feeling burnout or overwhelmed, recovering from trauma, or seeking a friend - all are welcome to call to connect with a peer today!
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OPERATORS
ARE AVAILABLE
EVERYDAY
12PM-9PM
1-855-6-467-3669
or 1-855-6-HOPENOW
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| | | | HOLISTIC STRESS MANAGEMENT | Toivo is a peer-led initiative that includes statewide classes, workshops and a center for holistic healing and stress management located in Hartford, Connecticut. To Learn more visit the Toivo website HERE | | | Check out a few of the things coming up at the Toivo center. View the full calendar by clicking the link below to see all of Toivo's offerings! | | |
The shared purpose of PAN
We are a group of people whose lives have been devastated by the mental health and addiction service system of Connecticut. People are suffering. People are seeking help from an expensive, broken system that is not meeting their needs. We must do better. Our intention is to promote approaches that support people to move through emotional distress. Our hope is that you will join us and take action.
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| Look Through A Few Relevant Listings! | |
Toivo Program Manager
Employment Type: Full-Time
Company: Advocacy Unlimited
Location: Hartford, CT
The Toivo Program Manager is responsible for the success and advancement of the Toivo initiative. This role involves organizing, scheduling, and overseeing Toivo Center in-house classes and Toivo Community classes at DMHAS sites according to contractual deliverables while contributing to monthly in-house and community classes.
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JRB Outreach Specialist
Employment Type: Full-Time
Company: Advocacy Unlimited
Location: Rocky Hill, CT
The Outreach Specialist is responsible for visiting all 18 DMHAS YAS service sites quarterly, collaborating with the DMHAS YAS OOC Liaison, attending relevant meetings, and keeping accurate records that adhere to accountability standards. Additionally, the Outreach Specialist will create monthly newsletters, co-lead advisory board meetings, co-present at trainings, organize leadership trainings three times a year, assist in organizing key events like the Young Adult Leadership Summit, and other duties as assigned.
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Community Bridger
Employment Type: Full-Time
Company: Advocacy Unlimited
Location: Rocky Hill, CT
The position of Community Bridger is based in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, with a statewide travel requirement. Community Bridgers offer support to people aged eighteen and older who are currently involved or at risk for being involved in the criminal justice or probate court system.
| | | | | Job And Volunteer Openings at Fireside Project | Fireside Project provides free, confidential peer-to-peer support by phone and SMS to people during and after their psychedelic experiences. | | Job openings at The Village | The Village has a wide variety of job opportunities available in a database which is regularly updated. | | | Multiple Opportunities: CMHA | Multiple positions for per diem Residential Monitors at CMHA in locations across the state! Check out their list. | | | |
| Multiple Opportunities: Mental Health Connecticut, Inc | Multiple opportunities with Mental Health Connecticut, Inc in locations across the state! Check out their list. | | Multiple Opportunities: CommuniCare CT | |
CommuniCare CT has multiple job opportunities open! Click the link below to see their current listings.
| | | | | CCAR Hiring Multiple Positions | |
CCAR Is currently hiring for multiple positions. The ideal applicants will be enthusiastic, extremely well-organized, and passionate about supporting people in recovery.
A cover letter is required. Resumes without cover letter will not be considered.
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Looking for a job where you can support others through your own lived experiences?
We regularly update the Job Opportunities page on our website.
Check it out here!
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Got an Peer Opening?
Know of a job opportunity available? Please let us know, and we'll get the word out to our network of qualified applicants.
Email: info@advocacyunlimited.org
| | | Anemoni Peer Respite to Open Monday, April 28! | | |
The Wildflower Alliance will open Anemoni Peer Respite at noon on Monday, April 28, 2025! It will offer five bedrooms and eight slots for Mobile Peer Respite. You can visit Anemoni during the rolling open house on April 24 and 25. To register, please CLICK HERE.
Additionally, a dedication ceremony in honor of Edith Goldberg, for whom Anemoni is named, will take place on Sunday, March 30, at 11:00 a.m. To register for the ceremony CLICK HERE.
For more information about The Wildflower Alliance and peer support in Massachusetts, please visit the Wildflower Alliance website at wildfloweralliance.org.
| | The Understanding Control Over Voice-Hearing Experiences Project By The Yale COPE Project | | |
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The COPE II Project at Yale Home | Yale COPE Project
The COPE II Project seeks to understand the methods some voice hearers use to control onset and offset of their voices. Information gathered will be used to develop holistic treatments for voice hearers who currently do not have this control. Stipend of up to $830 for people who complete the subject, with the possibility of travel reimbursement. COPE II is looking for the following people:
- Voice hearer with a psychosis spectrum diagnosis
- Voice hearer without a psychosis spectrum diagnosis
- Person with psychosis spectrum diagnosis who does not hear voices
- Person without a psychosis spectrum diagnosis who does not hear voices
If you are interested in participating, follow the link below to fill out the pre-screening form. For more information on what participating in the study requires read the full explanation below under "what to expect."
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The CONVOKE Study is a clinical research study, actively recruiting participants. The study will look at 2 mobile applications (apps) to see if they can treat people with negative schizophrenia symptoms. Negative symptoms may include feeling no motivation, desire to socialize, or interest in the things that you used to enjoy.
The study will last for about 22 weeks, and will include 4 study center visits for assessments and 3 telephone calls. There is a study center located in Hartford and in Cromwell. After the main study, you may be offered an option to take part in a 20-week extension study.
Some basic requirements to join the study:
● Are located in the U.S. only
● Are 18 years or older
● Are the sole user of a smartphone
● Have a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia
● Have been taking antipsychotic medication for at least 12 weeks
● Are fluent in written and spoken English
To read more information and see if you are eligible, please click HERE. Click the link below to view the full informational brochure for this study.
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January 21, 2025: Sex, Drugs, Harm Reduction | Caty Simon
How do decriminalizing drug use and sex work advance mad liberation? What lessons can psychiatric survivors learn from the harm reduction movement? Caty Simon’s activist leadership spans the low-income rights, psychiatric survivors, sex worker, and drug users union movements, and she was a key organizer at Freedom Center in Western Massachusetts. Caty is on the leadership team of National Survivors Union (NSU), the US drug users union; is a founding co-organizer of Whose Corner Is It Anyway, a mutual aid group by and for low-income, street, and survival sex workers who use opioids and/or stimulants and/or experience housing insecurity; and leads Narcofeminism Storyshare, a collaborative autobiographical story development and key publics training stigma reduction project at NC Survivors Union, the flagship affiliate group of NSU. Caty is currently a research assistant at the Yale School of Medicine, and in 2023 received the International Drug Policy Reform Conference’s Alfred R. Lindesmith Award. Caty reunites with longtime colleagues and Madness Radio co-hosts Jacks McNamara and Will Hall to talk about psychiatric incarceration and her 20 years experience in the harm reduction movement for drug user, sex worker, and mad people liberation.
LISTEN HERE
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National Paranoia Network | |
The Paranoia Network was originally launched in 2004. Run by Peter Bullimore, Kate Crawford and Shaun Hunt, the organization aims to raise awareness of how disabling paranoia can be, and to breakdown social taboos.
Read A tribute to Peter Bullimore
| | The Wildflower Alliance supports healing and empowerment for our broader communities and people who have been impacted by psychiatric diagnosis, trauma, extreme states, homelessness, problems with substances and other life-interrupting challenges. | Wildflower Alliance Website: wildfloweralliance.org | | | |
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MADNESS NETWORK NEWS
Madness Network News is dedicated to the interchange of energy and support of mad people and psychiatric survivors. Our work is rooted in psychiatric abolition and mad liberation movements, and we are committed to fighting against psychiatric oppression and violence everywhere.
BLOG: Anti-psychiatry vs. Psychiatric Abolition
BY: Róisín
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Open everyday 11:00 am - 11:00 pm PT.
The Psychedelic Peer Support Line is staffed by rigorously trained, compassionate, supportive volunteers from diverse backgrounds who listen deeply and from a place of non-judgment.
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Alcoholics Anonymous is a worldwide fellowship of people who help each other to stay sober. They offer the same help to anyone who has a drinking problem and wants to do something about it. Since they are all alcoholics themselves, they have a special understanding of each other. They know what the illness feels like – and they have learned how to recover from it in AA.
| | The CT Cross Disability Lifespan Alliance is a statewide coalition of individuals and organizations that advocate for the full inclusion and participation of all people with disabilities in their communities. The CCDLA meets every other month to share resources, promote issues of importance and to advocate for solutions that improve the quality of lives for people with disabilities. In addition, the Alliance hosts Policy calls every other week to address policy issues at the local, state, and national levels. | |
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RIPPLE is a small collective of people who have lived experience with mental health and/or addiction challenges. Their mission is to empower their peers and use their voices to educate, inform, and inspire new leaders in the community. They aim to bring new and innovative ideas to the recovery process for the benefit of all.
RIPPLE has a comprehensive list of resources in Connecticut, organized by need and county.
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Learn About:
-The opioid epidemic
-How to prevent an overdose
-How to recognize warning signs & symptoms
-How to administer Narcan (Naloxone)
-Current protective legislation in CT
-Local resources & services
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| | | The Gloria House Peer Respite | The Gloria House is a 4 Bedroom residential peer respite home located in New Britain, CT. The house is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year – by peers who identify as having direct lived experience with mental health, addiction and/ or trauma. The Gloria House offers voluntarily, short-term respite services as an alternative to traditional psychiatric stays. | | Inner Compass Initiative helps people make more informed choices about psychiatric diagnoses and drugs and build community with like-minded others thinking critically about today's mental health industry. We work to support individuals to engage in curious, critical, independent self-education and inner exploration, and collectively, to help develop more interconnected, empowered and resilient grassroots communities. | |
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| DMHAS Mental Health Bed Website | A new project listing open beds, including 45 state-operated and private non-profit agencies, covering six types of programs and more than 1700 beds. Programs will be updating this site when there is a change in availability and at least weekly. | | | | Helping Hands: A Resource Guide for Families With Loved Ones In Prison | Prison Families Alliance (PFA) is committed to improving the lives of families and children who have loved ones in the criminal justice system. | | | | |
VETERAN PEER SUPPORT SERVICES
Peer support services help Veterans who are using mental health treatment services in VHA. Any Veteran can have mental health problems, trouble with addictions, or other related problems. These can all negatively affect their daily living and personal wellness. Peer Specialists are employees who are Veterans. They have personally experienced similar life challenges to the Veterans who are using mental health services in VHA.
| | | | Late-Night Support Meetings | |
Are you a night owl?
Join RIPPLE for their late-night support groups on zoom, from 10pm-12am on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
| | Eating Disorder Support Lines | | | | | |
Looking for Shelter? Call 2-1-1 Press 3, then 1 to speak with a housing specialist.
As of 11/17/2014 all requests for shelter beds must be made through 2-1-1
Safelink users call 1-800-203-1234
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CREATIVITY PUZZLE Remote Association Test
ANSWER: Light, Birthday, Stick | Candle
| | Thanks for reading, and see you next month! | | | | |
