By Amanda Kearney-Smith, CMWN Executive Director Did you read our blog post “Colorado Wants to Jail You for Being Sick” by our volunteer Kate Fitch? If you aren’t familiar with SB16-169 then you’ll want to read that blog post and
It’s Time to Change: Learning from the UK
By Aubrey Boggs, CMWN Intern This week Professor Paul Burstow spoke to different groups in Colorado about addressing the gaps in mental health treatment and shared ways in which the UK has sought to enhance their own healthcare system to
Updates to Federal Mental Health Reform Legislation
By Aubrey Boggs, CMWN Intern While the name “Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act” makes for a positive and promising sounding bill, many individuals have had serious complaints concerning aspects of the bill. From leniency around HIPAA regulations to
Why the Media is Holding us Back!
by Amanda Kearney-Smith The media is everywhere – online, t.v., magazine articles, newspaper, social media, etc. So you really can’t ignore it! Unfortunately the media often gets it wrong when it comes to mental health. And even more unfortunate is
May is Mental Health (Not Illness) Month
by Amanda Kearney-Smith May is mental health awareness month, a whole month dedicated to raising awareness and breaking down stigma. So why do I keep seeing headlines like this….. “How to Get the Mentally Ill Out of Jail and Off the
U.N.I.T.E to End Stigma Week Five: Embrace Treatment
By Amanda Kearney-Smith This is week five of our blog campaign on stigma. So far we’ve reviewed the U, N, I, & T of U.N.I.T.E. this week we elaborate on the final letter “E” which stands for “embrace”. U.N.I.T.E =
U.N.I.T.E to End Stigma Week Four: Talk About It
This is week four of our stigma posts – we are discussing the acronym U.N.I.T.E¹ a campaign to end stigma that started in Canada. UNITE = Understand, Nurture, Include Others, Talk, Embrace We’ve gone through the U, N, & I this
U.N.I.T.E to End Stigma Week Three: Inclusiveness
By: Amanda Kearney-Smith The acronym U.N.I.T.E¹ comes from a campaign to end stigma that started in Canada. It stands for UNITE = Understand, Nurture, Include Others, Talk, Embrace. Over the last three weeks we’ve elaborated on the “U” and “N” this week we’ll
U.N.I.T.E To End Stigma Week Two: Nurturing Our Inner Self
By Amanda Kearney-Smith This is the third post on the Canadian anti-stigma movement: U.N.I.T.E¹ which stands for – Understand, Nurture, Include Others, Talk, Embrace. Last week we discussed “Understand” as one component of battling stigma, the importance of knowledge and raising
The Pro’s and Con’s of Living in Recovery
By Amanda Kearney-Smith First, what do I mean by “recovery”? There are lots of definitions out there, for me recovery means living “successfully” with a disorder (aka remaining a functional human being, working, being a wife, etc.) while loving myself,