Participate in a Study on Supervision of Peer Support Workers
Researchers in the University of South Florida’s Department of Psychiatry and at Magellan Health are conducting a survey that aims to investigate the backgrounds, training and experiences of individuals who currently supervise at least one peer support worker in a behavioral health setting or agency. The researchers are seeking participants at least 18 years or older, work in the United States or US territories, and currently supervise at least one peer support worker. The online survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete, and participants will be asked open and close ended questions about their training, supervision experiences and practices, and related views.
Take the survey at https://usf.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2f2yWHnODes1jrT
For more information, contact primary investigator Nev Jones at genevra@health.usf.edu or co-primary investigator Dana Foglesong at dfoglesong@magellanhealth.com
13th Annual iNAPS Conference
October 21-23, 2019
San Diego, CA
The INAPS Conference is the longest running internationally attended conference devoted completely to peer support practices. The conference brings together members of the peer support movement to share ideas, strategies, and innovative programs and ideas. Members receive a significant discount on conference registration.
https://inaps.memberclicks.net/2019-conference
Beyond Twelve Steps, Peer-Supported Mental Health Care
This Health Affairs article offers a view of how peer providers bring lived experience and a focus on recovery to the behavioral health workforce in Georgia.
https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2019.00503
A New Push Aims to Bring Mental Health and Addiction into the 2020 Campaign Conversation
With the 2020 campaign getting underway, advocates are engaging in concerted efforts to make behavioral health part of the national conversation.
https://www.statnews.com/2019/06/10/mental-health-care-2020-debate/
Mental Health Parity Is Still An Elusive Goal In U.S. Insurance Coverage
As detailed in this NPR piece, insurers are struggling to meet requirements for mental health parity set forth in the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/06/07/730404539/mental-health-parity-is-still-an-elusive-goal-in-u-s-insurance-coverage
As Suicides Rise, Insurers Find Ways to Deny Mental Health Coverage
The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, a landmark law passed more than a decade ago, requires insurers to provide comparable coverage for mental health and medical treatments. Even so, insurers are denying claims, limiting coverage, and finding other ways to avoid complying with the law.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-05-16/insurance-covers-mental-health-but-good-luck-using-it
College Students (And Their Parents) Face A Campus Mental Health ‘Epidemic’
In this interview by NPR Fresh Air host Terry Gross, she speaks with the author of The Stressed Years of Their Lives about the ongoing campus mental health crisis, what’s driving it, and how students and families can prepare for campus life.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/05/28/727509438/college-students-and-their-parents-face-a-campus-mental-health-epidemic
As a College Counselor, I See Students On Their Worst Days — Days That Are Now More Common
Even accomplished students from supportive families can become unmoored in college. And data shows the student mental health crisis is getting worse. This USA Today column from a college counselor offers a window into the situation.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2019/05/25/college-students-mental-health-crisis-column/3758612002/
I’m a Mental Health Professional Who Experienced Psychosis. Here’s What I Wish You Knew
In this piece, a mental health provider learns what it’s like to be on the other side of the therapeutic relationship, and shares the lessons that come with that newfound perspective.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/im-mental-health-professional-experienced-200138528.html
Minority College Students Might Not Get Mental Health Help Despite Needs, Study Finds
Asian American, Pacific Islander and multiracial college students are more likely than white students to have considered or attempted suicide despite reporting lower rates of psychiatric diagnosis, a new analysis has found.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/minority-college-students-might-not-get-mental-health-help-despite-n992626
Equity in Mental Health Framework Toolkit
This toolkit from The JED Foundation and The Steve Fund provides colleges and universities with ten recommendations and implementation strategies to help inform and strengthen their mental health support and programs for students of color. It includes ideas about how to reduce shame and prejudice around mental illness, increase responsiveness, improve campus climate, and provide system-wide opportunities to help all students thrive.
https://equityinmentalhealth.org/
California Tests a Digital ‘Fire Alarm’ for Mental Distress
Can the proliferation of online data provide a window into mental health that will create a way to head off potential crises? A new program in California is trying to find out.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/17/health/mindstrong-mental-health-app.html
‘Mind Fixers’ Documents The ‘Troubled Search’ For Mental Illness Medication
Anne Harrington chronicles the search for a biological understanding of mental illness. She believes the revolution in medication has left behind a legacy of over-diagnosis and over-medication.
https://www.npr.org/2019/04/24/716793221/mind-fixers-documents-the-troubled-search-for-mental-illness-medication
Virtual Reality Might Be the Next Big Thing for Mental Health
Might virtual reality be the next technological treatment tool to come into vogue? This Scientific American piece explains where the technology is now, and what the possibilities for how it might be used in the future are.
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/virtual-reality-might-be-the-next-big-thing-for-mental-health/
Effectively Employing Young Adult Peer Providers: A Toolkit
This toolkit from Transitions ACR offers practical advice on how organizations can integrate youth peer support workers into their services.
https://www.umassmed.edu/TransitionsACR/publication/effectively-employing-young-adult-peer-providers—a-toolkit/
Suicide Rates in the Mountain West are Sky-High; Now Researchers are Asking Why
Among US regions, suicide prevalence in Mountain West states is especially high. This article from The Oregonian examines cultural, social, and environmental factors behind the trend, and strategies states and communities are using to address the issue.
https://expo.oregonlive.com/news/g66l-2019/04/0491a89bb5509/suicide-rates-in-the-mountain-west-are-skyhigh-now-research-is-seeking-answers.html
Are Sexual Abuse Victims being Diagnosed with a Mental Disorder They Don’t Have?
The connection between trauma and mental health diagnosis is well established. However, as this Guardian article explores, the connection between trauma and specific diagnoses and treatments is fraught with complexity.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/mar/27/are-sexual-abuse-victims-being-diagnosed-with-a-mental-disorder-they-dont-have
Tackling Mental Health Prejudice and Discrimination
This toolkit from the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion offers advice on combatting prejudice against people with mental health conditions based on the experiences of peers.
http://www.tucollaborative.org/sdm_downloads/tackling-mental-health-prejudice-and-discrimination/