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Mental Health Events in Mass
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 Massachusetts Family Mental Health Conference: May 31st, 2013, 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., Marlborough, MA. Only $15.00 conference fee for parents and caregivers. "Educate, Collaborate, Advocate" is the theme of this year’s Parent/Professional Advocacy League (PPAL) family conference.
Keynote speakers will be Fletcher Wortmann, author of Triggered: A Memoir of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and Marvin Alexander, Advocate, and President of Youth M.O.V.E. National.
There will also be a Exhibition Hall filled with organizations and companies serving the children’s mental health communities. Plus there will be a Youth/Young Adult Conference Track for young people aged 16-25 to develop skills as leaders and advocates.
Workshop topics include: Strengthening Parent Child Mental Health Support, Appropriate Use of Psychotropic Medications with Children and Youth, and Transitioning to Young Adulthood
For more information or to register contact (866)815-8122 or email info@ppal.net or visit www.ppal.net
The Massachusetts Family Mental Health Conference below costs only $15.00 for a family member to attend!
Mental Health Advocacy Day in Boston: April 8th, 2013, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., State House, Great Hall. Network, hear speakers and meet with your legislators. Speakers include: Representative Liz Malia and Senator Joan Lovely, co-chairs of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Committee, Representative Ruth Balser, Charlie Stefanini, Campaign Coordinator, FundMentalHealth.org, Dr. Deb Pinals, Asst. Commissioner, Forensic Services, Dept. of Mental Health, June Binney, NAMI Massachusetts Criminal Justice Project Director
Attend and add your voice these important issues:
• Restore DMH budget to provide enhanced mental health prevention, intervention and community-based programs.
• Require insurers to pay for behavioral health emergency services.
• Promote legislation for Crisis Intervention Training (CIT)
• Eliminate Discrimination in Long-Term Disability Insurance.
For more information contact Laurie Martinelli, 800-370-9085 or lmartinelli@namimass.org For accommodations, such as ASL, contact Cindy Nelson by March 25, 2013 at 800-370-9085 or cindynelson@namimass.org
To register for this event visit the NAMI Registration Page.
Living with Bi-Polar Disorder - March 13th, 6:30 P.M., UMass Medical School, Worcester, 6:30 - 9:00pm. Free and Open to the public.
Living with Bi-Polar Disorder: The Human Face; Exploring Exceptional Lives, Challenges & Triumphs , is part of the UMASS Memorial's, Be Mentally Well Lecture series. Presentation also includes the documentary, Of Two Minds and the film's co-director Lisa Klein. Other speakers include Alan Brown, MD, Vice Chair, Adult Psychiatry Clinical Services, and individuals with lived experience. Registration at 6:00pm in the Old Medical School Lobby. Or contact the UMass Department of Psychiatry Events page, call 508-856-8507 or e-mail PsychiatryCommunications@umassmed.edu.
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Mental Health Parent Help in Mass
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The Coalition to Defend Special Education Meeting: June 4th, 2013, 10 a.m., Boston. Dr. Bruce Ecker, Director of the Children and Families of Adversity and Resilience (CFAR) program at Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP), will speak about the changes and anticipated impacts on special education of the soon-to-be-released DSM-5, which is the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders developed by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). RSVP by May 30 to 617-357-8431, ext. 226, email llockhart@massadvocates.org or visit The Mass Advocates for Children Events page.
"NAMI Basics" For parents & Caregivers of Children and Adolescents Living with Mental Illnesses. Free. Summer 2013. Learn skills to help you cope with the impact mental illness has on your child and family. Gain tools to assist you in making the best decisions possible for the care of your child. Course offers current information about Attention Deficit Disorder, Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Childhood Schizophrenia, and Substance Abuse Disorders. Preregistration is required.
Marlborough, June 1st, contact judi_maguire@waysideyouth.org
Westborough, June 1st,
Fitchburg, July 11th – August 15, contact alysiapfeifle1@yahoo.com
For times, meeting locations and to RSVP, visit www.namimass.org/programs/nami-basics
"NAMI Family-to-Family" 2012 Course for Family Caregivers of Individuals with Severe Mental Illnesses: Course covers current information about, bipolar disorder (manic depression), panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder, and co-occurring brain disorders, addictive disorders schizophrenia, major depression, plus medications, effective treatments to promote recovery, strategies for problem solving, handling crises and relapse, care for the caregiver, supports and services within the community and more.
For times, meeting locations and to RSVP, visit the NAMI Mass Family-to-Family Page.
Cracking the Behavior Code: Effective Strategies to Reduce Anxiety in Children: April 10th, 2013, 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. , Chickering Elementary School Library, Dover. Guest speaker Jessica Minahan is known for her expertise on effective interventions for students with anxiety to supporting hard-to-reach students, and has just co-authored “The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students” Ms Minahan will discuss how anxiety impacts our children and how to identify anxiety in children in the classroom, at home and other settings. She will provide tested and practical strategies to help our children cope with the pressured world around them. For more information, Visit the Dover-Sherborn PTO at doverpto.org. |
Growing Up Brave: State of the Art Strategies for Preventing and Treating Anxiety Disorders in Children and Adolescents: February 5, 2013, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m., Hanover High School, Hanover Ma, Presented by Donna B. Pincus, PHD, Director of Research for the Child and Adolescent Fear & Anxiety Treatment Program at the Center for Anxiety & Related Disorders at Boston University. Dr. Pincus's primary research interests are the assessment and treatment of children’s fears and anxieties, developing new treatments for young children with anxiety disorders, children coping with everyday stress, psychological factors affecting children with medical conditions, and more. For more information about this event contact the Hanover Mass Parent Advisory Council.
Mass Health for Children/Young Adults with Mental Health & Disability Diagnoses - Free: December 4th, 2012, 7 - 9 p.m., Waltham. Kate Bicego, Consumer Assistance Program Manager at Health Care For All will be the presenter. Topics covered include Mass Health programs and services that are unavailable through private insurance, dual coverage of private insurance and Mass Health, the types of Mass Health available, How and how long it takes to apply, help available, income requirements, and additional mental health services. For more information, contact 508.215.6008 or Judi_maguire@waysideyouth.org
10th Annual Schizophrenia Education Day - Free: November 10, 2012, 10 am - 3:15 pm, Massachusetts General Hospital, The Starr Center Auditorium, Charles River Plaza, 185 Cambridge Street, 2nd floor, Boston, MA. This program will benefit patients living with schizophrenia and their families. Presented byThe Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry, The Massachusetts General Hospital Schizophrenia Clinical and Research Program, and The Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatry Academy.
Topics:
- Progress in Understanding the Neurobiology of Schizophrenia
- Schizophrenia Treatment: The Past Ten Years
- Novel Psychosocial approaches
- Schizophrenia - The Next Ten Years
Pre-registration is required. To register or learn more about the program, visit www.mghpatientfamily.org or call 866-644-7792 or email educationprogram@partners.org
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Mental Health in Massachusetts
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Special Education Advocacy for Student with Social & Emotional Issues, June 4th, 2013, 7 p.m. in Belmont, with Lynne Rachlis, an Advocate for children with severe emotional disabilities. All Belmont workshops meet at 7 p.m, in McLean's De Marneffe Cafe Building, Room 132. Sponsored by the Massachusetts Affiliate of the International OCD Foundation.
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), June 13th, 2013, UMass, Worcester. With Jenifer Cullen, of McLean Hospital. ACT uses mindfulness and behavioral activation to increase clients' psychological flexibility--their ability to engage in values-based, positive behaviors while experiencing difficult thoughts, emotions, or sensations. ACT has been shown to be effective for individuals with a broad range of mental health issues (including DSM-IV diagnoses, coping with chronic illness, and workplace stress). For more information about the Worcester lectures, visit OCD Massachusetts, or call 781.775.1127 or contact Carla@ocd-therapy.net
Bipolar Disorder: Getting and Staying Well: April 13th, 2013, 9:15 a.m. - 3:15 p.m., Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. Free program is for patients living with bipolar disorder and their families.
Topics include:
• Overview of Bipolar Disorder
• Bipolar Depression:Pharmacotherapy
• New Horizons in Research at the BCRP
• Psychotherapy for Anxiety in Bipolar Disorder
• Getting to Wellness
Presented by:
• The Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Psychiatry
• The Bipolar Clinic and Research Program
• The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Program
• The Depression Clinical and Research Program
• The Massachusetts General Hospital Psychiatry Academy
Pre-registration is required to www.mghpatientfamily.org or call 866-644-7792.
How to Make Good Decisions About the Use of Psychotropic Medication, March 22nd, 2013, 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m., Southborough. Discussion covers how the increasing numbers of children diagnosed with autism are prescribed medication to treat problem behavior but these meds are not guaranteed to work and may cause serious side effects. Deciding whether or not to use medication, which medications to use, and what doses are appropriate can be difficult and parents should be as informed as possible when working with a psychiatrist. In this presentation, tips for working with psychiatrists, ways to measure medication effects, and guidelines for making decisions about medication will be discussed For more information visit The New England Center for Children's Parent Education Series Page. To register 508-481-1015 x4030
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Mental Health & Insurance
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The Law: A Massachusetts law, effective July 1, 2009, adds four new conditions (eating disorders, PTSD, substance abuse, autism) to the list of “biologically-based" mental disorders that must be covered to the same extent as physical illnesses. For more information, visit the Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee (MHLAC) website http://www.mass.gov/mhlac/
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