The ISPS-US 19th Annual Meeting

Love + Justice in Engaging Psychosis and Extreme States

Our Annual Meeting will be online, October 23-25, 2020.

Conference Links

About the Meeting

Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted. – MLK, Jr.

The socioeconomic and political landscape in the United States determines healthcare access and delivery. Vastly imperfect and fragmented medical, legal and social service systems impact how we care, and don't care, for people experiencing psychosis and extreme states. With the basic human needs of millions unmet, with jails and prisons the default mental health treatment providers for thousands, and with divisive public rhetoric and policies leading many of us to check out, numb and exhausted, the possibilities for meaningful change can seem more elusive than ever.

The 19th Annual Meeting of ISPS-US will convene a diversity of ideas, perspectives, and approaches that inspire a way forward and unite us in our commitment to continue challenging the status quo. From innovative models of mental health treatment developed across borders, to collaborations aimed at removing systemic barriers, to common-sense ideas hiding in plain sight, ISPS-US will showcase how care and recovery are alive and well, often in unexpected places. Celebrating this compassionate and effective work, and refusing to adjust to the unconscionable, is our mandate for the conference.

Planned in the southern United States for the first time, in the cradle of the Civil Rights Movement, ISPS-US will bring together a vibrant community of researchers, clinicians, peer support specialists, and deep-thinkers, including people with lived experience and their families and allies, to share our hopes and visions for the new decade. Martin Luther King, Jr. said "the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice", and "hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that" In this spirit, we reaffirm our belief that healing, recovery, and transformation, so urgently needed, are indeed possible and are happening every day. Please join us for this inspiring event.

Speakers

Keynote Speaker: Chacku Mathai

The Role of Love, Psychosis and Other Extreme States in Undoing Racism

Chacku Mathai is an Indian-American, born in Kuwait, who became involved in consumer/survivor/ ex-patient advocacy and peer support when he was 15 years old. Chacku's personal experiences with trauma, suicide, and disabling mental health and substance use challenges, including being diagnosed with psychotic disorders, launched Chacku and his family towards a number of efforts to advocate for improved services, social conditions, and alternative supports in the community. He has since accumulated over thirty years of experience in a wide variety of roles including international, national, statewide, and local board governance and executive leadership roles.

Honoree: Michael Garrett, MD

Psychosis Seen As An Autobiographical Play Staged Not In A Theater But In The Real World - Connections Between Psychosis and Ordinary Mental Life

Dr. Garrett is currently Professor Emeritus of Clinical Psychiatry at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. He is also on the faculty of the Psychoanalytic Association of New York (PANY) affiliated with NYU Medical Center in New York City. He received his medical degree from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed his residency training in Psychiatry at Bronx Municipal Hospital Center. He has a particular interest in the integration of cognitive behavioral and psychodynamic approaches to the psychotherapy of psychosis, as detailed in his recent book, Psychotherapy for Psychosis: Integrating Cognitive Behavioral and Psychodynamic Treatments. Guilford Press/New York (2019).

Program Committee

Chair: Ellen Dean, MSW
Beth Broussard, MPH, CHES, Nancy Burke, PhD, Serena Chaudhry, DSW, LCSW-BACS, MPH, Bev Gibbons, PhD, Jim Gorney, PhD, Pat Wright, MEd

ISPS-US announces the Rodney Waldron Memorial Scholarship Fund.

Perugia 2021 International Conference

Co-constructing healing spaces for psychosis

September 1st-5th, 2021
www.isps2021.it
Download Brochure

A Way Out of Madness
Dealing With Your Family After You've Been Diagnosed With A Psychiatric Disorder

Co-Written and Co-Edited by Daniel Mackler and Matthew Morrissey

Family conflict can wreak havoc on people diagnosed with psychiatric disorders. A Way Out of Madness offers guidance in resolving family conflict and taking control of your life. The book also includes personal accounts of family healing by people who were themselves psychiatrically diagnosed. This is the first book in our ISPS-US Book Series. Paperback now available. For more information or to purchase>>

Videos are now available from the ISPS-US 18th Annual Meeting

Free videos are available on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj_RECrQLppQS4U-YFeJgRA

Videos for sale or rent are available on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/ispsus

Free audio files are available on our blog: http://isps-us.org/blog/category/audio-recording/

Paid audio files will be posted here later.

More videos and audio files will be posted so check back for updates. ISPS-US members get a 50% discount on paid videos. The code is in your welcome letter, or email Karen Stern for more information: contact@isps-us.org.

If you find our free resources helpful, please make a donation to ISPS-US: http://www.isps-us.org/donate.php

Videos of the keynote presentations that were recorded at the 20th International Congress of the ISPS in Liverpool, August 2017 are available on the ISPS UK YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD01INY-o-Kd7JgZ-yCDOJw

There is also a 'What is psychosis' film clip that might be a very valuable tool for events and trainings, as it's a good springboard for discussion.

ISPS-US Statement Condemning U.S. Immigration Family Separation Policies

The traumatic family separation policies of the Trump White House (WH) have been condemned by the following American health and human rights organizations: The American Academy of Pediatrics, The United Nation's Human Rights Council, the American Medical Association, the American College of Emergency Physicians, the American College of Physicians, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Public Health Association, the National Academy of Medicine, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ISTSS), the American Psychoanalytic Association, the American Nurses Association, etc.

View Full Statement

ISPS-US Statement on Mass Shootings and "Mental Illness"

While the number of mass shootings in the United States has risen sharply over the past 20 years, and shows no sign of slowing down, some public leaders have erroneously blamed "mental illness" for these horrific crimes. ISPS-US joins Mental Health America, the National Association of Social Workers, the American Counseling Association, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Medical Association in condemning statements that blame or suggest that "mental illness" is the culprit behind these crimes.

View Full Statement

Help Support ISPS-US

The next time you shop on Amazon, use this link and a small portion of your purchase will be donated to us at no extra cost to you!

With iGive, you can setup your account to support ISPS-US. You can signup here and a small portion of your purchases will be donated to help support our foundation

You can make a direct donation to ISPS-US. Donations made directly to ISPS-US are tax deductable to the extent allowable by law.

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Webinars

The Education Committee has held webinars on many topics. We ask for a donation in support of ISPS-US, but it is not required. Topics so far have included:

Life with Voices: A Guide for Harmony

COPE Project: Non-Pharmaceutical Research on Influencing Voices and Visions

What Hurts and What Helps In Treatment For 'Psychosis': Insider Perspectives

Believe It or Not! Ways of Working with 'Delusions' / Unusual Beliefs, with Rufus May

View All Webinars

Online Courses

Online Courses by Ron Unger, LCSW 50% of your tuition goes directly to support ISPS-US.

CBT for Psychosis: An Online Course

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for psychosis is an evidence-based method to reduce distress and disability related to psychotic experiences, and to support a possible full recovery. 5 hours/5 CEs, which you complete on your own time, with lifetime access to all course materials. Use this link for more information and to register - 50% of your tuition directly supports ISPS-US!

Working with Trauma, Dissociation, and Psychosis

A large body of research now indicates that trauma can be a cause of psychosis, with dissociation playing an important role. This online course will help you understand how this happens, and how to use CBT and other approaches to support work toward recovery. 6 hours/6 CEs. Use this link for more information and to register - 50% of your tuition directly supports ISPS-US!

Addressing Spiritual Issues Within Treatment For Psychosis and Bipolar

Crisis in the mind raises deep questions that are often understood as spiritual. Learn culturally competent and recovery-oriented ways of engaging with people around these issues in this online course. 6 hours/6 CEs. Use this link for more information and to register.