The Most Astounding Fact: A Writing Workshop for Recovery

Our 14th Annual Education Conference is only three days away! The most challenging part of the conference is choosing which of the six afternoon workshops to attend. With the theme Young Adults and Mental Illness: Voice for Hope, each of the workshops will address a different issue affecting young adults, known as the Millennial Generation.

We've reviewed four workshops: Eating Disorders and Young Adults, Treatment in the Millennial Age, How Young Adults Can Afford the Affordable Care Act and Exploring Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation. Today we are highlighting a creative writing workshop presented by one of our keynote speakers, Stacy Pershall.

The Most Astounding Facts: A Writing Workshop for Recovery

Inspired by the words of renowned astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, this writing workshop will provide participants with helpful tools to feel less alone in their journey through recovery. Presenter Stacy Pershall will reveal the power of connections to others and the healing that comes from feeling like a relevant participant in the world. Writing exercises will focus on body acceptance, and each participant will leave with a memento created by all.

Presenter: Stacy Pershall is an accomplished author who lives with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and struggled with eating disorders for 20 years.

Eating Disorders and Young Adults

The most challenging part of our 14th Annual Education Conference on Saturday, April 12 is choosing which of the six workshops to attend in the afternoon. With the theme Young Adults and Mental Illness: Voice for Hope, each of the workshops will address a different issue affecting young adults, known as the Millennial Generation.

We've reviewed three workshops, Treatment in the Millennial Age, How Young Adults Can Afford the Affordable Care Act and Exploring Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation. Today we are highlighting a workshop that will address eating disorders among Millennials.

 

Eating Disorders and Young Adults: What You Need to Know

 

Eating disorders are serious mental illnesses that disproportionately affect adolescents and young adults, causing potentially devastating health consequences. This presentation will reivew the diagnostic criteria, onset and course for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. Theories of causation including genetic, familial and personality factors, as well as cultural influences such as technology and media, will be discussed. Medical complications, the importance of medical monitoring and intervention will be explained. A review of empirically supported treatment interventions will be presented, with an emphasis on the family in treatment and recovery.

Presenter: Liz McCabe, PhD, Clinical Administrator for Eating Disorders and Behavioral Medicine, and Director of Social Work at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside.

Letter from Our Director

Dear Friends,

I would like to invite you to NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania's 14^th Annual Education Conference, Young Adults and Mental Illness: Voices for Hope.

Our conference is a really special event this year. For the first time, with thanks to Project Transition, we are able to bring an international speaker, Kevin Hines, to our annual conference. A world famous presenter, Kevin is captivating and inspiring.

Stacy Pershall is a unique young woman, compelling and creative, an author writing her second book. And Dana DeFonso, a community mental health supervisor and clinician, will address the pressing topic of drug and alcohol use and addiction among young adults.

A trio of 30-somethings with a fresh perspective on life in their 20s, each speaker will bring a message of hope and recovery.

Honest, straightforward, positive and confident, Kevin, Stacy and Dana are the "Voices of Hope."

Please visit our website for more information and to register. To apply for a scholarship, contact us at (412) 366-3788 or info@namiswpa.org.

 

Hope to see you at the conference,
 

Christine Michaels, MSHSA

Executive Director

 

 

Scholarships Available for NAMI Conference

Full scholarships are available and easy to access for NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania's 14th Annual Education Conference Young Adults and Mental Illness: Voices for Hope on Saturday, April 12.

Parents and Transition Age Youth Scholarships

• Parents of children with emotional disorders
• Transition age youth and young adults with mental illness
• Must live in Allegheny County

To apply, contact Darcey Garda at dgarda@namiswpa.org or call 412-366-3788.

 

Western Region CSP Scholarships

• Open to all counties of Southwestern Pennsylvania
• Individuals living with mental illness and family members
• CSP participants are given priority but others are encouraged to apply

To apply, email wrcsp2006@yahoo.com or call 814-333-2924. 


 

Meet Kevin Hines

Mark your calendar for NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania's 14th Annual Education Conference on Saturday, April 12 featuring Kevin Hines.

Kevin Hines has captivated audiences with his story of an unlikely survival and will to live. At 19 years old and recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder, Kevin attempted to take his own life by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge. He miraculously survived the fall. After regaining full mobility despite the life-threatening injuries he sustained, Kevin now speaks openly about his journey from the edge of despair back to recovery. His story is unforgettable and his message is one of faith, courage and hope.

Join NAMI Southwestern Pennsylvania at its 14th Annual Education Conference, where Kevin will speak for the first time in Western Pennsylvania.

Special thanks to Project Transition, a unique recovery-centered psychiatric rehabilitation program, which sponsored Kevin Hines as Keynote Speaker for this conference.