2014 Road to Recovery Walk

The Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia’s

Held on Saturday, May 3rd, 2014

Road to Recovery walks were held on Saturday, May 3rd, 2014, in Baddeck, Bridgewater, Halifax, Inverness, Pictou County, Port Hawkesbury, Sydney, Windsor, and Wolfville.

NO MORE

Mental Illness = Shame, Misconceptions, Stereotyping, Prejudicial Attitudes, and Discrimination

People took ACTION!

Donations are accepted up until May 30th, 2014.  To donate,  please visit:

www.RoadtoRecoveryWalk.com

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To download a PDF version of the 2014 Road to Recovery Walk poster, please click here.

Also see:

Gateway to Curing Mental Illness

Sponsors

Supporters

Webcast Recording - Review of the Involuntary Psychiatric Treatment Act by Stephen Ayer

Recording of the Webcast

Review of the Involuntary Psychiatric Treatment Act

by

Dr. Stephen Ayer

Executive Director

Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia

Presentation made during the February 10th, 2014, meeting of the HRM Chapter of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia

To view the webcast recording, please click here.

Royal Assent was given to Nova Scotia’s Involuntary Psychiatric Treatment Act on December 8, 2005. The Act came into effect on July 3, 2007. An independent review of the Act, conducted by the Honourable Justice Gérard La Forest and Professor William Lahey, was made public on December 12, 2013.

An overview of the Act and its application was provided, as was a review of some of the many important findings of the independent review. The availability of and access to a broad range of treatment and support options for people diagnosed with mental illnesses was also discussed.

The Schizophrenia Society of Canada - VALUES

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To download a PDF version of the above document, please click here.

Also visit:

Schizophrenia Society of Canada

Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia

Using Theatre to Illustrate and Explore Serious Mental Illness

A November 9th media advisory from the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia:

November 9, 2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Halifax, Nova Scotia

Media Advisory

Living with serious mental illnesses featured in two original plays.

What

An Evening of Forum Theatre & Heartwood (by, Laura Burke)

Who

Jill Rogers, Catriona Wallace, Stephen Ayer, and Courtney Siebring perform an interactive piece of theatre that explores what it is like to live with a serious mental illness. The audience is invited to enter the world of the play – one filled with discrimination, condescension, and injustice – and create change.

Written and performed by Laura Burke, Heartwood is a one woman play that illustrates a young woman's struggles with serious mental illness and explores how she begins to heal from its impact through the use of humour, and through the discovery that giving back to others is exactly how she will recover, and reinstate meaning in her life.

When

Friday, November 9, 2012
7:30 pm to 10:00 pm

Where

5568 Cunard Street
Halifax, Nova Scotia


About the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia

The Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia works to improve the quality of life for those affected by schizophrenia through education, support programs, influencing public policy, and encouraging research.

In addition to the provincial office located in Dartmouth, the Society has chapters or support groups conducting monthly support group meetings in Cumberland County, Halifax Regional Municipality, Kings County, Lunenburg County, and Pictou County.

Media Contact

Dr. Stephen Ayer
Phone: (902) 465-2601
Email: ssns@ns.sympatico.ca

Your Help Is Needed to Make Mind Matter

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To download a PDF version of this letter, please click here.

Recovery Quilt Raffle Winner

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The draw for the Recovery Quilt took place during the 4th Annual Road to Recovery Walk held on May 5th, 2012.  The winner was Angie Chasse-Naugler of Hebbs Cross, Nova Scotia.

The Recovery Quilt incorporates a tilted square design with an iris in the center of each square. The iris is a symbol of courage, wisdom, and hope, all of which aid in the recovery process. The numerous squares and winding path depict a journey to recovery that is not always straight and seldom accomplished without support. The hand-quilting was completed by the ladies of St. Paul's Presbyterian Church Guild in Merigomish, Nova Scotia.

Proceeds from the Recovery Quilt raffle will assist the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia in its work to improve the quality of life for those affected by schizophrenia and psychosis, including family members, friends, co-workers, and employers.

Nova Scotia Lottery Licence No.: AGD005716-11

Do you value the work of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia?

We hope you do.

Your donation will help us to continue our important and crucial work. To make a donation, please click here. Tax-deductible receipts are issued immediately.

Or send a cheque to:

Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia
Room B-23, Purdy Building
P.O. Box 1004, Station Main
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
B2Y 3Z9

A photograph taken during the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia’s Annual General Meeting held September 24th, 2011, in Springhill, Nova Scotia (please click on the photograph to enlarge it)


The Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia is working very hard to improve the quality of life for those affected by schizophrenia and psychosis through education, support programs, influencing public policy, and encouraging research.

www.ssns.ca

Mental Illness Awareness Week: opening Canadians’ eyes

A letter to the editor published in today's edition of The Chronicle Herald:

By Stephen Ayer (pictured)

Mental Illness Awareness Week, Oct. 2-8, is an annual national public education campaign designed to help open the eyes of Canadians to the reality of mental illness. The week was established in 1992 by the Canadian Psychiatric Association. It is now co-ordinated by the Canadian Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health in co-operation with its member organizations, including the Schizophrenia Society of Canada, as well many other supporters across Canada.

As a kick-off event for the week, the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia (SSNS) presented a special screening last Sunday of the movie The Soloist, based on the true story of Nathaniel Ayers, a musician who develops schizophrenia and becomes homeless. The screenplay by Susannah Grant is based on the book The Soloist by Steve Lopez, a columnist for The Los Angeles Times.

The same day, the society also highlighted the recovery journey of Laura Burke, a young Nova Scotian who lives with schizophrenia, by screening Superhero — A Visual Poem, a documentary short film featuring Ms. Burke’s spoken word poetry. Ms. Burke was honoured during Mental Illness Awareness Week in Ottawa last year as a 2010 Champion of Mental Health.

Today, the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia is partnering with other local mental health organizations and supporters to present the Fourth Annual Festival of Hope, a celebration of hope, healing and recovery. This free event takes place from 3 to 8 p.m. at the Olympic Hall, 2304 Hunter St. (corner of Cunard and Windsor in Halifax).

The core belief of the SSNS is that people with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia can live a life of meaning and purpose. The society’s focus is to promote the goal that each individual will be able to return to a quality of life which meets each person’s own perception of needs and expectations.

The vision of the SSNS is to reach all Nova Scotians who are directly or indirectly affected by schizophrenia — to focus on the individual, not the illness, to promote wellness and recovery, and to reduce the stigma and discrimination so often associated with mental illness.

The society’s mission is to improve the quality of life for those affected by schizophrenia through education, support programs, influencing public policy, and supporting research. The SSNS provides a community-based network of knowledgeable and dedicated volunteers whose personal experience with the illness allows them to share their stories of hope and recovery with people affected by schizophrenia for the first time.

Stephen Ayer is executive director of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia. He lives with a mental illness and experienced homelessness in the 1990s. Dr. Ayer is a 2009 recipient of an Inspiring Lives Award from the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia and the CMHA — Nova Scotia Division.

Photograph by Ryan Taplin / Metro Halifax

The SSNS's 23rd Annual Conference

Registration is Open!

Friday, November 4th, 2011

8:45 am to 4:30 pm

The University Club

Dalhousie University

1 Alumni Crescent

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Topics to be covered:

• Cognitive remediation for schizophrenia - Dr. Susan R. McGurk, Department of Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire

• An interactive session about antipsychotics and their side effects - Dr. David Gardner, Department of Psychiatry & College of Pharmacy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia

• Peer support - Vince Daigle, Healthy Minds Cooperative, Halifax, Nova Scotia

• Psychosocial rehabilitation - The Beacon Program, Kentville, Nova Scotia

• Cognitive behavioural therapy and how it can help with relationships

• Employment - Gail Kelly, Connections Halifax, and staff of The Mindful Mango

• Promoting recovery through a Wellness Program - Dr. Zenovia Ursuliak, Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program and the Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University

Registration fees (includes lunch and two refreshment breaks)

Secure online conference registration is available by clicking here

Regular: $150

SSNS Member: $100

Student: $50

Un-Waged: $25

All-day parking passes are available for $10.

To download a mail-in conference Registration Form, please click here.

Ten conference bursaries are available for individuals who live with mental illness.

To become a member of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia, please complete and mail in the Membership Form available by clicking here, along with a minimum tax-deductible donation of $15.00.

The chickadee was chosen to represent the theme of recovery because chickadees are friendly, hardy little birds that thrive in good times and bad. The bird is shown looking up to convey a feeling of hope.

Designer: Terri Vernon, SSNS member

Conference Sponsors

Please click on the sponsor's logos to visit their websites.

The Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia - 2011 Annual General Meeting

The Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia’s 2011 Annual General Meeting was held in Springhill, Nova Scotia, on Saturday, September 24th, 2011.

Please click on any photograph to enlarge it.

Cecilia McRae, president of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia, delivers her President's Report

Phil Rogers, treasurer of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia, delivers his Treasurer's Report.

Hilary Thorne, the SSNS's project coordinator, speaks about the growth of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia.

Frank Allen, president of the Cumberland County Chapter of the SSNS introduces the guest speaker, Dr. Pippa Moss.

Dr. Pippa Moss, Chief of Psychiatry, Cumberland Health District, talks about strategies to reduce the stigma and discrimination so often encountered by people who have experienced mental illness, as well as by those who love them. To view Dr. Moss' PowerPoint slides, please click here (PDF).

Rev. Dr. Roger Cann, president of the Kings County Chapter of the SSNS, speaks about the activities of the Kings County Chapter.

Donna Methot, president of the HRM Chapter of the SSNS, speaks about the activities of the HRM Chapter.

Photographs by Stephen Ayer

New Nova Scotia guidelines for stun gun use

An article posted yesterday by CBC News:

Nova Scotia has issued new guidelines for the use of stun guns and they go into effect immediately.

The guidelines call on police officers, court security and jails guards to consider whether a person is mentally ill before they use a shock to try to subdue them.

When confronting someone who is known to suffer from a mental illness, the officer or guard should only use a conductive energy weapon — more commonly known as a stun gun or Taser — as a last resort.

If there's a danger that shock could seriously hurt that individual, paramedics should be called to the scene before deploying a stun gun.

"We're educating not only the officers that are involved, but the health care services when an incidence occurs what the response should be," said Justice Minister Ross Landry [pictured].

Landry said Nova Scotia is the first province in the country to spell out when a Taser should be used on someone who may be mentally ill.

Officials with the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia are pleased.

"These guidelines direct the officer to make the best possible decision as to whether or not this individual... actually is affected by a mental illness and in crisis," said Stephen Ayer, the executive director of the society.

Ayer said the key to the new rules is proper training and awareness.

Image credit

Also see:

Stronger Guidelines for Conducted Energy Weapons

Nova Scotia Guidelines on Conducted Energy Weapons (CEWs)

Conducted Energy Weapons (CEW) Fact Sheet (PDF)

Media Advisory - 3rd Annual Road to Recovery Walkathon

A media advisory issued today by the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia:

Please click on the image to magnify it.

Also see:

www.ssnswalk.dojiggy.com

Public to get say on Nova Scotia's mental health system

An article published in today's edition of The Chronicle Herald:

By John McPhee, Health Reporter

The committee charged with creating the province’s long-awaited mental health and addictions strategy will embark on a series of public meetings next week.

The provincial advisory committee will hold the first of six meetings Monday in Greenwood to get feedback on how programs and services can be improved.

The NDP government first announced its intention to create a strategy last spring. The committee co-chairpersons — Michael Ungar [pictured], a professor of social work at Dalhousie University, and Joyce McDonald of [The Empowerment Connection] — were announced in June and the rest of the committee in the fall.

It is composed of 12 health experts, researchers, mental health clinicians and people living with or affected by mental illness.

The committee kept a low profile since that time, but it has been holding consultations with health-care providers and advocacy organizations, said a spokeswoman from the Health and Wellness Department.

"We’re just letting them do their work and we don’t want to complicate that or distract them," Patricia Murray, acting executive director of mental health and addictions, said in an interview. "It’s a huge job they’re doing and we’re just anxiously anticipating the end result that they’re able to submit."

The committee has met with about 50 groups and more meetings are planned, a recent Health and Wellness Department news release said.

The move to revamp the system has been sparked by concerns about long waiting lists for treatment and how mentally ill people are treated in the justice system, as highlighted by Judge Anne Derrick’s report in December 2010 on the death of Howard Hyde. Hyde died Nov. 22, 2007, after a violent conflict with jail guards at the Central Nova Scotia Correctional Facility in Dartmouth.

Mental health advocate Stephen Ayer of Halifax has criticized the province for being too slow in dealing with the problems in the mental health system. Ayer, the executive director of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia, welcomed the consultations.

One committee member and staff from the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation met with the society about three weeks ago. "It was very useful," Ayer said in an interview.

But he is concerned the consultation thus far has been with the people who provide the services, not with those who use the services. At his urging, the committee will meet with people with mental illnesses next month.

As for the strategy, "we are looking forward to seeing some movement in terms of improvements in access to services," he said.

Besides the public meetings, people can also provide input online or through the mail. For more information, go to www.nshrf.ca/mentalhealthandaddictionsstrategy or call 424-4043.

The committee is expected to submit its recommendations to Health and Wellness Minister Maureen MacDonald in the fall.


SCHEDULE

Schedule of public meetings on the province’s mental health strategy:

• April 18: Greenwood, 8 a.m. to noon, 14 Wing Greenwood, Birchall Training Centre, Chamber Room

• April 26: Amherst, 8 a.m. to noon, Tantramar Theatre, 98 Victoria St. E.

• April 27: Sydney, 8 a.m. to noon, Cape Breton University, 1250 Grand Lake Rd., multi-purpose rooms A and B

• May 3: Halifax, 1 to 5 p.m., Saint Mary’s University, Burke Building, Burke Theatre B (entrance off Inglis Street)

• May 5: Bridgewater, 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., South Shore Regional Hospital, lecture rooms 1 to 3 (third floor)

• May 16: Halifax, 8 a.m. to noon, Universite Sainte-Anne, Campus de Halifax, 1589 Walnut St. It will also be broadcast to campuses in Tusket, Petit de Grat, Church Point and Grand Etang.

Image credit

Committed to improvement

A letter to the editor published in today's edition of The Chronicle Herald:

I am disappointed in the comments in your newspaper of Stephen Ayer, executive director of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia, that recommendations from the Hyde report will not be instituted quickly and suggesting a lack of action on my part.

Judge Anne Derrick’s first recommendation in her report was that the provincial government needs to develop a mental health strategy. Before her report was even written, I had appointed a mental health strategy advisory committee representing a board spectrum of people with first hand-knowledge of the justice system, schizophrenia and other mental illnesses and disorders. Work on the strategy is well underway and we will provide for consultation in the New Year. The president of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia is on this committee.

Additionally, I have visited Mental Health Services at Capital Health and at the IWK Health Centre to discuss what can be done to improve wait times and program outcomes, and steps are being taken on these fronts. Our government’s first budget included funding for an expanded Mobile Crisis Service here in the Capital District.

Is there more to do? Absolutely, and I am committed to seeing that it is done. Mental health services are an integral part of Better Care Sooner, our plan to implement the Ross report. Judge Derrick’s extensive recommendations offer an opportunity for Nova Scotia’s justice and health care systems to make real and positive changes — and we will.

Maureen MacDonald, Minister of Health

Laura Burke named a 2010 Champion of Mental Health

From the 2010 Mental Illness Awareness Week website:

Champion - Youth

Laura Burke
Concordia University, Master's in Drama Therapy student



Ms. Burke [pictured above] has made outstanding contributions to the field of mental health in Canada, working to raise awareness, fight biases and stigma, and contribute to community organizations. She has given talks on recovery for the Nova Scotia Early Psychosis Program and acted as a peer support worker at Laing House, a drop-in centre for youth living with mental illness. When at Laing, she also ran a drama group and a writer’s circle, and was constantly inspired by the courage, resilience and determination of the youth she worked with.

In 2008 she recorded an album of her spoken word poetry about her journey through schizophrenia and recovery, and in 2009, she began her role at the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia as a peer support facilitator. Ms. Burke has showed continued dedication to the field of mental health, and has bravely drawn on her own experience with schizophrenia to positively impact her community.

Ms. Burke strongly believes that social inclusion, unconditional acceptance, and the opportunity to use creativity as a force of healing are invaluable, too often overlooked components of recovery. After graduation, Ms. Burke hopes to research and practice drama therapy to improve negative and cognitive symptoms in youth experiencing first episode psychosis.

Also see:

2010 Mental Illness Awareness Week (October 3rd to 9th)

2010 Champions of Mental Health

About the Champions of Mental Health Awards

Superhero - A Visual Poem

The SSNS's 2010 Annual General Meeting

Photographs taken during the SSNS's 2010 Annual General Meeting held on September 11th at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.
























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All photographs by Stephen Ayer.

An Update from Nova Scotia

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To view the PowerPoint slides (PDF) of the presentation that Stephen Ayer, executive director of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia, made during the Schizophrenia Society of Canada's 2010 National Conference, please click here.

2010 Road to Recovery Walkathon

Held on Saturday, May 8th, 2010

It's not to late to make a donation!

The Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia’s

2nd Annual Road to Recovery Walkathon

Your participation increased the public’s awareness of schizophrenia and helped raise over $27,500 to support the extensive and crucial work of the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia. THANK YOU!

This year, in addition to the regular pledge sheets, we had online pledging! Walkers were able to set up their own pledge website, send e-mails to friends to request that they to make a pledge for them online, track their online pledges, and much more. To view the online pledging, please visit the 2nd Annual Road to Recovery Walkathon website by clicking here.

Stephen Ayer, executive director of the SSNS, welcoming the walkers.

Learning the chants from Cecilia McRae (left) and Donna Methot!

The 2010 Road to Recovery walkers posing for a group photograph.

The start of the five-kilometre Road to Recovery walk.

On the Road to Recovery!

Preparing for the auction!

Please click on any photograph to enlarge it. Photographs Kim Clark and Guy Methot.

The 3rd Annual Road to Recovery Walkathon will be held on Saturday, May 7th, 2011. For further information, please contact Donna Methot at 462-8658 or send an email to hrmchapterssns@accesswave.ca.

SSNS – Recovery is Possible!

2010 Major Sponsors

2010 Gift-In-Kind Sponsors

Randy Ross

Photography