Consciousness-Raising: The Key to Transforming Mental Health

"The barriers to change in the mental health system are enormous." These words are as true today as when they were written nearly 40 years ago by Judi Chamberlin in her paradigm-changing work, On Our Own: Patient-Controlled Alternatives to the Mental Health System.  In this episode, we read Judi's work and offer a few reflections.   

The alternative programs that form the subject of [On Our Own] are different because their underlying philosophy is different.  Nonprofessional, client-controlled services don't divide people into 'sick' and 'well', 'helper' and 'helped.'  They see every person as having a combination of strengths and weaknesses, and the need for help in one area does not negate the ability to help others also. But in order to achieve these ends, people have to recognize their own strengths and abilitities. They have to discover that sometimes there are no 'experts' to turn to.  (On Our Own, p. 64).

[Host's comment: This episode is useful mostly for the re-introduction of Judi's work, which remains remarkable. The host commentary could stand for a good edit, which will happen - if ever - when time and energy permit.],