Several members of the Yale Psychiatry Department will present at a Citizenship Conference on October 26 and 27 at Wesleyan University in Middletown.
Eight people with Yale affiliations will speak at the event, which repeats its agenda on the second day.
According to Michael Rowe, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Co-Director of the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health (PRCH), this is the first conference anywhere on citizenship as an applied framework for the social inclusion and valued participation of people with behavioral health disorders, including but not limited to those who are or have been homeless and with previous criminal charges.
Rowe will be on a morning panel that will host an interactive discussion about Citizenship Concepts and Practice. He will be joined on the panel by Patty Benedict, BA, Director of the Citizens Project at PRCH; Chyrell Bellamy, PhD, MSW, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Director of Peer Services and Research at PRCH; and David Sells, Associate Research Scientist in Psychiatry at PRCH.
Opening remarks will be given by Larry Davidson, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Director of PRCH.
Benedict and Bellamy will present the workshop, “So You Want to Start a Citizens Project? A Practical Guide from the Experts.” Sells will be part of a team that will present the workshop, “Going to the Source: Development and Use of the Citizenship Measure.”
The afternoon keynote will be presented by Madelon Baranoski, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Jail Diversion Project. Bridgett Williamson, a Peer Mentor for the Citizens Project at PRCH, will present the workshop, “The Peer Movement: Helping People Empower Themselves.” Charles Barber, a lecturer at PRCH, will discuss, “Development and Use of the Citizenship Measure.”
The final afternoon session will be an interactive workshop called, “Citizenship – From Ideas to Action.” Among the panelists will be Rowe and Baranoski.
Space is still available, and pre-registration is required by calling 860-343-5500, ext. 1602.
Organizers say the conference is intended for social workers, behavioral health specialists, community behavioral health providers, community corrections professionals, supportive housing specialists, and anyone interested in the concept of citizenship as it relates to belonging in society.