Local Charity Soldiers Of Love Launches Peer Specialist Program To Aid Mental Health Crisis In New Orleans

Main Category: Mental Health
Also Included In: Bipolar;  Depression
Article Date: 06 Dec 2007 - 2:00 PDT

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Local non-profit organization Soldiers of Love is partnering with the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) to launch a peer specialist training program to help mitigate the mental health crisis in New Orleans. The training program is an innovative concept for treating patients with mental health disorders through coaching and support from recovering mental health patients. Soldiers of Love and DBSA are currently seeking applicants to join the program, which will begin in early February 2008.

"Having lived with bipolar disorder for years, and seeing the dire need for mental health support in New Orleans, I am extremely excited to launch this training program," says John E. Wade II, founder of Soldiers of Love. "I participated in DBSA's peer specialist program and have seen how support from recovering patients to patients currently living with mental illnesses can make a difference."

DBSA will conduct a five-day/28-hour peer specialist training and post-training certification testing for up to 30 individuals on-site in New Orleans. Location is to be determined. The program is comprised of a peer specialist curriculum customized for the mental health needs in the city. The training is strongly focused on hope and recovery from the initial stage of diagnosis and symptoms to recovery as defined by the patient, not others. Following completion of the training and certification, DBSA and Soldiers of Love will consult with area patients, doctors, clinicians, hospitals, and community centers in order to facilitate full integration of peer support services throughout the community.

"When Soldiers of Love approached us about starting a peer program in New Orleans, we were more than thrilled," comments Sue Bergeson, President of DBSA. "We are aware of the current mental health crisis in New Orleans and feel our partnership with Soldiers of Love will help those suffering with mental illness."

Soldiers of Love and DBSA are conducting a search for applicants who are interested in participating in the program and, upon graduating and passing the program, want to put their peer training to use.

Soldiers of Love, a non-profit organization based in New Orleans, but with an international scope, supports three major areas in the New Orleans community: (1) mental health; (2) education; and (3) entrepreneurial education. It is currently partnering with Desire Street Ministries, Junior Achievement, and DBSA. As the organization grows, it will expand its programming to include other initiatives that will help meet its goal of achieving a heaven on earth.

The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance is the nation's leading patient-directed organization focusing on depression and bipolar disorder. The organization, which has more than 1,000 support groups nationwide, fosters an understanding about the impact and management of these life-threatening illnesses by providing up-to-date, scientifically-based tools and information. Assisted by a 65-member scientific advisory board, comprised of the leading researchers and clinicians in the field of mood disorders, DBSA supports research to promote more timely diagnosis, develop more effective and tolerable treatments and discover a cure. More than 4 million people receive information and assistance each year.

For more information on Soldiers of Love, please visit http://www.soldiersoflove.org. For more information on the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, please visit http://www.DBSAlliance.org.