NYAPRS Note: Yesterday, at the NYAPRS Newburgh Regional Forum, Orange County Mental Health and Social Services Commissioner Darcie Miller discussed innovative criminal justice approaches to engaging with community members in mental or emotional distress. We discussed the need for effective tools and best practice models of diversion, including the possibility of incorporating legally binding documents that individuals can create regarding their needs while they are in crisis. Psychiatric Advance Directives may be such a tool, though they are primarily used in health care settings, and still not to a large degree. Join the webinar today, hosted by the National Mental Health Consumer’s Clearinghouse, to learn more about PADs, how to create and use them, and where advocacy for their full incorporation can be achieved.
The Clearinghouse is sponsoring a 90-minute webinar on Psychiatric Advance Directives (PADs) on Dec. 18, 2014, at 2 p.m. ET, 1 p.m. CT, noon MT, 11 a.m. PT, 9 a.m. in Hawaii. The webinar, entitled “Psychiatric Advance Directives: Why and How to Use this Vital Recovery Tool,” will feature presentations by Sue Walther, executive director of the Mental Health Association in Pennsylvania, and Adam Nester, public policy manager at the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania. PADs are a legal health care tool that outlines the preferences of an individual with a mental health condition in regard to treatment, and designates a trusted advocate to make decisions on their behalf if they are incapacitated. This webinar will help individuals with a mental health condition, family members, and mental health providers to understand and utilize this important recovery tool. For more information or to register, click here.