About the National Coalition
Mission Statement
The National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery (NCMHR)
will ensure that consumer/survivors have a major voice in the development and
implementation of health care, mental health, and social policies at the state
and national levels, empowering people to recover and lead a full life in the
community.
Statement of Purpose
Mental health consumers/survivors are leading the transformation of the
mental health field through our authentic voice and vision for self-directed
recovery. Our vision of recovery goes far beyond treatment, because it is about
all the elements that go into good lives–housing, education, jobs, social
relationships, and full participation in the community. Our vision was echoed in
the New Freedom Mental Health Commission Report, which sees a “future when
everyone with mental illness will recover.”
Our national coalition of organizations representing people who are
recovering or have recovered proposes a new consensus for the mental health
field:
- Recovery: Recovery is real and possible for everyone. To recover, we
need services and supports that treat us with dignity, respect our rights,
allow us to make choices, and provide assistance with our real-life,
self-defined needs. This range of services must include consumer-run and
-operated programs.
- Self Determination: Self-determination is essential for recovery to
occur. We need to be in control of our own lives.
- Holistic Choices: We need choices that meet our self-defined needs. We
need a wide range of recovery-oriented services and supports to assist us in
achieving our goals. These include assistance with housing, education, and
career development, all of which can be consumer-run. We need these
opportunities to achieve full integration into the community.
- Voice: We must have a voice in our recovery and in the policies
facilitating our recovery. We are the most authentic voice in the mental
health system, since mental health decisions affect every aspect of our
lives. We bring our lived experience, therefore, we must be central in any
dialogues and decisions about mental health issues at all levels. This is
empowerment.
- Personhood: We are whole human beings and will campaign to remove stigma
and discrimination. We have the same dreams as all members of the community
and the ability to make our own decisions. A barrier-free community is one
free from discrimination and stigma.
Principle of Respect
The Coalition maintains an inclusive culture
built on mutual respect. We keep this cornerstone principle in focus so that we
may work together to advance our mission.
Rationale: The Coalition includes individuals and groups with a wide
range of views on mental illness and treatment. We have chosen to focus on those
things that unite us, including (among others) a belief that recovery is real
and possible for everyone, that we all deserve the same rights as people who are
not consumer/survivors, and that we support everyone's right to make their own
choices about their treatment and their life. Because we all understand our
personal experiences differently, it is essential for the strength and unity of
our coalition that we respect one another's choices of the words we use to
describe those experiences, and of the activities we may choose to participate
in (or not) in furtherance of our own wellbeing.
Therefore, as a member of the Coalition we agree to abide by the following:
When we are speaking for ourselves as individuals:
- Each of us is free to describe his/her own personal experiences in
the way(s) that feel most comfortable to that person. We will not
attack, demean, or in any way speak negatively or disrespectfully to one
another in regard to these personal choices.
- We understand that people may be uncomfortable with the use of
certain words, or personal decisions, and yet we will support that
person's right to such personal autonomy.
When we are working together to build and run our Coalition:
- We strive to keep our focus on the greater good of the
group which is to influence the national issues affecting all of us
rather than on our own personal issues.
- We shall collaborate and cooperate in order to ensure that we
continue to build a strong, unified and authentic voice of
consumer/survivors.
- We will be thoughtful of each other at all times and continuously
strive to work in a positive, respectful, and trusting fashion.
When we represent the Coalition while communicating with the
community outside of the Coalition:
- We shall communicate, as appropriate, that the Coalition
honors individual choice and we respect that our membership represents
diverse perspectives on mental illness and treatment.
- We will distinguish, as appropriate, our personal views from those
of the Coalition so as not to misrepresent the Coalition’s mission and
principles.
- We will be mindful of the impact that our behavior and language has
on the community and strive to communicate a message that is consistent
with our principles.
We support the consensus statement on recovery endorsed by the Federal Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/sma05-4129/). In the emerging field of “evidence-based practice,” we know from our full range of lived experiences what works because WE ARE THE EVIDENCE!
For more information please send email via our contact form
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