Interested in joining New Directions? Click here to find out how to.
Scroll down for our exciting array of activities -
plus activities at outside agencies:
- Speaker Nights
- Helen's/Marion's Mornings at the Mall
- Ada's Monthly Social Outings
- Movie Night at Office
- Scroll down for noteworthy events at other agencies
OUR SPEAKER NIGHTS & SPECIAL EVENTS
The following talks will take place Thursday nites from 7:30 to 8:30 PM at
St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 654 N. Easton Road, Glenside, PA. Small
group discussions follow.
Scroll down to bottom of page for Past Speakers.
Thursday, July 3 -
Tony Salvatore will speak on Bereavement for
Someone Who Has Died by Suicide.
Thursday, July 17 - Sister Gerri Whitman, chaplain at Norristown
State Hospital, will speak on God's Wondrous Ways.
Thursday, Aug. 21 - PA State
Rep. Tom
Murt, (R-152), up for re-election in November, will listen to our
concerns & see how he can help us in his powerful position. He's a master at
getting grants & publicity.
Thursday, Sept. 18 - Janice Schneider Girgenti, Balancing Your Life with
Feng Shui: The Ancient Art of Placement.
Thursday, Oct. 16 -
Stephen R. Treat, D.Min, Director & CEO of
Council for Relationships will speak on When
a Loved One Has a Mood Disorder. Dr. Treat is an in-demand speaker &
frequent media consultant. Be sure to read his bio & some of the articles he has
written on
The Council's website.
Speaker suggestions always
welcome!
See below for list of previous speakers.
ADA'S WEDNESDAY OUTING
- Weds., July 16 - Ada's Outing. Mt. Pleasant, the "grand dame of the
Fairmount Park houses," has undergone a complete preservation. Picnic in the
park after the tour. Meet at
Abington Prez at xx am to carpool. Please
RSVP to Ada at 215-947-2429
or
email her. Thanks, Ada & Rich!
- HELEN'S or MARION'S MORNINGS AT THE MALL ("The Mall Walk")
- second and fourth Thursdays of the month from 10 - 11:30 AM, third
floor Willow Grove Mall (http://www.willowgroveparkmall.com),
Food Court, near Ben & Jerry's, followed by a brisk walk around
the mall. Note: You don't have to be on time!
To be on Helen's "Call List," please email her your phone number and
she'll call you the night before to remind you. Click
here
- or call 215-646-0266. Or when Helen is
outa town, call Marion at 215-887-3396. Note: The second &
fourth means the weeks that the Evening Meeting doesn't take place.
OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY EVENTS
AT OTHER AGENCIES
Sept. 9-10 - 2nd Annual Suicide Prevention Conference.
Held at Holiday Inn/Harrisburg-Hershey in Grantville PA. Sponsors include PA
Depts of Aging, Health, Corrections, State Police, Children & Youth, coordinated
by Drexel Univ College of Medicine. For more info write Deb at
DThompso@drexelmed.edu.
Sept. 10-14 - DBSA Conference:
The Power of Peers.
Norfolk, VA. Featuring allstars such as
Kay Jamison, PhD;
Larry Fricks &
Pat Deegan, PhD.
- 2007 Workshops for Both Families, Patients & Professionals
at Foundations
Behavioral Health in Doylestown, PA
Click here for schedule!
-
New Family Series by Edie Mannion, MFT, of the TEC Center of Mental
Health Association of Southeastern PA.
- Montgomery County Emergency Services, Norristown,
PA.
Click here for their information-packed website & programs.
2008 - Drexel University Medical School
in Philadelphia offers mostly free training classes, thanks to grants from the
State & PA Office of Mental Health & Substance Abuse for both professionals &
laypeople. Topics include Psych Rehab, Case Mgmt, Trauma & Co-Occurring
Substance Abuse & Mental Illness.
Click here for the 07-08 catalog. Click here
for other related
Drexel services.
2008 ND PAST SPEAKERS
Thursday, June 19 - John Creveling, Elements of a Successful Job Search Strategy
- Learn the 10 Principles of Implementing a sucessful job search strategy
from a master. John is a great friend of ND. He & his wife Chris run
Career Resources Management.
Thursday, May 15 - Cancelled. Cherian Verghese, MD, of
Keystone Research in Norristown will update us
on New Treatments for Mood Disorders, esp. the tricky Bipolar
Depression.
Thursday, April 17 - Norman Cotterall, PhD,
cognitive therapist from
The Beck Institute. Back by popular demand!
Tuesday (YES Tuesday) March 18 - Speakers are husband & wife chiropractors Lauren & Christopher Caffery of Complete Chiropractic & Wellness, 1000 E. Walnut Street, Perkasie PA 18944 speaking on Natural Solutions for Depression & Bipolar Disorder. Contact them at 267-354-1734. Click here for objective info about chiropractic & here for skeptical info.
Thursday, March 6 - Brief talk by Cherian Verghese, MD, of
Keystone
Clinical Studies, recruiting members for his
study on bipolar depression for people ages
18-65. He'll return on May 15 for an in-depth presentation on bipolar &
depression.
Thursday, Feb. 21 - Bernardo A. Merizalde, MD of Lafayette Hill, PA.
"My Wholistic Approach to Wellness." Click on
his
website. His unique approach incorporates homeopathy, counseling,
relaxation, visualization, exercise & conventional medicine.
- Thursday, Jan. 17, 7:30 to 9:45 pm - Tony Salvatore of
Montgomery County Emergency Service speaking on
Suicide Prevention. His talk is based on personal experience as a
family member 11 years ago & also the unique
teachings of
Tom Joiner, PhD.
Thursday, December 20 - April Saxe, Wholistic Nutrition Maven will
speak about "Eating Well for Your Holy Body." She can be reached at
her Philadelphia office ay 215-760-9864.
Thurs., November 15 - Karen Bowles of
University of PA Program for Stress Management,
with an office in Willow Grove, will speak on Meditation: Stretch Your Mind &
Relax. Meditation is an "active and effortful process that literally changes
the way the brain works," as reported in Medical News Today.
Thurs., October 18 - Brian Dailey, owner of Olympic Karate,
demonstrates "Martial Arts for Mind-Body Connection." Wear comfy, loose-fitting
clothes & par-ti-ci-pate.
Good for adults. Good for kids. Builds
self-confidence.
Sept 20 - Roberta R. Ball, DO, psychiatric medical director,
Philadelphia, of
CRI Worldwide will discuss mood disorders &
take Q&A from the audience.
July
17 - Larry "Ask the Pharmacist" DiBello will speak on "Good News about Meds
& Ideas for Treatment of Mood Disorders." Larry spends his retirement years
helping others. Feel free to call him about Med Questions at 610-543-2966, and
he'll return your call shortly. Larry was one of our best speakers ever!
June 19 - Jay K. Cherney, PhD, speaking about "Collaborative Relationships." Read
about his important work by clicking these 2 websites.
Click here.
Click here.
May
15 - Pam London Barrett, DO, a psychiatrist at
Norristown State Hospital, will speak on: "A
Wholistic Approach to Healing." We love Pam, the singing psychiatrist!
April 17 - Rodica Mihalis will speak on "Helping Yourself The Natural Way."
Rodica (pronounced Ro-DEE-ka) will share easy ways to stay positive & uplift our
spirits by using relaxation techniques, positive imagery, aromatherapy (such as
calming ourselves by using lavender essential oils & more) and gentle yoga.
Rodica has been a practitioner in the Wellness Industry for over 15 years. A
certified massage therapist, licensed esthetician & certified clinical
hypnotherapist, she welcomes inquiries at this
email address.
March 20
-
Flo Guynn Stiffler, MDiv, LMFT, of Council for
Relationships, with a dozen offices in the Philadelphia area, will speak on
Spirituality. She writes on the Council's website: In order to live as healthy,
whole human beings, we need to bridge the gap between the secular and the
sacred. We can learn to experience holiness in the rituals of daily life if we
pay attention to the particulars of living - good food, satisfying conversation,
cherished friendship. The elegance of home life is experienced through a humming
teapot, a welcoming bouquet of daisies, the sweet scent of a lit candle. Such
are the particular beauties of daily life.
Flo, an ordained Presbyterian minister, will be the Annual Recipient of our
"Mysteries of the Mind" lecture, where we donate $100 to the residential
facilities Project Transition.
Feb. 20 -
Laszlo Gyulai, MD; Director, Bipolar Disorders
Unit, University of Pennsylvania, & superb medicator, will seek recruits for his study on bipolar
people among the
Over-Sixty Set, while taking Q&A about mood
disorders and medication. Dr. G spoke for 90 minutes straight. He's co-authored
a forthcoming book on Cognitive Therapy & Bipolar Disorder. He gave people hope
that treatment is available and that medication is indeed "an art." He
emphasized that some doctors are better than others, and that smart doctors try
different "clusters of drugs" to find the meds that work best.
He said his NIMH-funded study for "elderly patients" - over 60 - was a novel
idea - The Boomers! - and asked for participants. At least one fellow I know of
signed up, age 65. You can too. Click on the above link. We gave him
Kalanchoe from
Kremp
Florist & a standing ovulation.
Jan. 16
- Patricia Schweiker, MS, Registered Dietician & Outpatient Nutrition Counselor
at Abington Memorial Hospital will speak on, "Eat as if Your Life Depends Upon
It." Pat will touch upon the importance of reading package labels; counting
carbohydrates, which are converted into sugar; eating whole grains, fresh fruits
& veggies, and a variety of foods of different colors. Also, choosing Healthy
Snacks. Excellent talk, 60 people in attendance. Gift from
Kremp
Florist.
Mon., Jan.
1 - from 1 pm to 3 pm - Leadership Training Meeting at Home of Ruth
Deming, 204 Cowbell Road, Willow Grove, PA 19090. Click on
Mapquest. Ruth has a degree from Hahnemann Univ: Master, Group
Process & Group Psychotherapy. "Group Process" simply means watching the way the
group members interact with one another. 6 new leaders trained.
Dec. 19 -
Back by necessity! Tony Salvatore, expert on suicide loss, director of
development at
MCES, click on
his
website. Tony cancelled due to the flu, so Pam London Barrett, DO,
spoke instead. Read commentary on Letter from Ruth, Dec. 22. Pam is without a
doubt, The Psychiatrist with a Soul.
Nov. 21
- Terrence "Terry" Livorsi, CEAP, will discuss his agency which helps folks
overcome drug and alcohol addiction. Like many of us, Terry got into the helping
profession b/c of his own issues. As we know, many folks with mood disorders
self-medicate with illegal drugs. Many folks with mood disorders prefer to call
themselves "drug addicts" or "alcoholics" and remain in denial that they
actually have a brain illness.
Click here for Terry's
website.
Oct. 31 - John McManamy,
a man who is living well with bipolar disorder, will speak to our group about
his forthcoming book: "Living Well with Depression and Bipolar Disorder," to be
published in the Fall of 2006 by Harper Collins. He is also publisher of the
great online newsletter "McMan's Depression & Bipolar Weekly." His unforgettable
motto is: "Knowledge is Necessity!" An amazingly productive man, he maintains
the following 2 eminently clickable websites:
Best Bipolar Book
- and
Best
Depression Book. Read Letter from Ruth, Nov. 1.
Oct. 17
- Norman Cotterell, PhD, Clinical Coordinator at the
Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy and Research. He'll speak on
cognitive behavior therapy. Reach them at 610-664-3020. Note: 85-year-old Aaron
Beck, MD, founder of cognitive therapy, was one of five doctors to win the 2006
Lasker Medical Prize (Sept '06) for his groundbreaking work on mind-healing.
Read Letter from Ruth about his dynamic appearance.
Oct. 3 - The dynamic married team of Denis & Frances Hazam -
who both work at the
Mental
Health Association - will speak on Political Issues Crucial to the
People with Mental Health Concerns. We are proud that Fran has accepted a
position on the New Directions' Board as our advisor on political advocacy.
Commentary: Denis stayed home -
love ya, Denis! -
and we must say there is only one Fran Hazam in the world - her knowledge is
surely genius-level, as is her compassion for everyone on this earth, including
"The Forgotten Ones: The Homeless, Prisoners (imprisoned felons, she said, are
the only Americans not allowed to vote), and the Mentally Ill," whom, as we know
are filling up the prisons. Fran continues to send us email alerts. To get on
her List, send her your email addy at
FHazam@mhasp.org.
The name "Hazam" is of Lebanese derivation.
September 19 - Psychiatrist John J. Thomas, MD,
originally from India, now practicing locally at Life Counseling & PSHDC, will
discuss the Mind-Body-Spiritual Connection, important but largely ignored in
today's psychiatry. Dr. Thomas will also discuss his own conversion to
Christianity while in medical school. He looks forward to speaking to everyone
of all denominations or none at all. For commentary, Read Letter from Ruth of
Sept. 20.
July 18
- Elaine
Miles, MS, RHIT, "Creating Your Own Online Personal Health Record" - managing
your own medical health records - per
www.myphr.com. Superb debut
presentation by Elaine, which will be written up in a Letter to the Editor in
The Daily Intelligencer of Doylestown, PA. Great info for all people to know.
June 20 - Miss Nicole Toohey, 4th grade
teacher at Willard Elem., in the Kensington section of Philly will discuss "How
to Keep Your Kids Sparkling Like Diamonds: Maintaining Dignity & Discipline in
Today's Kids." Read about Nicole's presentation under Ruth's blog June 21,
2006.
May 16
- Joe Cruice of
Compeer of Suburban Philadelphia will speak about his organization, which
finds a buddy for a person with a mental illness. Great concept. They are in
need of volunteers for their terrific program.
May 2 -
Back by popular demand! Wade Berrettini, MD, PhD, Director, Center for
Neurobiology & Behavior, University of PA -
http://www.uphs.upenn.edu/cnb/bp.htm - will discuss the genetics of bipolar
disorder. 20 or 30 genes implicated. Click on above link to see whether you're
eligible for research. No matter what your diagnosis, give them a call & they'll
make the decision about whetherornot to participate. ND gave Wade a beautiful
plant w/flowers in a ceramic pot as a gift (from Penny's Flowers in Glenside,
PA, complete with "care" instructions) & a lovely card with Fallingwater on the
cover. We suggested he take his whole family out for a drive, as they'd never
been.
April 18 -
The Honorable State Representative
Sue Cornell, a
Republican from the 152nd District of PA (district includes parts of Horsham,
Lower and Upper Moreland, Upper Dublin, Philadelphia, and the boroughs of Bryn
Athyn and Hatboro) - will listen to members' concerns about mental health
issues, and learn how our Representative can be of help to us! Note: Medicare is
a Federal issue. Medicaid, health insurance for low-income people, is
state-related. Rep. Cornell is a member of the Health & Human Services
Committee, Harrisburg, PA. Pennsylvania govt: Ed Rendell is governor; we have 50
state senators and 203 state reps.// Sue fielded a variety of questions and
provided help for one of our family members - a married couple - whose bipolar
son is in Bucks County Correctional Facility & receiving truly terrible
treatment! Sue provided a name for the family to contact. Yes, life is all about
who you know!
March
21 -
Ellen M. Adelman Ph.D., clinical psychologist from
The Sage Healing
Institute of Elkins Park discussed Mind Body Intelligence. "Everyone will
have the opportunity, should they wish, to experience mindfulness meditation and
Qi Gong," says Ellen.
March 7 - Cherian
Verghese, MD, Medical Director, Keystone Clinical Studies, Norristown, PA, spoke on "Pros and Cons of Being in Clinical Trials for Medication." Dr. V, a
psychiatrist who hails from India, will discuss new meds "in the pipeline"
[under development]. Clinical trials refers to research to find whether new
drugs are effective. For info, call him at 610- 277- 8073. Fantastic
knowledge of the psychopharmacopeia!!!
Feb. 21 - Jane
Hulting, yoga instructor: "Mind-Body-Spirit Connection" - will offer
demonstrations on how
yoga
can bring us in touch with our bodies and our minds. Be prepared to
s-t-r-e-t-c-h! Or watch us Stretch. Jane provided breathing exercises to
help fall asleep at night. Breathe in-in-in thru the nose and out-out-out thru
the mouth. Great presentation!
Jan. 17, 2006 - John P. O'Reardon, MD, head of
treatment-resistant depression clinic at University of Pennsylvania,
spoke about treatment updates. Dr. O'Reardon was our yearly "Mysteries of the Mind"
speaker, with a $100 donation from ND going to
www.NARSAD.org.
"Research leads to better treatment."
Read this Phila. Inquirer article featuring Dr. O'Reardon:
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/13511871.htm
As we wrote in our donation letter to NARSAD, O'Reardon's talk was
"inspirational, informational and compassionate." A warm person with a good
sense of humor, he was originally a family doctor in his homeland of Ireland,
but chose to study psychiatry, arriving at Penn in 1993.
"70 to 80% of all depressions," said O'Reardon, "are treatable." But what about
the other 20%? For them, "medical devices" are now available that may prove of
help. Such devices are the vagus nerve stimulation, transcranial magnetic
stimulation, and deep brain stimulation. We suggest readers Google these
treatments to find out more information. Also, click on link to online journal
Medscape about Deep Brain Stimulation for Depression -
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/520659?src=mp. Although this link may be
in Ruth Deming's name, and you may or may not be able to access it, anyone
can subscribe to this journal of fascinating information.
OUR EVENTS
A L L E R G Y S E A S O N is
here! Be aware that some allergy medications may cause
mania and/or anger outbursts. Use medication ONLY if your allergy
is SEVERE. Do your own research as many physicians are unaware of the very real
danger of moodswings from allergy meds. Tips for allergy sufferers
include cold compresses for the eyes; staying indoors with the A/C on; don't
drive with windows open. One of our members takes NasacortAQ, a water-based
nasal spray, for his SEVERE hay fever. He discussed this prescription thoroughly
with his psychiatrist.