News

September 11, 2017

Who Said the Voices Aren’t Real? A Symposium

Northern Rivers is presenting a symposium on Friday, September 22, 2017 from 8:30 a.m.- 4:45 p.m. at the Franklin Terrace, located at 126 Campbell Ave., Troy, NY 12180. The cost is $60 and includes continental breakfast and lunch. To register, click here.

This one-day symposium will enable behavioral health care providers, medical providers, human services professionals, individuals in recovery and their families, academics, and stakeholders to support those with psychosis live well. This recovery-oriented symposium consists of a keynote speaker who has lived experience with psychosis, a panel discussion on early intervention services, as well as six workshops led by experts on a range of topics including cognitive behavioral therapy for psychosis, psychopharmacological interventions, and Supported Education and Employment. Join us for this innovative day of learning and dialogue about psychosis—the first to be offered in the Greater Capital Region.

Attendees will:
» Gain better understanding of what it means to live well with psychosis contrasted with what it
means to be cured
» Learn about the various components of coordinated specialty care for first episode psychosis
treatment including peer support and the role of families
» Enhance skill set in the assessment of psychotic disorders and learn about evidenced-based
psychosocial and psychopharmacological interventions for psychosis
» Increase knowledge of community resources

The keynote presentation will be from Claire Bien, MEd. Ms. Bien will discuss both historical and contemporary methods used to help people learn to manage, and if desired live with, hearing voices. She will provide insights into the ways voice hearers can benefit from learning to view and negotiate with kind, difficult, and seductive voices, largely informed by her personal experience with psychosis. Additionally, Ms. Bien will read selections from her memoir, Hearing Voices, Living Fully, and discuss factors she believes contributed to her experiencing psychosis. She will describe social and psychological factors that have allowed her to achieve a virtually full, unmedicated recovery.