Mental Health America of Virginia The voice of reason in mental health advocacy

VOCAL's annual conference is held in spring in various geographic areas of the Commonwealth. We hope you will join us this year on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax from May 26-28. Scholarships for registration, food, and lodging will be available and a registration form will be found on this web site at a later date. To find out more click here to join our mailing list.

We are always interested in input from our members, friends, and peers about what interests them in terms of Conference workshop topics. Please email Yolande Long at yolande@vocalvirginia.org with your ideas.

Some of the workshop topics we have had at past conferences: peer support, history of the mental health recovery movement in Virginia, stigma reduction, nutrition and mental health, self-care in advocacy work, employment issues, peer specialists in state hospitals, cultural fluency and inclusiveness, public policy agenda, advance psychiatric directives.

The Conference will provide opportunities for various interest groups to get together: peer support specialists will meet, a track for administrators of peer-run programs, AA/NA meetings will be held, and regional peer organizations are invited to get together. If your special interest or regional group would like to meet, please let us know.

We will have a team of peer supporters to help everyone feel connected and comfortable. There will be the usual dance and game night, musical performances, and open athletic facility. VOCAL's Annual Meeting and election of Board members will be held.

To give you an idea of what happens at our conference, here's a list of some workshops from past years:

Being Part of Something Greater Than Ourselves

Music in Recovery

From Coercion to Safety: How Early Virginia Consumers Worked to Reduce or Eliminate Seclusion and Restraint in Virginia State Hospitals

Mental Health Stigma and Stereotypes: How We Move Forward While Creating a New Language

My Ongoing Recovery from Severe Schizoaffective Disorder...What I've Learned Just May Help You!

Dual Recovery Anonymous Meeting

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Meeting
 
Consumer Statewide Networks: A Blueprint for the Future

Public Policy Forum

Getting Over the 'Patient Role':

The End of the Pity Part and Being a Victim

Community Partnerships: A Call to Action to Statewide Networks

Change By and For Peers Inside Virginia's Mental Hospitals and Peer-Generated System Transformation in Virginia
 
Expressive Arts in Recovery

Contemporary Mental Health Issues for Today's Veterans

Peers in Mental Health Recovery

Annual Meeting & Elections for Board of Directors

Focus Group: Ethics for Trauma-Informed Care

Dance Party

Anatomy of a Recovery

Peers in Criminal Justice

Peers in the Inspector General's Office

Introduction to Mental Health Recovery Education

Mental Health Peer Support as a Profession

Housing in Virginia

Advanced Psychiatric Directives