Wellness Resources

Submitted by admin on Tue, 03/17/2009 - 19:23

Please note: Freedom Center is in a transformation process you can read about on our homepage; the website does reflect some older activities we are no longer offering, so check the homepage for updates and contact individuals involved. Thanks!

Hearing Voices Group -- Freedom Center/ Recovery Learning Community co-sponsored Tuesday

4:30 to 6 PM at the Recovery Learning Center, 187 High St., Suite 303, Holyoke MA

http://www.freedom-center.org/hearing-voices-group

 


Greenfield RLC free acupuncture clinic
Wednesdays 12-1 at the Recover Project on Federal St in Greenfield

Holyoke RLC free acupuncture clinic
Wednesdays 3-4pm 187 High St Suite 3033

Indigo Massage: offers low-income treatments of Acupuncture, MAssage, Lymph Drainage, Mayan Abdominal Massage, Craniosacral Therapy, Osteopathy, Reiki & Energywork. $20 Drop-in Clinic Hours: Acupuncture: Monday 4-8 pm & Wednesday 8:30am-12:30pm. Massage & Bodywork: Wednesday 8:30am-12:30pm & Thursday 4-8pm. Location: Touchstone Farm at 132 West St Easthampton. indigomassage11@yahoo.com 413-529-9993

First Call For Help: provides information and telephone referrals on a wide range of specific subjects. Free and confidential answers to questions about hundreds of community resources including: food, fuel, public services, emergency assistance and much more. Northampton. (800) 339-7779

Safe Passage: in Northampton offers a drop-in support group for women who have experienced domestic violence (meets every Tuesday 10:00 am-12pm). They also offer a drop-in support group for women with disabilities who have experienced domestic violence (meets Wedbesday 12:30-2pm). There is no intake process and no fee. Walk-ins are welcome, but if you want more information, call Tori at 413-586-1125 x17. Safe Passage is located on the 3rd floor of 43 Center St. (a floor above the Freedom Center meeting space.) Turn left when you get off the elevator.

National Empowerment Center has an archive of excellent articles from their newsletter on alternative recovery. http://www.power2u.org/articles.html

The Wellness Recovery Action Plan: http://www.mentalhealthrecovery.com/
A powerful, self-directed method for recovery that many people have found extremely helpful. The technique is unique to each person's needs and grounded in empowerment and self-dtermination. You can also download the basic WRAP forms and make one for yourself.

Vermont Women's Rape Crisis Center: has an excellent summary of how to support a survivor of sexual assault that applies to any survivor of trauma and violence. http://www.stoprapevermont.org/

A psychiatric Advance Directive is like a Living Will for crisis. It gives you power and self-control over what happens to you if you end up in the hospital. If you start to lose your mind and have a hard time speaking for yourself, people will look at your Advance Directive to figure out what to do, and it can guide mental health staff in medication and treatment decisions. Psychiatric Advance directives do not have the legal force that Living Wills have, but reforms may improve that in the future. There is an elaborate Directive form at the Bazelon legal center you can use as a template. http://www.bazelon.org/issues/advancedirectives/index.htm
There is also a more simple form at the WRAP website. http://www.mentalhealthrecovery.com/crisis.html

Elizabeth Stone House: http://www.elizabethstonehouse.org/
This is a feminist alternative mental health program in Jamaica Plain, MA, providing both residential and community-based services run by women, for women. Founded in 1974 by a group of former mental patients and other community women, the Stone House has helped women and children from all over the country face disresses caused by poverty, racism, sexism, homophobia, violence against women and single parenthood.

Full Spectrum Progressive Mental Health: in San Francisco offers psychotherapy services and day programs for adults and adolescents. day programs integrate body-oriented therapy, art and play therapy into an interdisciplinary support system to help people in crisis avoid hospitalization and to address the whole person, mind and body, not just coping with systems. The Center also seeks alternatives to medications and offers medication reduction services. Staff includes a psych survivor and Mindfreedom activist.

Anna Abele, ND
Anna is a naturopathic doctor who works with nutrition and natural medicines to help balance mood and energy. She has helped many people who are struggling with trauma and stress related disorders, insomnia, anxiety and depression, and works with people who are and are not taking prescription medications. www.DrAbele.com, 413-367-9800. Dr. Abele uses a sliding scale and barter options in payment. She also offers free workshops where people can ask questions about natural mental health care.

Barbara Weinberg, Lic.Ac, RN
Barbara i s an acupuncturist who offers a low-cost clinic on Wednesdays from 11am-1pm in Leverett, MA. She has success working withe people in recovery; people experiencing anxiety, depression, high levels of stress, unhealthy cravings, ADHD and with people seeking overall wellness. Call 413-549-6405 for more information and to make an appointment, or contact her at gateoflifeacu@aol.com

Joanne Lutz: www.geocities.com/joannlutz
Joanne is a licensed pschotherapist and psychiatric survivor in Northampton whose story is on our Speak Out pages. She is a graduate of Harvard Medical School's Clinical Training in Mind/Body Medicine, accepts insurance, and has a sliding scale for people without insurance. Call 413-586-6384 or email her at joannlutz@yahoo.com

Sam Femiano is a psychologist with a private practice in Northampton who provides both individual and group therapy and specializes in working with men who have been abused in childhood. He also works with people who have "mental illness" or are on disability, and accepts both Medicare and MassHealth. His philosophy of treatment is client-centered and he has an eclectic approach to allow for clients' individual differences. Call 413-586-0515, email pat.sam@verizon.net

Safe Harbor is a Los Angeles and Boston based group that promotes alternative treatments for mental illness and alerts people to the dangers of the dominant mental health system. Their online testimonials of alternative recovery include people labeled with schizophrenia, bipolar and other disorders.
www.alternatvementalhealth.com/testimonials

San Joaquin Psychotherapy Center
located in Fresno, CA is a clinic that provides an alternative to reliace on medications. Dr. Peter Breggin has worked with the Center and endorses the approach

England's Hearing Voices Network www.intervoiceonline.org
The goal is to ensure that people who have a voice hearing experience (auditory hallucinations) are not automatically assumed to be schizophrenic, but enabled to explore their experiences with other voice hearers and assisted in coming to terms with the phenomena. Their common sense approach--to listen to and interact with 'voices'--is extremely effective, widely used in England, and heresy to mainstream psychiatrists.

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