2002 NAMI California Conference

2002 NAMI California Conference

by David Hacker
NAMI Santa Cruz County

At the NAMI California conference there was a speaker named Dr. John Tsuang who spoke on the treatment of dual diagnosis patients and the social model recovery system. He was an excellent speaker. He is the Director of dual diagnosis treatment at Harbor/UCLA Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, and School of Medicine. He also held an ask the Doctor workshop talking about medications for dual disorders and schizophrenia. He talked about having combined recovery and psychiatric treatment where recovery does not abandon medications and psychiatry does not abandon spiritual recovery through the 12-step program.

The conference was for consumers, family members, professionals, and providers.
I got some free tapes including a video tape called “unique needs” by Faithnet and a cassette tape called “Spirituality and Mental Illness” by Faithnet as well. My Mom got a tape of Dr. Tsuang’s speech on dual disorders. I bought a silver ribbon pin promoting brain illness awareness.

The web site for NAMI California is: www.namicalifornia.org.

There was a workshop on recovery for dually diagnosed clients. It included the 12-step substance abuse recovery program and the mental health recovery model. There was a panel of dually diagnosed consumers sharing their own ideas and personal stories about what worked for them and what recovery means to them today. There was also a group on breaking the stigma of mental illness. A recovery speaker said “give what you have so you can keep it”.

The conference was held at the Marriott Hotel in San Francisco near the airport with a view out a huge window of planes taking off and landing.

There were some long distance participants, some who flew in from San Diego.
Lunch was served at the conference. There was a coffee bar in the lobby.

David Hacker is a consumer from Santa Cruz County and the original founder of this website. To read his story click here.

Opinions expressed in this web site do not necessarily reflect the views of NAMI Santa Cruz County, NAMI California or any affiliated organizations. We attempt to present a balanced perspective on issues by presenting multiple viewpoints.

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