Links to Related Sites

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Connecticut Links

• ADA Coalition of Connecticut (ADACC)
  The ADA Coalition of Connecticut was formed in 1992 to promote compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. It is the only organization in the state singularly devoted to educating individuals with disabilities, businesses, and governmental entities about the ADA. Our goal for visitors to our site is that they will learn about our organization, read an article about the ADA, find answers to some questions, learn about an event they would like to attend, and update themselves on the latest news on the ADA front.
  
  
• Addictions Help/Resources - Connecticut
  Resources in Connecticut for help and treatment with addictions (these are links to external sites and will open in a new browser window).
  
  • Alcoholics Anonymous Connecticut (Area 11)
  • Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR)
  • Gambling Help - See Gambling Help in Connecticut
  • Narcotics Anonymous (Connecticut Region)
  • Rehab Info - A comprehensive guide to rehab treatment (from RehabInfo.net)
  • SAMHSA - Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator
  • Treatment Centers in Connecticut (from TreatmentCenters.net)
  • Easy-to-Read Drug Facts (from the National Institute on Drug Abuse)
  

  This easy-to-read website talks about drug abuse, addiction, and treatment. It has pictures and videos to help readers understand the text. The website also can read each page out loud. The pages are easy to print out to share with people who do not have computers. This website does not show pictures of drugs or drug use, as such pictures can cause problems for people who are addicted to drugs.

  • Resources for Youth:

  Teen Challenge New England - Residential drug recovery program for teens.

  The Next Right Thing - Community-based substance abuse and mental health treatment for adolescents ages 16-23 and their families.

  Connecticut Turning to Youth and Families (CTYF) - Prevention, treatment and recovery support services for youth and families.

  The Courage To Speak Foundation, Inc. - Empowering youth to be drug free through fostering education and open communication.

  Northeast Communities Against Substance Abuse - The principal mission of Northeast Communities Against Substance Abuse (NECASA) is to prevent substance abuse in the youth population within the twenty-one towns covered by the coalition. The ultimate goal of NECASA is to reduce substance abuse in Northeast Connecticut.

  Talking to Kids: Drug and Alcohol Help Resources - An excellent article from www.recoveryconnection.com for help with talking to kids about the consequences of drug and alcohol use, along with links to several more very helpful resources about kids and drugs or alcohol use.

  
  
• Alcoholics Anonymous Connecticut (Area 11)
  Information about Alcoholics Anonymous in Connecticut, including meeting lists by town, phone numbers, hotlines, events, and more.
  
  
• Advance Directives
  Connecticut specific information regarding Advance Directives with links to other prominent Advance Directives resources.
  
  
• Asian Family Services
  Asian Family Services (AFS) is a program of Community Renewal Team, Inc.. It is the only clinic in CT that is licensed to serve Asian-Americans. AFS provides in-person interpretation. Clinicians and support staff are not only multicultural, but also bilingual in Vietnamese, other Asian languages, and Spanish. Established in 1996 to work with refugees and immigrants from Southeast Asia, AFS now welcomes individuals from many different cultures.
  

  Clients may have trouble dealing with issues such as loss, domestic violence, anger management, gambling, poor health and past traumatic experiences. They may need long-term treatment for mental health or substance abuse. Through counseling, our clients learn skills to cope in a healthy manner, and develop new behavior patterns.

  
  
• Capitol Region Mental Health Center
  Welcome to Capitol Region Mental Health Center's website. Our mission is to partner with persons in recovery to ensure access to quality behavioral healthcare services. Capitol Region Mental Health Center (CRMHC) is a community based mental health center which provides an array of innovative clinical and community support services to individuals with a psychiatric disability, in many cases with co-occurring problems of substance abuse.
  
  
• Centers for Independent Living
  This is a link to a directory of Centers for Independent Living in Connecticut. Connecticut's Centers for Independent Living are single points of access to services for people with disabilities. Centers for independent living (CILs) are private, nonprofit corporations that provide services to maximize the independence of individuals with disabilities and the accessibility of the communities they live in.
  
  
• Central Naugatuck Valley Help, Inc.
  Central Naugatuck Valley Help, Inc. is a private, non-profit agency that provides a broad range of community mental health services for adults with serious and persistent mental illness and/or substance abuse disorders. We provide community connections programs including residential mental health and addiction treatment. Since 1970, Central Naugatuck Valley Help, Inc. has been offering individuals in need of recovery a residential setting where they can begin to change.
  
  
• Chrysalis Center, Inc.
  Chrysalis Center, Inc. is a non-profit organization based in Hartford, Connecticut that provides social services and develops affordable housing. We help people living in poverty who struggle with mental illness, substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, release from incarceration and homelessness. Our mission is to provide supportive services to assist people in need to transform their lives. Getting help…Getting better…Giving back.
  
  
• Columbus House
  Columbus House offers a broad array of programs and services for the homeless of Southern Connecticut. Last year over 100,000 meals were served to over 4,000 people. Each year, Columbus House is able to help many chronically homeless adults break the cycle and overcome their addictions, obtain mental health treatment, and find housing. Our success is attributable to a wonderful staff of over 85 people, all of whom are compassionate and who are credential'ed and certified as necessary.
  
  
• Community Health Resources (CHR)
  Community Health Resources (CHR) is a non-profit, comprehensive, community-based system of behavioral health care dedicated to helping people of all ages lead happier and healthier lives. Today, CHR offices are conveniently located in the communities east and north of Hartford, including Bloomfield, Enfield, Windsor, Manchester, and Vernon.
  
  
• Community Mental Health Affiliates, Inc. (CMHA)
  Community Mental Health Affiliates, Inc. (CMHA) is a private non-profit provider of mental health and substance abuse treatment services headquartered in New Britain, CT, with 18 locations in 7 cities and towns throughout northwest and central Connecticut.
  
  Dedicated to improving the quality of life for Connecticut's residents, CMHA offers a continuum of programs for adults, adolescents, children, and families, ranging from residential treatment to outpatient counseling and prevention programs. CMHA has over 30 years experience as one of the largest behavioral health care providers in Connecticut, and we provide treatment for more than 7,700 children, adolescents, and adults each year.
  
  
• Community Renewal Team Inc. (CRT)
  As the community action agency for Hartford and Middlesex counties, Community Renewal Team (CRT) helps individuals and families access resources that will help them meet immediate and longer-term needs, improve job skills, maintain or increase their independence, stabilize living situations, and achieve educational goals. We know that our work matters to our community. CRT helps individuals, families, and communities address the challenges they face in building a successful future. People of all ages turn to CRT for help with basic needs, relief during a crisis or support to make long term changes. We offer a wide variety of programs to residents of Central Connecticut from all backgrounds and income levels. Help can involve everything from childcare or housing to education or treatment.
  
  
• Connecticut Association of Centers for Independent Living (CACIL)
  Information, listings, links, and contact info for Connecticut Independent Living centers.
  
  
• Connecticut Business Leadership Network (CTBLN)
  CTBLN is a growing coalition of Connecticut employers working to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities. CTBLN is an extension of the Business Leadership Network established in 1994 by the President's Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, now the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). CTBLN is presently funded by Connect-Ability.
  
  
• Connecticut Clearinghouse
  Connecticut Clearinghouse is a statewide resource for information about mental health, substance use disorders, health promotion, recovery, and wellness. A program of Wheeler Clinic, Inc., it is the state's premier library and resource center for information on mental health, substance use disorders, prevention and health promotion, treatment and recovery, wellness, and other related topics. Materials from its specialized library and resource center are available to Connecticut families, teachers, students, professionals, communities and children. Resources and services are available to anyone who lives or works in the state.
  
  
• Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence (CCADV)
  The Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence is a membership organization whose purpose is to work together to end domestic violence by changing the social conditions, beliefs and social actions that perpetuate abuse against women and children. The Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence is dedicated to serving you. Call our toll-free 24-hour crisis line 1-888-774-2900. Safe shelters across the state will open their doors for you and your children. Many other services are available. There is no excuse for domestic violence.
  
  
• Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR)
  CCAR has emerged as a well-respected, highly visible and vibrant grassroots organization that includes persons in recovery and their family members, friends, and allies. Simply, we seek to "put a face on recovery." CCAR is an integral part of a new recovery movement that is coming to life all across America.
  
  
• Connecticut Council on Developmental Disabilities (CTCDD)
  The Council on Developmental Disabilities is a Governor-appointed body of people with disabilities, family members and professionals who work together to promote the full inclusion of people with disabilities in community life.
  
  
• Connecticut Disability Advocacy Collaborative (CDAC)
  The purpose of the Connecticut Disability Advocacy Collaborative is to draw from the collective strength and energy of individuals with disabilities and families, as well as the dozens of advocacy organizations that exist in the state, in order to have a meaningful impact on the way services and supports are provided people with disabilities in Connecticut.
  
  
• Connecticut Fair Housing Center
  The mission of the Connecticut Fair Housing Center is to ensure that all people have equal access to housing opportunities in Connecticut. Because Connecticut's low-income residents are particularly affected by discriminatory housing practices, the Center devotes its scarce resources principally to assisting Connecticut's low-income residents.
  
  
• Connecticut General Assembly
  This is a link to the Connecticut General Assembly website.
  
  
• Connecticut Legal Rights Project, Inc. (CLRP)
  Connecticut Legal Rights Project, Inc., is a statewide non-profit agency which provides free legal services to low income adults with psychiatric disabilities, who reside in hospitals or the community, on matters related to their treatment, recovery, and civil rights.
  
  
• Connecticut's Network of Care for Behavioral Health
  The Connecticut Network of Care for Behavioral Health site is a resource for individuals, families and agencies concerned with mental health. It provides information about mental health services, laws, and related news, as well as communication tools and other features. Regardless of where you begin your search for assistance with mental health issues, the Network of Care helps you find what you need.
  
  For other states involved in the mental and behavioral health network, visit Network of Care - Mental / Behavioral Health. For all areas of care, including seniors and people with disabilities, children and families, and domestic violence among others, see Network of Care.
  
  
• Connecticut Section 8 Waiting List  (Housing Choice Voucher Program)
  The United Way of CT is sponsoring this Section 8 Waiting List website (also known as Housing Choice Voucher Program). You can use this web site to locate open Housing Choice Voucher waiting lists throughout Connecticut. You can also register to receive automatic notice of the opening of Housing Choice Voucher waiting lists whenever they occur.
  

  NOTE:  Manchester Housing Authority is currently accepting Section 8 applications for their Congregate Facility. See Manchester Low Income Public Housing. Must be 62 years or older. If you are 62 or older, living in Manchester, and looking for a non-subsidized rental unit, you can apply for a 1 or 2 bedroom apartment on North Elm Street. Please call 860-643-2163 to inquire. Download the application form.

  Other affordable housing options (from the 2-1-1 Info Line website):
     • Low Income/Subsidized Private Rental Housing
     • Low Income/Subsidized Private Rental Housing for Disabilities and Health Conditions

  
  
• Connecticut Women's Consortium
  The Connecticut Women's Consortium (CWC) is the resource in Connecticut for women's behavioral health. CWC offers education and training about the complex lives of women and their families to health care providers, clinicians, educators, social service agencies, and the media. We advocate on behalf of women by collaborating on statewide task forces and initiatives, such as the DMHAS's Trauma Initiative, and the Women's Service Practice Improvement Collaborative (WSPIC), that address women's behavioral health services.
  
  
• The Courage to Speak Foundation, Inc.
  The Courage To Speak Foundation Inc., is a nonprofit organization based in Norwalk, CT, whose mission is "to save lives by empowering youth to be drug free through fostering education and open communication about the dangers of drug and alcohol use." See the message from DMHAS Commissioner Thomas A. Kirk, Jr., Ph.D, regarding Courage to Speak Foundation.
  
  
• DBSA Greater Hartford
  DBSA Greater Hartford is an independent affiliate of the national Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance run by and for people with affective disorders such as depression, manic depression, and schizoaffective disorder. DBSA Greater Hartford is the local resource for people with affective disorders and their families and friends. Its mission is to improve the lives of people in the Greater Hartford area living with mood disorders. Support group meetings are held weekly. DBSA Greater Hartford was established and is run by AU staff member Selina Welborn.
  
  See the national Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance below.
  
  
• Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS)
  The Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) promotes and administers comprehensive, recovery-oriented services in the areas of mental health treatment and substance abuse prevention and treatment throughout Connecticut.
  
  
• Department of Social Services (DSS)
  The Connecticut Department of Social Services provides a broad range of services to the elderly, persons with disabilities, families, and individuals who need assistance in maintaining or achieving their full potential for self-direction, self-reliance and independent living.
  
  
• Disabilities Network of Eastern Connecticut (DNEC)
  The mission of the Disabilities Network is to empower persons with disabilities in Eastern Connecticut to live as independently as they choose, and to improve the quality of their lives, as well as to effect positive change that promotes the inclusion of all persons with disabilities within society.
  
  
• Disability Resource Center of Fairfield County (DRCFC)
  Established in 1981, The Disability Resource Center of Fairfield County DRCFC provides a comprehensive array of services both to the individuals and the communities of Fairfield County, Connecticut. These services embody the Independent Living philosophy...a philosophy that challenges the social attitudes and the physical barriers that stigmatize and exclude persons with disabilities from the community.
  
  
• FAVOR - Family Advocacy Organization for Children's Mental Health
  FAVOR is a nonprofit statewide family advocacy organization serving families, children, and youth dealing with a broad spectrum of behavioral and mental health needs by providing policy and family advocacy. We are committed to improving the quality of life for children, youth, and families in Connecticut by increasing accessibility to effective, culturally competent, and high quality family-driven mental and behavioral health services and supports.
  
  
• Focus On Recovery-United (FOR-U)
  FOR-U is a peer-support program staffed entirely by paid and volunteer consumers who have been trained by Mary Ellen Copeland as facilitators of her Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP). FOR-U is dedicated to promoting wellness by encouraging positive change in the lives of people who are experiencing (or have experienced) psychiatric symptoms and/or symptoms of addiction. FOR-U is also dedicated to their family members, providers and the community. We are committed to assisting individuals in taking responsibility for their own recovery by providing hope, education and ongoing support.
  
  
• FSW, Inc.
  FSW is a 163-year-old nonprofit social service agency in Bridgeport, Connecticut whose mission is to empower people to build a brighter future. Over 11,000 low income individuals access a range of direct services to improve their quality of life each year. Services include Behavioral Health Services, Youth Services, Financial Education & Planning, and more. FSW employs best practices to help people build on their strengths and capabilities, bringing positive, lasting change to their lives.
  
  
• Gambling Help in Connecticut
  Links to resources for support and help with problem gambling:
  

  • Recovering Gamblers - Recovering Gamblers (RG) is a group of men and women in recovery that want to see change in the way people with a gambling addiction are treated. Our focus is on both advocacy and outreach. We want to advocate for better treatment of this disease in the criminal justice system and in the healthcare system. We believe outreach has to be widespread and needs to show the reality of the disease. Recovering Gamblers is run and operated by people in recovery.

  • Gamblers Anonymous Meetings in Connecticut - A listing of meetings in Connecticut by day of the week and town.

  • Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling (CCPG) - CCPG's mission is to reduce the prevalence and impact of problem and pathological (compulsive) gambling on individuals, families, and society. Toll-free confidential 24-hour helpline: 1-800-346-6238.

  • DMHAS Problem Gambling Services - Help; prevention; training; help for family members, friends, employers and co-workers; resources for counselors; and more. Toll Free Help Line: 1-800-346-6238.

  • Connecticut Partnership for Responsible Gambling - In 1999, as part of its on-going efforts to balance revenue raising goals with social responsibility, the CT Lottery teamed up with the Connecticut Council on Problem Gambling (CCPG) and the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) to form the CT Partnership for Responsible Gambling -- an alliance dedicated to promoting responsible gambling. The mission of the CT Partnership for Responsible Gambling is to serve as a combined leading resource for responsible gambling by offering information on guidelines for responsible gambling, warning signs of problem gambling, and available treatment services. Each partner contributes to the effort by offering its expertise and support to the program.

  • Resources from Connecticut Clearinghouse…
       - Problem Gambling Resources, Links, and Info
       - If You Choose to Gamble
       - Youth and Gambling: What Everyone Needs to Know

  
  
• General Statutes of Connecticut
  This is a link to the General Statutes of Connecticut. The first page provides information on the organization of the statutes and instructions on how to search or browse this information.
  
  
• Healthnet - UCONN Health Center Library
  University of Connecticut Health Center Library's consumer health information program for Connecticut citizens and public libraries. This site has many resources for Connecticut residents, including specific help such as "Do you have a medical or health related question?" which offers info on how to get the assistance you need to find answers to your medical questions. Also, "Mental Health Resources - A Guide for Patients and Families."
  
  
• HealthyPlace.com
  HealthyPlace.com is the largest consumer mental health site, providing comprehensive, trusted information on psychological disorders and psychiatric medications from both a consumer and expert point of view. They have an active mental health social network for support, online psychological tests, breaking mental health news, mental health videos, documentary films, a live mental health tv show, unique tools like their "mediminder" and more.
  
  
• Hispanic Health Council
  The mission of the Hispanic Health Council is to improve the health and social well-being of Latinos and other diverse communities.
  
  
• Independent Living Centers in CT
  A listing of Independent Living Centers (ILC's) in Connecticut. ILC's are private, non-profit, consumer-controlled, community-based organizations providing services and advocacy by and for persons with all types of disabilities. Their goal is to assist individuals with disabilities to achieve their maximum potential within their families and communities. (Also see Centers for Independent Living and DNEC.)
  
  
• InfoLine 2·1·1
  Infoline is an integrated system of help via the telephone - a single source for information about community services, referrals to human services, and crisis intervention. It is accessed toll-free from anywhere in Connecticut by simply dialing 2-1-1. It operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Multilingual caseworkers and TDD access is available. 2-1-1 connects you to agencies and organizations near you that can make a difference. Dial 1-800-203-1234 outside of Connecticut.
  
  
• InterCommunity, Inc.
  InterCommunity is a community nonprofit agency based in East Hartford, CT, that provides mental health and addiction services to individuals, families, and communities within the state of Connecticut. They have an array of services including help dealing with anxiety and depression issues. For over 30 years, InterCommunity has provided quality evidence based services in honor of their mission statement…
  “To help people living with mental illness and addiction disorders improve
  their quality of life by providing opportunities for healing and recovery.”
  
  
• Keep the Promise Coalition
  Keep the Promise Coalition is a Connecticut coalition of advocates – people living with mental illness, family members, mental health professionals and interested community members – dedicated to ensuring that a comprehensive, community mental health system is created and sustained for children, adults and families in Connecticut.
  
  Keep the Promise Coalition was formed in 1999 by people living with mental illness, family members, providers and other advocates in response to the "broken promise" to invest in community mental health services and supports in Connecticut. Keep the Promise is dedicated to advocating for the "Blue Ribbon Solutions" necessary to maintain and expand critical mental health services for adults and children and housing options to meet their needs. We hope you join us in building the bridge to support, respect and recovery.
  
  
• Latino Community Services
  Latino Community Services provides a variety of programs and services designed to work with individuals at risk of HIV infection, people living with HIV/AIDS, and organizations who focus on populations impacted by HIV/AIDS. Programs and services include HIV/STD Testing, HIV Rapid Test, Prevention Services, Services for people with HIV/AIDS, and much more.
  
  
• Liberty Community Services
  Liberty Community Services is a supportive housing and services provider offering dignity, compassion and respect to Connecticut's residents confronting homelessness and disability. With administrative offices in New Haven and residential programs serving the entire region, Liberty's proven successful model of housing with support services helps change the lives of hundreds of people in need every year.
  
  Liberty Community Services offers a variety of programs to meet the needs of each individual who comes to us for help. From comprehensive residential programs, to outreach and referral services that help individuals navigate our community's system of care, Liberty offers a new beginning to those facing homelessness, chronic illness, addiction or mental illness.
  
  
• MACC Charities (Manchester Area Conference of Churches Charities)
  The mission of MACC Charities is to provide food, clothing, shelter and advocacy for the unmet basic needs of people in the community. MACC now functions as the town of Manchester's primary social services agency. MACC gives emergency assistance during times of crisis to individuals and families in the Manchester and Bolton, Connecticut area. They help feed and clothe those in need, assure them a warm, safe place to sleep at night, and advocate on their behalf when they are faced with eviction, unpaid utility bills, unaffordable prescriptions, and other issues which affect their basic needs. Contact:
  
         MACC Charities
         466 Main Street
         Manchester, CT 06045-3804
         Phone: (860) 647-8003
         On the web: www.macc-ct.org
         By email: see email form
  
  
• Maeve - Psychiatric Service Dog
  Maeve is a wonderful service dog for AU Graduate Joanne Shortell. Maeve became AU's first Graduate Service Dog when she successfully completed the 2010 Torrington Advocacy Education Course. Maeve's website provides information about Psychiatric Service Dogs (PSD), including how to get an emotional support animal, pros and cons of dogs for people with psychiatric disabilities, and information about the laws.
  
  Also see Service Animals below for more resources and help regarding psychiatric service dogs, therapy dogs, and emotional support animals.
  
  
• MARC, Inc. of Manchester
  MARC, Inc. of Manchester is a not-for-profit agency which supports people with disabilities in Manchester, Connecticut and surrounding towns, empowering them to live, work, and enjoy all their community has to offer. MARC, Inc. is dedicated to advocacy on the local, state, and national level. They deliver diverse, culturally competent services to ensure that all people have the opportunity to enjoy their community according to their individual choices.
  
  
  
• Marrakech, Inc.
  Marrakech, Inc.'s mission is to provide residential, employment, support, referral, and advocacy services to individuals with disabilities and people with similar service needs to assist them in exercising their human rights as citizens and contributing members of society. Their vision is that each person they serve will live and work in the community and be accepted by his or her neighbors, co-workers, family, friends and acquaintances for his or her individual qualities and contributions.
  
  
  
• Mental Health Association of CT (MHAC)
  The mission of MHAC is to advocate and work for everyone's mental health. The Mental Health Association of Connecticut, Inc. (MHAC) was founded in 1908 as the Connecticut Society for Mental Hygiene by Clifford W. Beers, a New Haven resident and graduate of Yale University who we now believe had bipolar disorder. It is a statewide, private, non-profit organization and is the oldest organization in this country's mental health movement.
  
  
• My Sisters' Place
  Ending homelessness...Supporting independence...Transforming lives.  Located in the north end of Hartford, Connecticut, My Sisters' Place is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of homeless women and their children. Since 1982, My Sisters' Place has been a safe haven for those who are suddenly forced into the streets due to domestic violence, eviction, unemployment or mental illness. Through guidance and empowerment, My Sisters' Place helps those who slip into homelessness transition to a future of self-reliance and permanent, safe housing. Contact them at 860-895-6629.
  
  
• NAMI-CT
  NAMI-CT is the only Connecticut organization affiliated with NAMI, the nation's leading grassroots family and consumer organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with serious mental illnesses and their families. Also see NAMI - National Alliance for the Mentally Ill.
  
  
• Narcotics Anonymous  (Connecticut Region)
  Information about Narcotics Anonymous in Connecticut, including meeting schedules, information for professionals, activities and events, contact info, and hotline number.
  
  
• Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities
  The Connecticut Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities (P & A) is an independent State agency created to safeguard and advance the civil and human rights of people with disabilities in Connecticut. It is part of a nationwide network of protection and advocacy systems (see National Disability Rights Network below).
  
  
• Quality Improvement Collaborative (QuIC)
  The Quality Improvement Collaborative is dedicated to the principle that consumer, youth, and family member involvement is a powerful way to make mental health services effective and responsive to their needs. The QuIC consists of approximately 500 consumers, youth, and family members (CYF) who have contributed to new efforts funded by the Mental Health Transformation State Incentive Grant to improve Connecticut's mental health services across the lifespan. A statewide Central Coordinating Council (CCC) of approximately 50 CYF members provided CYF leadership for the project. See QuIC CT for complete information.
  
  
• Recovery Housing
  
  • FindRecoveryHousing.com - An internet site that serves as a referral source to recovery (sober) housing. Modeled after vacation rental sites, this one-of-a-kind service allows users to search recovery housing by zip code, location, gender and more. And searching the site is free! Our mission is to help you find a recovery house, in your neighborhood or across the country…a place where you can get well, and get your life back in order. With over 10 years experience as advocates for the Recovery Community in Connecticut, we realized helping people find a good environment to heal was a great need. So we compiled this Recovery Housing database to help you find a good recovery house anywhere in the country.
  
  • DMHAS Supported Recovery Housing - A listing by city of Recovery Housing Service Providers that are approved by DMHAS.
  
  • My Sisters' Place - A safe haven in Hartford, CT, for homeless women and their children who are suddenly forced into the streets due to domestic violence, eviction, unemployment, or mental illness.
  
  
  
• Stars of Recovery
  Stars of Recovery is a company founded for and by clients, staff, and partners of the mental health community. Stars of Recovery aims to produce artistic products created by those of us with mental health concerns. It is our objective to encourage the creative aspirations of clients of the mental health community, as well as tap the full potential of their market.
  
  
• Teen Challenge New England (Residential drug recovery program for teens)
  Teen Challenge is a 15 to 21-month Christian residential drug recovery program with an incredible success rate for graduates. 86.6% of graduates after seven years remain drug and crime free, as opposed to 6-7% rate for secular programs. It is part of a network of 10 Teen Challenge centers across New England and New Jersey.
  
  
• The Next Right Thing
  The Next Right Thing, LLC offers community-based substance abuse and mental health treatment for adolescents (ages 16-23) and their families. Substance abuse and mental health problems are symptoms of a disease in an adolescent's life. Treatment in the community with families and peers is the solution.
  

  The Next Right Thing is located in Bishop's Corner, West Hartford at the crossroads of North Main Street and Route 44, offering easy access to neighboring communities.

  
  
• United Services Inc.
  United Services was created in 1964 by a group of concerned community members who saw the need for behavioral health and social services in the northeastern part of Connecticut. The need was great and the organization grew, eventually moving into the Windham area in 1978. United Services provides an effective response to the youth, family and adult social and behavioral health needs in its community.
  
  
• V.I.P. - Volunteers in Psychotherapy
  A community nonprofit organization that provides truly private psychotherapy for no fee (or a low fee). Based in West Hartford, CT, Volunteers In Psychotherapy is dedicated to providing affordable and truly private psychotherapy for the community, in exchange for volunteer work clients donate to the charity of their choice. "We are dedicated to providing affordable and truly private psychotherapy for the community. An alternative to managed care, its destruction of privacy and reliance on pills."
  
  
• You and your Mental Wellness
  You and your Mental Wellness is a public access show created and hosted by Victoria Molta. In 2012, the show won honorable mention for media awards from NAMI-CT, DMHAS and the CT Psychiatric Society.
  

  Victoria is an AU Advocate and a State certified Recovery Support Specialist, having received her certification in 2009 through AU's Recovery University. In addition, she has received numerous other awards and recognitions. See Founder and Host.

  You and your Mental Wellness is currently broadcast on cable access stations across Connecticut. The show airs monthly on access stations in the towns of New Haven, Hamden, North Haven, Madison, Guilford, East Haven, Litchfield, Bridgeport, Norwich, Middletown and Winsted. The show is an attempt to de-stigmatize mental illness and to give a voice to those dealing with the challenges and issues that arise when dealing with this type of illness. The guests on the show demonstrate the strength and resilience of people affected by mental illness. Each guest has a unique story and background. In addition, the show and the guests alike strive to emphasis a people first language, which means that every person is just that – a person, not a label or their mental illness.

  Victoria is seeking sponsors who live in Hartford and Stamford to have the program aired there. It involves minimal work; only a signature that the show is ready to air. If interested, contact Victoria at vmolta@aol.com.

  Visit You and Your Mental Wellness.

  
  

Other Links

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• Accredited Online Colleges
  The web's premier site for finding accredited online colleges around the US. School accreditation is vital to ensuring a quality education. But, determining accreditation can feel like working your way through a maze. Let our site be your guide. Accredited Online Colleges lets you search through countless accredited schools, based on a variety of criteria, to find the accredited college that best meets your needs.
  

  Also see Accredited Online Colleges and Disability Education.

  
  
• Active Minds
  Active Minds is a national 501(c)3 organization that empowers students to speak openly about mental health in order to educate others and encourage help-seeking. We are changing the culture on campuses and in the community by providing information, leadership opportunities and advocacy training to the next generation. Through campus-wide events and national programs, Active Minds aims to remove the stigma that surrounds mental health issues, and create a comfortable environment for an open conversation about mental health issues on campuses nationwide.
  
  
• ADA - Americans with Disabilities Act
  A link to the ADA website.  Also see ADA Coalition of Connecticut.  For a comprehensive, clearly written, and understandable overview of the Americans with Disability Act, see Advocacy Unlimited's online self-study course covering the ADA.
  
  
• Addictions
     - See Addictions Help/Resources above.
  
  
• ADS Center
  SAMHSA's Resource Center to Promote Acceptance, Dignity, and Social Inclusion Associated with Mental Health (ADS Center) provides practical assistance in designing and implementing anti-stigma and anti-discrimination initiatives by gathering and maintaining best practice information, policies, research, practices, and programs to counter stigma and discrimination; and actively disseminating anti-stigma/anti-discrimination information and practices to individuals, States and local communities, and public and private organizations.
  
  Previously called the Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma, SAMHSA has changed the name of the ADS Center.  Reducing stigma will continue to be part of the ADS Center's work.  See ADS Center name change for more info.
  
  
• Advance Directives (National Resources)
  See National Resource Center on Psychiatric Advance Directives
  
  
• Alcoholics Anonymous
  Official website of Alcoholics Anonymous. This is the official website of the General Service Office (G.S.O.) of Alcoholics Anonymous.
  
  
• AllTreatment
  AllTreatment.com is a drug rehab center directory and substance abuse information resource. Our website is dedicated to educating our users about drug and alcohol addiction. We feature a complete directory of drug addiction treatment centers, an article database about alcoholism and drug abuse, a blog about current drug news, and much more.
  
  
• Alternative Mental Health
  Alternative Mental Health is sponsored by Safe Harbor, whose mission of Safe Harbor is to assist and promote non-harmful, alternative (non-psychiatric) methods and practitioners for helping the mentally disturbed. Our purpose is to provide education and choice to the public in the matter of alternative mental health practices. Alternative mental health is a growing force in today's world - a beacon of hope for the many who seek a choice over the treadmill of daily medication.
  
  
• Alternative To Meds Center
  The Alternative To Meds Center offers a program whose purpose is to provide a clear mind for each of their clients, so that they can succeed at being happy in life. This is obtained by gradually replacing medications with natural alternatives. While drugs have a place in treatment, often they do nothing for the underlying causes and have side effects that render them less than ideal.
  
  (Note: While the Alternative To Meds Center program is only offered in San Francisco, their website provides information on several interesting alternatives to meds and achieving mental health naturally. This information may prove useful to anyone researching natural alternatives to medication.)
  
  
• Anorexia Recovery
  Kate Le Page's personal experience with treatment and recovery from anorexia nervosa and depression. Kate is the author of "Goodbye Ana," a collection of poems sharing her battle to achieve and maintain recovery from anorexia nervosa. The work offers the reader a powerful, emotive insight into what life is really like when viewed through the eyes of an anorexic. This book also aims to explain the cognitive distortions that accompany starvation as well as the many misconceptions about the illness.
  
  
• Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Stigma Resources
  For links and resources dealing with discrimination and stigma that provide help and education about the myths, misconceptions, and bias surrounding mental illness, see Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Stigma Resources in our Resource Library.
  
  
• Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
  The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law is the leading national legal advocate for people with mental illnesses or mental retardation.
  
  
• Bring Change 2 Mind
  BringChange2Mind.org is a not-for-profit organization created by Glenn Close, the Child and Adolescent Bipolar Foundation (CABF), Fountain House, and Garen and Shari Staglin of the International Mental Health Research Organization (IMHRO). The idea of a national anti-stigma campaign was born of a partnership between Glenn Close and Fountain House, where Glenn volunteered in order to learn about mental illness, which both her sister Jessie Close and nephew Calen Pick live with.
  
  
• BringHealth.com
  Homeopathic remedies for natural healing. BringHealth.com is dedicated to homeopathy and alternative natural treatments to heal mind, body and spirit.
  
  
• Center for Mental Health Services
  The Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) is charged with leading the national system that delivers mental health services. The goal of this system is to provide the treatment and support services needed by adults with mental disorders and children with serious emotional problems.
  
  
• Commission on Mental Health
  Welcome to the website of the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. The Commission was created by Executive Order on April 29, 2002. Its mission is "to conduct a comprehensive study of the United States mental health services delivery system, including public and private sector providers, and to advise the President on methods of improving the system." This website allows those interested to follow the progress of this first comprehensive study of the nation's public and private mental health service delivery system in nearly 25 years.
  
  
• Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery
  The Copeland Center works toward transforming lives, programs, and mental health services and systems. Their focus is on the expressed needs of people having mental health difficulties or people who are using services.
  
  
• Crazy Recovery Without Drugs - Holistic Steps to Recovery
  The website of Gracelyn Guyol, author of Who's Crazy Here?, a concise guide for people seeking options to psychiatric drugs. A native of Hillsdale, Michigan, Gracelyn was a public relations executive in California wine country before founding her agency, Gracelyn Associates, in 1984. After selling the business in 1992, she retired mid-life with her husband in Connecticut. Lifelong bouts of depression were re-diagnosed as bipolar disorder in 1993, and she was prescribed an antidepressant. Within a year the rapid growth of breast cysts and tumors caused her to have surgery twice in twelve months, altering the course of her life. Gracelyn worked with a Naturopathic Doctor to identify the underlying cause of the growths. When it turned out to be the antidepressant, she refused all psychiatric medications and gave herself two years to find non-drug solutions.
  
  
• Danvers State Memorial Committee
  This is the place to learn more about state hospital cemetery restoration in Massachusetts and how you can help. At state hospitals all across Massachusetts there is a terrible sight: row upon row of small concrete markers with only a number. These anonymous graves mark the resting place of our sisters and brothers - former patients who died at state hospitals - abandoned in life and death.
  
  
• Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)
  The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance is the leading patient-directed national organization focusing on the most prevalent mental illnesses. The organization fosters an environment of understanding about the impact and management of these life-threatening illnesses by providing up-to-date, scientifically based tools and information written in language the general public can understand.
  
  DBSA is now partnering with BringChangetoMind. DBSA is working with BringChange2Mind.org to provide additional resources for individuals seeking support and information regarding depression and bipolar disorder. Both Jessie Close and Calen Pick were keynote speakers at the DBSA 2010 National Conference held April 30 - May 2, 2010.
  
  Also see DBSA Greater Hartford above, the Hartford chapter of DBSA established and run by AU staff member Selina Welborn.
  
  
• Disability.gov
  Disability.gov is a federal website connecting the more than 50 million Americans with disabilities to thousands of trusted resources on disability-related issues, programs and services. Formerly known as DisabilityInfo.gov, the site has been completely redesigned and updated with new social media tools, such as a blog and a Twitter feed, to encourage feedback and interaction among visitors. Disability.gov is not just for Americans with disabilities, but also for parents of children with disabilities, employers, workforce and human resource professionals, veterans, educators, caregivers and many others.
  
  

  "All of our citizens deserve to live and work with dignity and freedom. This web site is an important step in our work to build an America where all individuals are celebrated for their abilities and encouraged to achieve their dreams."

  ~ President George W. Bush

  
  
• Discrimination Resources
     - See Anti-Stigma and Anti-Discrimination Resources in our Resource Library.
  
  
• EveryMinute.org
  Every minute a suicide is attempted…“everyminute.org” supports innovative research that will profoundly transform the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of mental disorders, paving the way for a cure. The need for transformative, innovative research is urgent; each year, as many as 57 million Americans meet criteria for some mental disorder. We know that mental disorders can also be fatal. Each year more Americans die from suicide than from homicide.
  
  
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
  A link to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website.
  
  
• Ethel Louise Armstrong Foundation
  The vision of the Ethel Louise Armstrong Foundation, Inc. (ELA) is to change the face of disability on the planet. In order to accomplish this vision, ELA's mission is to promote, through grants and scholarships, the inclusion of people with disabilities in the areas of arts, advocacy and education.
  
  
• Face the Issue
  Geared primarily to teens and young adults, facetheissue.com provides information and help on depression, drugs, anorexia, bulimia, abuse, self-esteem, and alcoholism.
  
  
• Freedom Center
  Freedom Center in Northampton, MA, is the area's only group run by and for people labeled with severe "mental illnesses." We call for compassion, human rights, self-determination, and holistic alternatives.
  
  
• Gamblers Anonymous
  Official Home Page for Gamblers Anonymous.
  
  
• The Gardens at Saint Elizabeths: A National Memorial of Recovered Dignity
  The Gardens at Saint Elizabeths is a national memorial to remember once forgotten psychiatric patients -- a place of remembrance as well as a place of recovery, offering dignity and hope to anyone living with mental illness. This memorial raises awareness of and restores dignity to the hundreds of thousands of consumers who died and were buried in unmarked graves on the grounds of psychiatric hospitals nationwide. By honoring these individuals, we give voice to generations of consumers who had no voice and recognize today's consumers and our journey to reach recovery.
  
  
• Gift From Within
  Gift From Within is an international organization for survivors of trauma and victimization. They are a private, non-profit organization dedicated to those who suffer post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), those at risk for PTSD, and those who care for traumatized individuals. Gift From Within develops and disseminates educational material including videotapes, articles, books, as well as a resource catalog, and maintains a roster of survivors who are willing to participate in an international network of peer support.
  
  
• HealthCare.gov
  Take health care into your own hands. HealthCare.gov is a valuable resource for small businesses, consumers, and their families to search for coverage options and understand the new benefits under the Affordable Care Act. By putting the power of information at your fingertips, HealthCare.gov is helping American families everywhere to take control over their health care and make the choices that are right for them.
  
  
• HHS Office on Disability
  The Health and Human Services Office on Disability website provides comprehensive yet easy-to-access information pertaining to the seven distinct domains of housing, education, information technology, transportation, health, employment, and community integration (as identified by the President's New Freedom Initiative) plus information on advocacy, entitlements, and emergency preparedness. The alignment of content by the seven domains of the President's New Freedom Initiative provides a better organized database where information can be accessed easily and precisely.
  
  
• Independent Living USA Directory
  Information about independent living and a directory to Independent Living Centers countrywide.
  
  
• Inspire USA
  Inspire's mission is to help young Americans lead happier lives. Inspire USA Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit established in San Francisco in 2007. Inspire takes a strength-based, public health approach to its work with a focus on mental health promotion and the prevention of high risk behavior, with a particular interest in suicide prevention. Inspire USA Foundation is part of an international network which includes Australia, where Inspire began, and the Inspire Ireland Foundation.  Also see ReachOut.
  
  
• Institute on Independent Living
  The Institute on Independent Living serves self-help organizations of disabled people who work for equal opportunities, self-determination and self-respect. They offer training materials, technical assistance and information on personal assistance, advocacy, access, legislation and peer support.
  
  
• International Center for the Study for Psychiatry and Psychology
  ICSPP is concerned with the impact of mental health theories on public policy and the effects of therapeutic practices upon individual well-being, personal freedom, and family and community values. For over 25 years ICSPP has been informing the professions, the media and the public about the potential dangers of drugs, electroshock, psychosurgery, and the biological theories of psychiatry.
  
  
• Intentional Care
  Intentional Care is a comprehensive set of Performance Standards that help bridge the gap between the principles of recovery and empowerment and the real-world application of these principles in the everyday work of direct service staff and their supervisors. The Intentional Care Performance Standards were developed by Advocates, Inc. and Patricia E. Deegan, Ph.D.
  
  
• M-Power
  M-Power is a 100% mental health consumer run statewide advocacy organization in Massachusetts, that advocates for political and social change within the mental health system, the community, city, and statewide.
  
  
• MentalHealth.gov
  MentalHealth.gov is an online resource for people looking for information about mental health. This website provides information about the signs of mental illness, how individuals can seek help, and how communities can host conversations about mental health. The website also features videos from a number of individuals sharing their stories about mental illness, recovery, and hope.
  
  
• Mental Health Advocacy, Inc.
  Mental Health Advocacy, Inc. is a peer-run, peer-support advocacy organization in Raleigh, NC. The Mission of Mental Health Advocacy Inc. is to promote mental health wellness and recovery by encouraging and promoting Peer Support and Recovery Education, by linking or providing social, educational and advocacy opportunities to the enrichment of quality of life of people with mental health disabilities.
  

  We are people in recovery from mental illness who have joined together to help people like ourselves find mental health faster and better than we ourselves were able to do. Find answers "faster" as you benefit from our experience as we have benefited from the advocates that went before us. Our lives, freedoms and new public recovery orientated mental health services are the direct product of their hard work and we will not forget them.

  
  
• Mental Health America
  Mental Health America (formerly known as the National Mental Health Association) is the country's leading nonprofit dedicated to helping all people live mentally healthier lives. With more than 320 affiliates nationwide, they represent a growing movement of Americans who promote mental wellness for the health and well-being of the nation–everyday and in times of crisis.
  
  
• Mental Health Recovery Self-Help Strategies
  Mary Ellen Copeland is a mental health recovery educator and author. Her focus is on self-help. She has learned the concepts, skills and strategies she teaches from her own personal experience with extreme mood swings and from her ongoing studies with people who experience psychiatric symptoms. Her teachings and writings include topics like getting a sense of hope, Wellness Tools, Wellness Recovery Action Planning, Relapse Prevention, Crisis Planning, Developing a Strong Support System, Education, Personal Responsibility, Self-Advocacy, Building Self-Esteem, Healing from the Effects of Trauma, and Relieving Loneliness and Worry. Her expertise is not related to psychiatric medications, psychiatry, or legal advocacy. She does not provide counseling services. The skills and strategies she teaches are not necessarily a replacement for other kinds of treatment, but complement any other treatment.
  
  
• MindFreedom
  MindFreedom Support Coalition International unites 100 grassroots groups and thousands of members to win campaigns for human rights of people diagnosed with psychiatric disabilities. MindFreedom International is where mutual support meets human rights activism... and where democracy meets the mental health system. The MindFreedom Journal (previously named Dendron News) is an awarding winning publication, first published in 1987. The Journal reports on the struggle for human rights in the mental health system in the U.S. and around the world.
  
  
• Mouth Magazine
  Mouth Magazine is now the only disability rights-oriented magazine put to printed page. Mouth brings the conversation down to street level, where well-intentioned "special" programs wreak havoc in the lives of ordinary people.
  
  
• MSWOnlinePrograms.org
  A website dedicated to helping social work students find the right graduate program at the right time in their career. The site offers a wealth of information relevant and helpful to your professional future. The site's blog is frequently updated with career information and other useful resources to get you on your way towards a long and successful journey in social work. Also see Careers in Social Work: Bachelor's Degree vs. Master's Degree.
  
  
• NAMI - National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
  NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness) is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of persons living with serious mental illness and their families. NAMI is dedicated to the eradication of mental illnesses and to the improvement of the quality of life of all whose lives are affected by these diseases. Also see NAMI-CT.
  
  
• Narcotics Anonymous
  Narcotics Anonymous World Services - the website for the Fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous.
  
  
• NARPA - National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy
  NARPA is dedicated to promoting those policies and pursuing those strategies that represent the preferred options of people who have been labeled mentally disabled. NARPA is committed to advocating the abolishing of all forced treatment laws, and to promoting rights protection and advocacy which focuses upon both the right to choose and the specific choices of those who request assistance.
  
  
• National Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Center
  NCSTAC was established in 1998 by a grant from the Center for Mental Health Services. Our purpose is to strengthen those organizations supporting mental health consumers, survivors and ex-patients by providing technical assistance in the forms of research, informational materials, and financial aid.
  
  
• National Council on Disability
  The National Council on Disability (NCD) is an independent federal agency making recommendations to the President and Congress on issues affecting 54 million Americans with disabilities.
  
  
• National Disability Rights Network (National Office)
  -- Formerly Protection & Advocacy
  The National Disability Rights Network, formerly the National Association of Protection & Advocacy Systems (NAPAS), was established in 1977 to promote the rights of children and adults with disabilities. The nonprofit membership organization for the federally mandated Protection and Advocacy (P&A) Systems and Client Assistance Programs (CAP) for individuals with disabilities, the P&A/CAP network is collectively the largest provider of legally based advocacy services to people with disabilities in the United States. It provides information on disability rights and services, and advocates for people with disabilities who have been discriminated against or who are experiencing difficulty securing relevant supports and services.
  
  
• National Empowerment Center (NEC)
  Recovery is real and this website is filled with practical information that will help you recover if you have been labeled with a mental illness. NEC is headed by nationally known executive director Daniel B. Fisher, M.D., PhD.
  
  
• National Institute of Mental Health
  The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is one of 27 components of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Federal government's principal biomedical and behavioral research agency. NIH is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NIMH mission is to reduce the burden of mental illness and behavioral disorders through research on mind, brain, and behavior.
  
  
• National Mental Health Association
  The National Mental Health Association is now "Mental Health America." See Mental Health America.
  
  
• National Mental Health Awareness Campaign - No Stigma!
  The National Mental Health Awareness Campaign was created in order to educate the public about mental health issues and eradicate the fear, shame and stigma commonly associated with mental illness, NMHAC has as its primary goal the development of a nationwide, public service, multi-media education initiative.
  
  
• National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse
  The National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse, is a consumer-run national technical assistance center serving the mental health consumer movement. We help connect individuals to self-help and advocacy resources, and we offer expertise to self-help groups and other peer-run services for mental health consumers.
  
  
• National Resource Center on Psychiatric Advance Directives
  Duke University Medical Center and the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law have teamed together to launch the National Resource Center on Psychiatric Advance Directives (NRC-PAD). The NRC-PAD provides consumers with mental illness, their family members, clinicians, and policy-makers with key information about PADs, including PAD forms, links to statutes, educational webcasts, discussion forums, FAQs, and current research. Contains state specific info, help, and forms (see Connecticut info).
  

  Also see Advance Directives in the Resource Library for Connecticut specific information regarding Advance Directives.

  
  
• National Stigma Clearinghouse
  Jean Arnold and Nora Weinerth created the National Stigma Clearinghouse to track stigmatizing stereotypes of mental illness and to provide information about stigma to concerned activists.
  
  
• National Technical Assistance Center
  The National Technical Assistance Center (NTAC) for State Mental Health Agencies (SMHAs) is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to support the provision of high-quality training and technical assistance (T/TA) to representatives from the state mental health system and other designated stakeholders in order to implement, improve, and expand mental health services and supports in communities across the nation, while simultaneously advancing critical SAMHSA goals and priorities.
  
  
• Network of Care
  Network of Care is a highly interactive, single information place where consumers, community-based organizations and municipal government workers all can go to easily access a wide variety of important information. The network covers many areas of care, including mental and behavioral health, seniors and people with disabilities, children and families, and domestic violence among others.
  
  With eighteen states currently involved including Connecticut, the Network of Care - Mental / Behavioral Health provides vital information to help link consumers to support groups and personal advocacy resources in the community, and has been recognized as a model program by the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. The site also provides a repository of evidence-based practices - successful, creative ways for communities to respond to their behavioral-health needs. Also see Connecticut's Network of Care for Behavioral Health
  
  
• NetZero - Low Cost Internet Access
  Internet access from NetZero is only $9.95 per month. You can also get high speed Internet (through your phone line) for $14.95 per month.
  
  
• No Kidding, Me Too!
  Entertainment industry members unite to de-stigmatize mental illness. No Kidding, Me Too! is a nonprofit organization comprised of entertainment industry members united in an effort to educate Americans about the epidemic related to mental illness in all forms. They teach those suffering from it, and their loved ones who are victims of it, to talk about it openly. The goal is to tear this stigma out of the closet and de-isolate it so that these people will be surprised to find millions of others like themselves and say, "No Kidding, Me Too!"
  
  
• No Stigma (National Mental Health Awareness Campaign)
  This organization is a nationwide nonpartisan public education campaign that was launched as part of the 1999 White House Conference on Mental Health. They are dedicated to battling the stigma, shame, and myths surrounding mental disorders that prevent so many people from getting the help they need.
  
  
• NØStigmas
  The mission of NoStigmas is to raise awareness and erase the stigmas of suicide and mental illness by sharing stories of hope and inspiration from those touched by suicide and mental illness and educating the general public about mental health issues. NoStigmas began in 2007 as a grassroots movement to unify those touched by suicide and mental illness with the common knowledge that they are not alone and to change the public's generally negative perception of those touched by suicide and mental illness.
  
  
• Online Health Resources
  A comprehensive directory of health related websites, including links to helpful sites pertaining to mental health and addictions.
  
  
• OpenMindsOpenDoors
  OpenMindsOpenDoors is a Pennsylvania initiative aimed at ending discrimination against people with mental illnesses. Approximately one in five people in this country live with a mental illness -- people who have needs just like everyone else and demand basic rights just like everyone else.
  
  
• Partnership for a Drug-Free America
  The Partnership for a Drug-Free America is a nonprofit organization that unites parents, renowned scientists and communications professionals to help families raise healthy children. The Partnership motivates and equips parents to prevent their children from using drugs and alcohol, and to find help and treatment for family and friends in trouble.
  
  
• People Say I'm Crazy
  Schizophrenia is a serious and sometimes debilitating mental illness. But there is hope, and with the latest treatments, those living with schizophrenia can lead productive and rewarding lives.
  

  Just ask John Cadigan. For ten years, John documented his life after he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. People Say I'm Crazy is the result of these efforts, a film that has become a touchstone for showing the human side of mental illness.

  
  
• PeoplePC - Low Cost Internet Access
  You can get online for as low as $10.95 per month from PeoplePC. No credit card required, but you will need to have a checking account. Please be sure to read the details.
  
  
• Peter Lehmann Publishing
  Here you will find books and information, orientated to the interests of survivors and (ex)users of psychiatry, their friends, relatives and professionals, for example:
     - Coming off Psychiatric Drugs - Successful Withdrawal from Neuroleptics,
  Antidepressants, Lithium, Carbamazepine and Tranquilizers, with prefaces
  by Judi Chamberlin, Loren R. Mosher and Pirkko Lahti, edited by Peter
  Lehmann (Berlin 2004).
  
  
• Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan
  The Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan makes health insurance available to people who have had a problem getting insurance due to a pre-existing condition. The Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP), which is administered by either your state or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides a health coverage option if you have been uninsured for at least six months, you have a pre-existing condition, or have been denied health coverage because of your health condition, and are a U.S. citizen or are residing here legally. For the PCIP in Connecticut, see Connecticut Coverage.
  
  
• Prescription Drug Assistance Programs
  Links to organizations whose purpose is to offer information about, or assistance with, Patient Assistance Programs that provide free medications for a small processing fee to low-income individuals and families. Please be sure to read all the requirements and qualifications.
  
  
• President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health
  Links to the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health Final Report:
       All Reports
       Final Report
       Executive Summary
  
  
• Protection and Advocacy (National Office)
  See National Disability Rights Network above.
  
  
• Ragged Edge Online
  Ragged Edge Online is the successor to the award-winning periodical, The Disability Rag, which became Ragged Edge magazine in 1997. Today, Ragged Edge is an exclusively online publication. The Ragged Edge examines current and emerging public issues from a disability perspective: civil rights, politics, culture, humor, sexuality, art, technology. They publish freelance journalism, essays, poetry and fiction.
  
  
• ReachOut
  Inspire USA launched ReachOut.com in March 2010.  ReachOut is an online mental health information and support service designed to help 16-24 year olds get through tough times. Reach Out integrates youth generated, expert-reviewed information and real life stories with opportunities to connect with others in a supportive, safe environment. It is based on a highly successful, Australian program that has been operating for 12 years and is recognized by 3 out of 4 young people in this target age group. Reach Out has contributed to a 57% reduction in youth suicide in Australia since its inception.  Also see Inspire USA.
  
  
• Recovered Dignity
  See Gardens at Saint Elizabeths: A National Memorial of Recovered Dignity above.
  
  
• Recovery Housing
  FindRecoveryHousing.com is an internet site that serves as a referral source to recovery (sober) housing. Modeled after vacation rental sites, this one-of-a-kind service allows users to search recovery housing by zip code, location, gender and more. And searching the site is free! Our mission is to help you find a recovery house, in your neighborhood or across the country…a place where you can get well, and get your life back in order. With over 10 years experience as advocates for the Recovery Community in Connecticut, we realized helping people find a good environment to heal was a great need. So we compiled this Recovery Housing database to help you find a good recovery house anywhere in the country.
  
  
• Recovery Resources & Support (RRS)
  Recovery Resources & Support (RRS) was founded in Richmond, VA in January 2009. Their vision is to be an organization with recovery resources and support for individuals, groups and organizations. They believe all individuals can be in recovery from mental and emotional challenges and substance dependencies. RRS also offers Mental Health Recovery including Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP®) workshops created by Mary Ellen Copeland, Ph.D., for organizations in central Virginia.
  
  
• RehabInfo.net
  RehabInfo.net is a comprehensive guide for the entire treatment process - from spotting issues to finding and enrolling into rehabilitation. Yet it's more than that; it's also an extensive educational resource that includes up to date statistics, policy and regulation information as well as a section on careers in the industry. An excellent supplement to SAMHSA's Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator.
  
  
• Repository of Recovery Resources
  From the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, the Repository of Recovery Resources is a one-stop source of information that can be used:
  
  • To promote and create recovery-oriented mental health systems;
  
  • To increase awareness and understanding of the concept and reality of recovery.
  

  Originally designed to respond to the needs of state mental health administrators and consumers in their work at state offices of consumer/recipient affairs, these many resources are appropriate for anyone interested in recovery from serious mental illnesses.

  
  
• RxAlternative Medicine
  The RxAlternative Medicine site is provided as a service of Dr. James Smith, his associates and staff, located in St. Joseph, MO. He was practicing "alternative medicine" decades before the term was even coined. He combines the latest alternative medicine information and over 35 years experience serving thousands of patients to offer you this online resource. In recent years Dr. Smith has been certified as a "Defeat Autism Now" Doctor by the Autism Research Institute.
  
  
• SAMHSA - Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration  (En español)
  The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities. Over the years SAMHSA has demonstrated that prevention works, treatment is effective, and people recover from mental and substance use disorders. Behavioral health services improve health status and reduce health care and other costs to society. Continued improvement in the delivery and financing of prevention, treatment and recovery support services provides a cost effective opportunity to advance and protect the Nation's health.
  
  SAMHSA has established a clear vision for its work -- a life in the community for everyone. To realize this vision, the Agency has sharply focused its mission on building resilience and facilitating recovery for people with or at risk for mental or substance use disorders. SAMHSA is gearing all its resources -- programs, policies and grants -- toward that outcome.
  
  To continue to improve the delivery and financing of prevention, treatment and recovery support services, SAMHSA has identified 10 Strategic Initiatives to focus the Agency's work on people and emerging opportunities. See SAMHSA's 10 Strategic Initiatives.
  
  
• SAMHSA - Co-Occurring Disorders
  This is the section of SAMHSA's website dedicated to news, features, and resources for Co-Occurring Disorders.
  
  
• SAMHSA - Resource Center to Promote Acceptance, Dignity, and Social Inclusion Associated with Mental Health  (The ADS Center)
  SAMHSA's Resource Center to Promote Acceptance, Dignity, and Social Inclusion Associated with Mental Health (ADS Center) helps people design, implement and operate programs that reduce discrimination and stigma associated with mental illnesses. With the most up-to-date research and information, the Center helps individuals, organizations and governments counter such discrimination and stigma in the community, in the workplace, and in the media.
  
  Previously called the Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma, SAMHSA has changed the name of the ADS Center.  Reducing stigma will continue to be part of the ADS Center's work.  See ADS Center name change for more info.
  
  
• SAMHSA - Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator
  The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is pleased to provide this on-line resource for locating drug and alcohol abuse treatment programs. The Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator lists 1.) Private and public facilities that are licensed, certified, or otherwise approved for inclusion by their State substance abuse agency, and 2.) Treatment facilities administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Indian Health Service and the Department of Defense.
  
  
• SAMHSA - What a Difference a Friend Makes
  SAMHSA launched the Mental Health Campaign for Mental Health Recovery to encourage, educate, and inspire people between 18 and 25 to support their friends who are experiencing mental health problems. The prevalence of serious mental health conditions in this age group is almost double that of the general population, yet young people have the lowest rate of help-seeking behaviors. This group has a high potential to minimize future disability if social acceptance is broadened and they receive the right support and services early on.
  
  
• Service Animals
  Resources and help regarding psychiatric service dogs, therapy dogs, and emotional support animals:
  
  • Maeve - Psychiatric Service Dog and Advocate - Maeve is a wonderful service dog for AU Graduate Joanne Shortell. Maeve became AU's first Graduate Service Dog when she successfully completed the 2010 Torrington Advocacy Education Course. Maeve's website provides information about Psychiatric Service Dogs (PSD), including how to get an emotional support animal, pros and cons of dogs for people with psychiatric disabilities, and information about the laws.
  
  • American Poodles At Work - American Poodles At Work (APAW) is a non-profit organization primarily dedicated to the training and placement of Service Dogs with their human partners. As an unobtrusive helpmate, a trained dog provides valuable assistance every day, all day. American Poodles At Work was founded to provide highly-trained assistance dogs to people who prefer or need a Poodle due to allergies or lifestyle. We carefully select and teach our dogs, always with the end goal in mind -- a joyful, willing and intelligent, unobtrusive helpmate.
  
  • The Psychiatric Service Dog Society - The Psychiatric Service Dog Society (PSDS) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to responsible Psychiatric Service Dog (PSD) education, advocacy, research and training facilitation. We provide essential information for persons disabled by severe mental illness, who wish to train a service dog to assist with the management of symptoms.
  
  • Service Dogs America - Service Dogs America recognizes that you may train you own dog and supplies you with the appropriate identification to allow your dog to accompany you anywhere the public is allowed.
  
  
  
• Sharing the Hope, Sharing the Healing
  The purpose of Sharing the Hope, Sharing the Healing is to tell the stories of people who through their hope have achieved healing and are now living productive and fulfilling lives.
  
  
• SoberRecovery.com - Thousands of Alcoholism and Addiction Resources
  The SoberRecovery directory lists hundreds of drug rehab and treatment centers, alcohol rehabilitation centers, sober living houses and recovery related web sites. We offer help, referrals and information for heroin, cocaine, alcohol, marijuana, and treatment program options including detox, teen boot camps, wilderness programs and outpatient programs for adults or adolescents.
  
  
• Social Security Administration
  The Official Website of the U.S. Social Security Administration.
  
  • Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
  
  • Disability
  

  Also see SSI/SSDI Benefits and Employment Mythbusters and Social Security Disability Resource Center.

  
  
• Social Security and Disability Resource Center
  The goal of the Social Security and Disability Resource Center is to inform readers about how the disability process works.
  
  
• SSI/SSDI Benefits and Employment Mythbusters
  A document created by DMHAS, BRS, and SSA regarding myths surrounding Work, Disability, and Benefits to help clarify common misconceptions about SSI/SSDI benefits and employment (.pdf document)
  
  Note: Depending on your Internet connection, this document may take a few minutes to download (size = 6MB).
  
  
  
• Stigma Resources
     - See Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Stigma Resources in our Resource Library.
  
  
• Tardive Dyskinesia Center
  Tardive Dyskinesia is a condition typically caused by certain psychoactive drugs such as anti-depressants, or "dopamine antagonists" (drugs that block dopamine receptors, used to treat disorders of the nervous or circulatory system), including Reglan. When a patient has been taking certain prescription drugs over a long period of time, often at high dosages, involuntary, repetitive tic-like movements can result, primarily in the facial muscles or (less commonly) the limbs, fingers and toes. The hips and torso may also be affected. The Tardive Dyskinesia Center offers the most up-to-date information on TD, its causes, and all known treatment options as well as legal options.
  
  To learn about treatment options, see Treatment for Tardive Dyskinesia on the Tardive Dyskinesia Center website.
  
  
  
• Tardive-Dyskinesia
  Tardive, meaning late, and dyskinesias being movement disorders, are neurological side effects of antipsychotic medications that can be disabling and disfiguring. The Tardive-Dyskinesia website offers information on the symptoms, treatment, and side effects of Tardive Dyskinesia and information on the many antipsychotic drugs utilized in the treatment of schizophrenia. Resources for contacting a lawyer and learning about legal rights regarding Tardive Dyskinesia are also available on the site.
  
  
• Teen Challenge New England (Residential drug recovery program for teens)
  Teen Challenge is a 15 to 21-month Christian residential drug recovery program with an incredible success rate for graduates. 86.6% of graduates after seven years remain drug and crime free, as opposed to 6-7% rate for secular programs. It is part of a network of 10 Teen Challenge centers across New England and New Jersey.
  
  
• The Next Right Thing
  The Next Right Thing, LLC offers community-based substance abuse and mental health treatment for adolescents (ages 16-23) and their families. Substance abuse and mental health problems are symptoms of a disease in an adolescent's life. Treatment in the community with families and peers is the solution.
  

  The Next Right Thing is located in Bishop's Corner, West Hartford at the crossroads of North Main Street and Route 44, offering easy access to neighboring communities.

  
  
• Treatment-Centers.net (Drug treatment centers, alcohol rehab programs and drug rehabilitation centers)
  Treatment-Centers.net is a community based public-benefit website devoted to helping individuals and families find help for addiction and dual diagnosis. Our site contains the largest and most comprehensive publicly rated and reviewed directory of addiction treatment centers in existence. For centers in Connecticut, see CT Directory.
  
  
• True Acceptance
  True Acceptance is a dating and friendship site for adults with mental illness. It was established by two social workers who have been personally affected by mental illness, have worked in the mental health field for many years, and/or have family histories. Launched in 2008, TrueAcceptance.com provides an online opportunity for adults experiencing any form of mental disability to meet other adults for dating and friendship without having to worry about being discriminated against.
  
  Co-creators Liz and Mike care deeply for their members. They believe in recovery, change, and self-determination and are "committed to treating people in our community with dignity and respect."
  

  Liz, originally from Detroit, Michigan, has been living in Albuquerque for about 7 years. She got her start in New Mexico participating in the Vista Americorps program working with spanish-speaking survivors of domestic violence. She went on to many other social work jobs including NM public defender, a psychiatric primary care clinic, and is now working mostly with Navajo students in rural New Mexico schools. She works from a strengths based and client centered philosophy and believes that true romance comes in all shapes and sizes. She loves approving True Acceptance profiles and seeing the positive connections being made in the TA community. She knows if she can get hold of Oprah, TrueAcceptance.com can change the world!
  
  Mike was born in upstate New York and grew up outside of Houston. After serving in the military right after high school, he focused on a social work career. Mike quickly embraced the Recovery movement, and one of his highlights was being trained as a WRAP Facilitator in Vermont and taking what he had learned to start a peer support program. When he's not spending time at his day job or with his incredible wife and daughter, he can be found working on the True Acceptance site, reading, or dreaming about white water kayaking.

  
  
• We Connect Now - A website for college students with disabilities
  We Connect Now was developed in an effort to connect and integrate college students with disabilities as a virtual community with a voice on important issues. The website is used as a resource by institutions of higher learning, colleges, universities, and groups serving people with disabilities in all 50 states and at least 10 other nations.
  
  
• What a Difference a Friend Makes
  The "What a Difference a Friend Makes" campaign and website, created by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is designed for people age 18-25 who are living with mental illness and for their friends. Visitors will find tools to help in the recovery process, learn about the different kinds of mental illnesses, read real-life stories about support and recovery and watch a video to see how friends can make all the difference.
  
  
• The Work Site
  The Work Site is part of the Social Security Online website, and provides employment support for people with disabilities. You'll also find complete info about the "Ticket to Work" program. The mission is to promote the employment of Social Security beneficiaries with disabilities.
  
  
• World Fellowship for Schizophrenia and Allied Disorders
  The World Fellowship for Schizophrenia and Allied Disorders (WFSAD) provides support and information for families coping with schizophrenia and serious mental illness. WFSAD is the only global grassroots organization dedicated to lightening the burden of schizophrenia and other serious mental illnesses for sufferers and their families. Visit WFSAD to locate international Family Self-Help, Support, and Advocacy Associations.

International Links

• Awakening Minds (Singapore)
  Awakening Minds© is a social enterprise that strives to debunk stereotypical conceptions about autism, special needs and mental illness/mental wellness. Through affordable original books, articles, learning materials, talks, workshops and consultations, Awakening Minds aims to:
  
  • Empower sufferers and caregivers to adopt a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) approach to supplement professional treatments;
  • Inspire and motivate people to think outside the box about strategies and solutions for their conditions;
  • Encourage the pursuit of a physically, mentally and emotionally healthy lifestyle; and
  • Combat stigmatization of people with special needs and mental illnesses.
• Helena Smole (Slovenia)
  Helena is the author of "Balancing the Beast," a delightful and inspiring book providing a bright view of schizoeffective disorder:
  

  "Face the facts, gather information, consult you doctors, and take action. Join me in my dream of empowering mental patients to have control over their illness. I wish you a smooth ride and hope to inspire you with my book like Louise Hay and Phyllis Krystal inspired me with theirs."

  "The author definitely decided to switch her destiny to an optimistic mode and is more than willing to motivate other mental patients as well." – New York Times Best-Selling Author Peggy McColl

  The book is available on Amazon.com (see an overview).  Helena publishes her blog at www.helenasmole.com

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