TOWARD PEER-FRIENDLY PUBLIC POLICY
Jonathan Dosick is a peer specialist living and working in Central Massachusetts. For the last decade, he has also been an active advocate for human rights reform in the mental health system. In 2003, he founded the “fresh air rights” campaign in Massachusetts, and the “fresh air bill” is now in its fourth session of filing at the Massachusetts State House. More recently, this effort was merged with another that would create a means of appeal for the violation of a State Law, 13 years old, which guarantees the most basic civil liberties to peers in hospitals and residences – a law that is almost never followed.
Jonathan has presented at National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy (NARPA)’s 2005 Annual Conference, and the National Empowerment Center’s 2008 “Alternatives” conference. He was recently awarded the Karl Ackerman “Ox” Award by the (Massachusetts) Transformation Center, in honor of his achievements, and he writes a blog about human rights and psychiatric hospitals. He can be reached at [email protected]. (Blog URL: civilrightspsychiatrichospital.blogspot.com)
Backsliding in the Bay State
by Jonathan Dosick
January 7, 2013
The drumbeat for more “Risk Management” just gets louder. And nowhere is this so alarmingly evident as a new policy proposed by the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH) in November 2012.
Full Article
Categorized in: Blogs, Community, Featured Blogs, Non-Drug Approaches, Recovery/Empowerment, Trauma/Distress, Violence | Tagged as: Civil rights, complete mental health recovery, Empowerment, Human Rights, mental health advocacy, Mental health care, Recovery
Common Sense, Deferred: Lessons From the “Fresh Air” Fight, Part Two
by Jonathan Dosick
October 28, 2012
How and why the right to fresh air is continuously blocked by money, politics and ignorance. Plus, personal reflections on how nature heals.
Full Article
Categorized in: Blogs, Featured Blogs, Uncategorized | Tagged as: Civil rights, complete mental health recovery, Empowerment, hope, Human Rights, mental health advocacy, mental health recovery, Recovery
Common Sense, Deferred: Lessons From the “Fresh Air” Fight, Part One
by Jonathan Dosick
September 17, 2012
How does a straightforward, common-sense idea – guaranteeing the elemental pleasures of fresh air and access to nature to those in inpatient and residential psychiatric/mental health facilities – repeatedly fail on a policy level?
Full Article
Categorized in: Blogs, Featured Blogs, Mind/Body, Recovery/Empowerment, Rethinking Psychiatry/Medical Model | Tagged as: children, Civil rights, complete mental health recovery, Empowerment, hope, Human Rights, mental health advocacy, Mental health care
Risk Management vs. Dignity of Risk
by Jonathan Dosick
May 21, 2012
What does “risk” really mean? Is it something to be afraid of and avoided at all costs, or something to be embraced?
Full Article
Categorized in: Blogs | Tagged as: complete mental health recovery, Empowerment, Human Rights, mental health advocacy, mental health recovery, peers, psychiatric system
