The summit, started by Rethinking Psychiatry and MindFreedom International, was held every Sunday in October, 2021 — October 3, 10, 17, 24 & 31!
Day 1 — Welcome! Day 2 — the Big Picture Workshop Day 3 — the Administrative Container Workshop Day 4 — the How-To Workshop Day 5 — Where Do We Go from Here? Follow-Up Day — Joining Together to Create ChangeDay 1 — Welcome!
Time: Sunday, October 3, 2021 at 4:00pm – 7:00pm UTC (9:00am PDT / 12:00pm EDT / 5:00pm BST / 7:00pm IDT)
See a sneak preview of the day’s events by clicking here!
Recording of day 1 available here.
Agenda
- Hard hitting overview of the data of the success of Peer Respites and Soteria Houses
- Inspiring first-hand wisdom from people who have created, worked at, and used Peer Respites and Soteria Houses
Speakers
Moderator
Robert Whitaker, American journalist, author of Mad in America and Anatomy of an Epidemic. Publisher of madinamerica.com.
Panelist
Katie Borque, Operations and Outreach Director at Fireside Project, previously manager of Soteria Vermont, managed a 24/7 peer support line, and provided services using the Housing First model.
Panelist
Avraham Friedlander, Co-founder of Soteria Houses in Israel, and researcher on alternatives to psychiatric hospitalization.
Panelist
Cindy Marty Hadge, prior guest at Afiya House Peer Respite, Intentional Peer Support, Lead Trainer HVN-USA and Wildflower Alliance.
Panelist
Roslind D. Hayes, Statewide Director of Peer Services and Training for the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network (GMHCN), Roslind oversees Georgia’s five Peer Support, Wellness, and Respite Centers.
Panelist
Voyce Hendrix, former House Manager and co-founder of the original Soteria House from the 1970’s, and co-author of Soteria: Through Madness to Deliverance.
Panelist
Victoria (Vic) Welle, activist, psychiatric survivor, peer support trainer, and once-aspiring minister. Vic co-founded Monarch House Peer Run Respite in Wisconsin.
Day 2 — the Big Picture Workshop
Time: Sunday, October 10, 2021 at 4:00pm – 7:00pm UTC (9:00am PDT / 12:00pm EDT / 5:00pm BST / 7:00pm IDT)
See a sneak preview of the day’s events by clicking here!
Recording of day 2 available here.
Agenda
- Peer Respite or Soteria House, which to choose?
- Philosophy and principles, fidelity and mission creep
- Framework, design, structure, research and evaluation
- How to organize in your community
Speakers
Moderator
Jim Gottstein, co-founder of Soteria-Alaska, which operated from 2009 to 2015, founder and CEO of the Law Project for Psychiatric Rights (PsychRights), and author of The Zyprexa Papers.
Panelist
Tokyo Baldwin, worker at Afiya, the first and only peer respite in Western Mass. With an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice, Tokyo strives to make a positive and productive difference in the world; for her daughter and all underserved communities.
Panelist
Natan Cohen, a trans and autistic person who has experienced bullying, addiction, ableism, emotional and spiritual abuse, homelessness, and many extreme and unusual states. They spent years seeking answers from western medicine, alternative wellness, and spiritual communities, only to find healing and belonging in communities of peer support with people who had been through similar struggles.
Panelist
Al Galves, psychologist in Las Cruces, New Mexico, long-time member of the boards of MindFreedom International and the International Society for Ethical Psychology and Psychiatry (ISEPP).
Panelist
Voyce Hendrix, former House Manager and co-founder of the original Soteria House from the 1970’s, and co-author of Soteria: Through Madness to Deliverance.
Panelist
Jen Kilyon, chair of UK Soteria Network, helped set up a pilot Soteria House which ran successfully for a year in the UK. She is now supporting local UK Soteria Groups with a view to opening several Soteria Houses.
Panelist
Burt Mooney, a resident at the original Soteria which he says “was a blessing for me to have a safe environment to go thru through the changes that I experienced with the staff there who were with me.” Burt later went to college at San Jose City College and had a successful 35-year career in Laser Measurement.
Panelist
Susan Musante, founding director of Soteria-Alaska and first full-time director of CHOICES, an alternative to conventional community mental health services directed and provided primarily by people who themselves have a “lived experience” with recovery.
Panelist
Morgan Pelot, former staff at 2nd Story Peer Respite, currently Research Program Manager for Live & Learn, Inc., leading the Peer Respite Essential Features survey and the Certified Peer Specialist Career OUTComes Study.
Day 3 — the Administrative Container Workshop
Time: Sunday, October 17, 2021 at 4:00pm – 7:00pm UTC (9:00am PDT / 12:00pm EDT / 5:00pm BST / 7:00pm IDT)
See a sneak preview of the day’s events by clicking here!
Recording of day 3 available here.
Agenda
- Organizational structure, incorporation, board of directors
- Funding peer respite and Soteria projects
- Policy environments and impacts
- The house, siting, NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard), and community relations
Speakers
Moderator
Jen Kilyon, chair of UK Soteria Network, helped set up a pilot Soteria House which ran successfully for a year in the UK. She is now supporting local UK Soteria Groups with a view to opening several Soteria Houses.
Panelist
Joleen Darby, internal leader of People USA, whose four New York Rose Houses have diverted people out of 25,000 psychiatric hospital days since 2001, when the first Rose House opened. People USA’s Rose Houses are short-term crisis respites that are home-like alternatives to hospital psychiatric emergency rooms and inpatient units, 100% operated by peers.
Panelist
Cindi Fisher, advocating from a parent’s perspective, Cindi has successfully fundraised to establish a culturally-sensitive alternative house.
Panelist
Jim Gottstein, co-founder of Soteria-Alaska, which operated from 2009 to 2015, founder and CEO of the Law Project for Psychiatric Rights (PsychRights), and author of The Zyprexa Papers.
Panelist
Maria Kavouras, manager of two Rose Houses serving three New York counties, multiple supportive housing programs, a mobile outreach team, and several programs designed to help individuals living at state psychiatric hospitals to transition directly back to community living. Maria is also a proud United States Marine Corps Veteran.
Panelist
Pesach Lichtenberg, former academic head of psychiatry at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, left the closed psychiatric ward he directed in order to set up Soteria homes in Israel.
Panelist
Susan Musante, founding director of Soteria-Alaska and first full-time director of CHOICES, an alternative to conventional community mental health services directed and provided primarily by people who themselves have a “lived experience” with recovery.
Panelist
Todd Noack, executive director of Life Connections Peer Recovery Services that has operated the only Iowa-based Peer Run Respite House in Iowa for the last three years.
Day 4 — the How-To Workshop
Time: Sunday, October 24, 2021 at 4:00pm – 7:00pm UTC (9:00am PDT / 12:00pm EDT / 5:00pm BST / 7:00pm IDT)
See a sneak preview of the day’s events by clicking here or see the flyer by clicking here!
Recording of day 4 available here.
Agenda
- ‘Being with’ instead of ‘doing to’ or ‘fixing’
- Choosing and training staff
- Getting the word out to potential guests
- Dealing with challenging situations
Speakers
Moderator
Stan Rossowski, a person with lived experience of mental and emotional distress living in recovery from disorder and dysfunction, who uses that experience to support others seeking recovery and a life worth living.
Panelist
Adrian Bernard, found the community he spent his life searching for in Santa Cruz, California, at the Peer Respite House 2nd Story. He has walked with people toward healing for over 10 years and continued for the past 7 as manager.
Panelist
Huguette Beyens, art psychotherapist and founder of House Poustinia and The Chain of Life, a non-profit organization in Belgium; member of the workgroup Soteria Flandres, Belgium and ISPS.
Panelist
Avraham Friedlander, co-founder of Soteria Houses in Israel, and researcher on alternatives to psychiatric hospitalization.
Panelist
Cindy Marty Hadge, prior guest at Afiya House Peer Respite, Intentional Peer Support, Lead Trainer HVN-USA and Wildflower Alliance. Cindy has found the meaning, purpose, and connection that she longed for and is transforming her tragedies into treasures by being healed when creating space for others to heal.
Panelist
Elke Haerick, companion in supporting recovery-oriented practices in Flanders, Belgium, member of Soteria Flanders workgroup, and co-coordinator of the training for people with lived experience in mental health.
Panelist
Sae Kim, proud immigrant and a queer woman of color, is a passionate believer in peer support and holistic approaches to wellness and healing. Sae used to oversee a peer run respite program and experienced firsthand the healing power of mutually supportive healing relationships.
Panelist
Dag Van Wetter, ‘Open Dialogue companion’ in Flanders, Belgium; working with others started El Camino Bekegem, a warm project on its way to becoming a Soteria house.
Day 5 — Where Do We Go from Here?
Time: Sunday, October 31, 2021 at 4:00pm – 7:00pm UTC (9:00am PDT / 12:00pm EDT / 4:00pm GMT / 6:00pm IST)
Recording of day 5 available here.
Planning groups:
- Group 1 — I Want to Start a Peer Respite or Soteria House (watch recording)
- Group 2 — I Want to Assist Others Who Want to Start a Peer Respite or Soteria House (watch recording)
- Group 6 — I Want to Use the Principles of Peer Respites or Soteria Houses in My Own Life or Work (watch recording)
Follow-Up Day — Joining Together to Create Change
Time: Sunday, December 5, 2021 at 5:00pm – 8:00pm UTC (9:00am PST / 12:00pm EST / 5:00pm GMT / 7:00pm IST)
This day was added to the schedule because of continued interest after the summit! It was open to any questions that may come up and flexible to what attendees were interested in.
Sign up to receive or give mentoring for starting a peer respite or Soteria House or using the principles in your own life or work.
Recording of the follow-up day available here.
Agenda
- Brief overview of the principles of “being with” people in peer respites and Soteria houses by Cindy Marty Hadge (Afiya Peer Respite, Massachusetts)
- Live dialogue of “being with” others in peer respites/Soteria houses or in our own life or work — with Cindi Fisher and Cindy Marty Hadge
- Live example of mentoring for developing peer respite/Soteria projects with:
- Susan Musante, from Soteria Alaska;
- Yana Jacobs, who developed the first peer respite in California;
- Gene Larkin, from the original Soterial house in San Diego;
- Cindy Marty Hadge, from the Afiya Peer Respite, Massachusetts;
- Kathy Laws, from the Ferns Peer Respite Council in Southeastern Pennsylvania; and
- Eamonn Flynn, coordinator of a group working to start a Soteria house in London, England.