Links to organizations providing useful information

We list here links to organizations and individuals whose affiliation we value. We consider the information available on these web sites reliable and useful.

Office of Mental Health/Mental Retardation of Erie County, Pa: We administer the County Mental Health and Mental Retardation Program and assure that all necessary mental health and mental retardation services are available to the citizens of Erie County.
American Association of Suicidology: We are dedicated to the understanding and prevention of suicide. Are you or someone you love at risk of suicide? Get the facts and take appropriate action. Be aware of the warning signs.
Best Practice Guidelines for Consumer-Delivered Services: Mark Salzer and Mental Health Associatin of Southeastern PA Best Practices Team Wrote These Guidelines
Boston University's Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, Spring, 2004: Phyllis Solomon authored "Peer Support/Peer Provided Services Underlying Processes, Benefits, and Critical Ingredients"
Childrens News: This children's news site is a product of the Mental Health Association in Pennsylvania (MHAPA) and its partners across the state. Our goal is to provide information on children's mental health issues in Pennsylvania - advocacy efforts, events, policy, etc.
Consumer Driven Services Directory: The CMHS-supported National Mental Health Consumer Self-Help Clearinghouse has developed a directory of consumer-driven services.
Council of State Governments: Council of State Governments Mental Health Tool Kit - Fostering Recovery through State Action
Education Law Center: For thirty years, the Education Law Center (Phone: 412-258-2120) has worked to make good public education a reality for Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable students –poor children, children of color, kids with disabilities, English language learners, children in foster homes and institutions, and others.
Erie County Department of Health: Mission Statement: The goal of the HIV/AIDS Education & Training Program is to provide accurate up-to-date education to raise the level of awareness in order to prevent the spread of HIV infection.
The Erie County Department of Health promotes abstinence as the only sure way to prevent HIV infection.
Erie KIDS: Erie KIDS (Knowledge Involvement Discipline Support) is a program dedicated to teaching others about child psychology and how to care for the emotions of children.
Healthy Minds. Healthy Lives: American Psychiatric Association, consumer-oriented Web site that seeks to inform and educate the public about mental health treatment and resources. HealthyMinds.org should be a source for providing understanding and hope for anyone seeking information on their mental health.
Hope to Healing: Sharing the Hope, Sharing the Healing of Mental Illness Recovery
The Institute for Recovery and Community Integration: The Institute for Recovery and Community Integration offers a number of dynamic training packages geared toward personal recovery, the development of peer support, community integration and systems transformation.
Mercy Center for Women (MCW): We provide long term (up to 1 year) transitional housing and support services to homeless women with or without children. We provide many services for women including personal development.
Mental Health Association in Pennsylvania: The Mental Health Association in Pennsylvania works on behalf of mental health through advocacy, education and public policy.
Mental Health Recovery: What Helps and What Hinders: A National Research Project for the Development of Recovery Facilitating System Performance Indicators, October 2002
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Erie County: A non-profit, grass roots organization made up of family members of those with mental illness, mental health professionals, and consumers of mental health services. Our mission is to promote the quality of life of persons with serious mental illness and their families through support, advocacy, education and outreach.
Mental Health America: Mental Health America is the country’s oldest and largest nonprofit organization addressing all aspects of mental health and mental illness - working to improve the mental health of all Americans, especially the 54 million individuals with mental disorders, through advocacy, education, research and service.
Mental Health Short Stories: This site is an outlet for people with mental illness to share their stories with others about their lives before and after the onset of mental illness.
National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors: Many different reports including the survey "Mental Health Transformation Survey, April 1, 2005"
National Center for Learning Disabiliities: The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) works to ensure that the nation's 15 million children, adolescents and adults with learning disabilities have every opportunity to succeed in school, work and life.
National Coalition of Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Organizations: The National Coalition of Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Organizations (NCMHCSO) will ensure that consumer/survivors have a major voice in the development and implementation of health care, mental health, and social policies at the state and national levels, empowering people to recover and lead a full life in the community.
Northwestern Legal Services: Northwestern Legal Services is a private non-profit corporation dedicated to providing free legal representation to low income people with civil legal problems. Client eligibility is based on the type of case involved and financial and asset guidelines.
The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services: The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (1-877-356-5355)offers a wide variety of drug and alcohol services available to children and adults in conjunction with the Health Department’s Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Programs (BDAP). This line is a general information and referral line for people seeking information on mental health and subvstance abuse services in Pennsylvania.
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.
Parenting with a Mental Illness: Programs and Resources Guide: The UPenn Collaborative on Community Integration has published this coprehensive resource to help parents, providers, and advocates find information about programs in their area.
Partnetship for Prescription Assistance Pennsylvania: PPARxPA is a program that connects qualified, low-income people with discounted prescription drugs, direct from the pharmaceutical manufacturer.
www.psychi.uic.edu: Peer Outcomes Protocol Project
Pennsylvania Department of Education: The mission of the Pennsylvania Department of Education is to assist the General Assembly, the Governor, the Secretary of Education and Pennsylvania educators in providing for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of education.
Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers' Association (PMHCA): A statewide membership organization representative of the individual and collective expression of people who are or have been recipients of mental health services.
Pennsylvania Training and Tecnhical Assistance Network: The mission of Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) is to support the efforts and initiatives of the Bureau of Special Education, and to build the capacity of local educational agencies to serve students who receive special education services.
Peer Specialist Alliance of America: Peer Specialist Alliance of America (PSAA),a new national trade association, promotes the emerging profession of Certified Peer Specialist.
Senior Resource Alliance of Northwestern Pennsylvania: Your Certified Senior Advisor expert in Northwestern Pennsylvania. Our mission is to be a beneficial source of a wide range of ethical, competent and trusted solutions for seniors.
Stairways Behavioral Health: Stairways offers mental illness treatment and other services, including residential facilities, to children and adults who are mentally ill in Erie Pennsylvania. Treating brain diseases such as depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Stop Anxiety Symptoms.com: This site is intended to help fellow sufferers become independent. The author shares things she has learned and things that have worked for her.
Stop Stigma associated with Mental Illness: SAMHSA's Resource Center to Address Discrimination & Stigma Associated with Mental Illness (ADS Center)
Wrights Law: At Wrightslaw, our mission is to provide parents, advocates, educators, and attorneys with accurate, up-to-date information about special education law and advocacy so they can be effective catalysts.
PA Mental Health Consumers Association: PMHCA is a statewide membership organization representative of the individual and collective expression of people who have recovered or are recovering from mental illness. Our purpose is to promote and support recovery through advocacy and education to eliminate stigma and discrimination.
PA Department of Public Welfare: Provides information about services for low-income Pennsylvanians, services for Pennsylvanians with disabilities, services for children in Pennsylvania, services for families in Pennsylvania. It also provides news and media updates.
PA House of Representatives: This site enables users to keep up-to-date on current happenings including legislation dealing with the mental health field.
PA Senate: This site enables users to keep up-to-date on current happenings including legislation dealing with the mental health field.
National Coalition of Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Organizations: The NCMHSCO will ensure that consumers/survivors have a major voice in the development and implementation of health care, mental health and social policies at the state and national levels, empowering people to recover and lead a full life in the community.
The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law: The mission of the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law is to protect and advance the rights of adults and children who have mental disabilities. The Center envisions an America where people who have mental illnesses or developmental disabilities exercise their own life choices and have access to the resources that enable them to participate fully in their communities.
Psychologists at Law Group: This Group is a treatment advocacy center that provides expert evidence and opinions in adult and youth criminal cases, adult and children personal injury, mental capacity for civil proceedings and Children Act & Family proceedings.
Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania: The DRN is a statewide, non-profit corporation designated as the federally-mandated organization to advance and protect the civil rights of adults and children with disabilities.
PA Health Law Project: PHLP is a nationally recognized expert and consultant on access to health care for low-income consumers, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. For more than two decades, PHLP has engaged in direct advocacy on behalf of individual consumers while working on the kinds of health policy changes that promise the most to the Pennsylvanians in greatest need.
www.dbsalliance.org - The National Depressive Manic Depressive Association/The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance: DBSA is the leading patient-directed national organization focusing on the most prevalent mental illnesses. DBSA supports research to promote more timely diagnosis, develop more effective and tolerable treatments and discover a cure. The organization works to ensure that people living with mood disorders are treated equitably.
The National Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Center: NCSTAC’s purpose is to strengthen consumer organizations by providing technical assistance in the form of research, informational materials and financial aid.
Americans with Disabilities Act: The ADA website provides a plethora of information ranging from ADA design standards to an information line to new or proposed regulations.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: SAMSHA 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. SAMSHA is gearing all of its resources toward that outcome.
The National Institute of Mental Health: NIMH’s mission is to reduce the burden of mental and behavioral disorders through research on mind, brain and behavior. Our goal is to generate research that will transform prevention of and recovery from mental disorders.
DearShrink.com: The mission of DearShrink is to provide you with easily accessible, authoritative information and assistance from an award-winning psychiatrist and writer.
Suicide Prevention Action Network USA: SPAN USA is dedicated to preventing suicide through public education and awareness, community engagement and federal, state and local grassroots advocacy. By empowering those who have been touched by suicide, SPAN USA seeks to advance the implementation of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention.
Suicide Prevention Resource Center: SPRC promotes the implementation of the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention and enhances the nation’s mental health infrastructure by providing states, government agencies, private organizations, colleges and universities and suicide survivor and mental health consumer groups with access to the science and experience that can support their efforts to develop programs, implement interventions and promote policies to prevent suicide.
American Civil Liberties Union: The mission of the ACLU is to preserve all of the Constitution’s protections and guarantees.
Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: CHADD improves the lives of people affected by AD/HD.
US Senate: Provides information on senators, committees, legislation and records, art and history and a visitors’ page, etc.
US House of Representatives: Provides legislative resources including but not limited to the 2007 calendar, accessing the laws of the United States, finding bills, amendments or debates, etc.
Equal Employment Opportunities Commission: The five-member commission makes equal employment opportunity policy and approves most litigation. This site also provides information on discrimination by type; laws, regulations and guidance; filing a charge of discrimination, statistics, etc.
National Association of Peer Specialists: The mission of NAPS is to further promote the interests of our organization and our members to the community. We strive to make a difference by educating the public and expanding our reach.
Willard State Hospital Suitcase Project: The Willard Psychiatric Center Traveling Exhibit: 'The Willard Suitcases, Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic'