On Wednesday, August 24, Talk Therapy TV will travel to Paramount Studios in Hollywood to join the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in presenting the Voice Awards.  These awards honor consumer/peer leaders in recovery from mental and substance use disorders who have successfully advocated for the rights of trauma survivors and promoted the importance of trauma-informed care, as well as the writers and producers of entertainment programming that highlights stories of resilience, courage, and recovery. We’ll celebrate Voice Award-winning individuals, community leaders, and productions that include "The Fighter," "The King’s Speech," “Glee,” “Harry’s Law,” “Private Practice,” and “Treme.”

Talk Therapy TV is proud to be a Program Partner in the Voice Awards and congratulates all of this year's awardees on a job well done.

Check it out! Talk Therapy TV is one of 5 featured items on the National Recovery Month website. 
National Recovery Month is a national initiative of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) that promotes the idea that recovery from mental illness and substance use disorders is a real and achievable goal.  Talk Therapy TV is a Recovery Month Planning Partner.

May 3, 2011 is National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day.
Throughout the country, organizations, groups and individuals are spreading awareness about the importance of children's mental health.
Caring for Every Child's Mental Health

Talk Therapy TV is participating by distributing special edition grocery receipt Quick Facts providing facts about children''s mental health.

The national event in Washington, DC, will open with an art exhibit sponsored by the American Art Therapy Association at the prestigious Shakespeare Theatre-Harman Center for the Arts and continue with a tribute to youth who dealt with trauma in their childhood and who built on their resilience. A joint award from the Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts will be presented to a celebrity who experienced trauma, who demonstrated resilience, and who used his or her fame as a platform to educate others about trauma and resilience.
Watch the live webcast of this event here.

When exposed to a traumatic event, children as young as 18 months can have serious emotional and behavioral problems later in childhood and in adulthood. More than 35 percent of children exposed to a single traumatic event will develop serious mental health problems.

With help from families, providers, and the community, young children can demonstrate resilience when dealing with trauma. Visit http://1.usa.gov/eURFX5 to learn more.

Among even very young children, ages 18 to 36 months, exposure to potentially traumatic events is associated with a range of socio-emotional and behavioral problems that may compromise healthy development and place them at risk for persistent serious psychological problems later in childhood and in adulthood.1 More than 35 percent of children exposed to a single traumatic event will develop a serious mental health problem.2

Research has shown that caregivers can buffer the impact of trauma and promote better outcomes for children even under stressful times when the following Strengthening Families Protective Factors3 are present:

• Parental resilience
• Social connections
• Knowledge of parenting and child development
• Concrete support in times of need
• Social and emotional competence of children

During May, we will continue to broadcast Road to Recovery episodes in partnership with the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  We will be airing "Ignoring Instructions: The Importance of Using Prescription and Over-the-Counter Medications Properly" and "Recovery at Any Age: Young People Can and Do Recover". 

Recovery Month 2011 takes place in September, but the preparations get underway much earlier.  Are you planning an event for Recovery Month?  Do you want to stay up to date on all the goings on?  Visit www.recoverymonth.gov for all that and much more.

About Recovery Month
Recovery Month promotes the societal benefits of treatment for substance use disorders and mental health problems, celebrates people in recovery, lauds the contributions of treatment providers, and promotes the message that recovery in all its forms is possible.  Recovery Month spreads the positive message that behavioral health is essential to overall health, that prevention works, treatment is effective and people can and do recover.

Talk Therapy TV is a Planning Partner of the National Recovery Month. 

We are excited to announce that we will be partnering with SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) in broadcasting the Road to Recovery television series.
The TV series is produced by SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment and promotes recovery from substance use disorders.  The show features national experts on topics ranging from prevention, to recovery support, to the impact of health care reform on behavioral health services.
Throughout April we will be broadcasting a selection of the Road to Recovery episodes beginning with an episode about the language we use when talking about behavioral health problems.

Voice Award nominations are open for consumers/peer leaders and TV film writers/producers that have raised awareness and understanding of behavioral health problems.  We encourage advocates and consumers alike to learn more about the nomination process.  Nominations close on Friday, April 29, 2011 and the Voice Awards ceremony will take place in Hollywood on Wednesday, August 24, 2011.  To learn more or to nominate yourself or someone you know click here.

About the Voice Awards
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and Center for Mental Health Services, the Voice Awards honor consumer/peer leaders who have played a vital role in raising both awareness and understanding of behavioral health (mental health and/or addiction issues) and promoted the social inclusion of individuals with behavioral health problems. Through their exemplary leadership and advocacy, they demonstrate that recovery is real and that individuals with behavioral health problems are valuable, contributing members of their schools, workplaces, and communities.

The awards also recognize TV and film writers and producers who have given a voice to individuals with behavioral health problems by incorporating dignified, respectful, and accurate portrayals of these individuals into their scripts, programs, and productions. These dedicated, insightful, and influential professionals have helped change how TV and film viewers understand and accept individuals with behavioral health problems.

Talk Therapy TV is a proud Program Partner in the Voice Awards.