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National Coalition of Mental Health
Consumer/Survivor Organizations

How the National Coalition was Formed

The National Coalition of Mental Health Consumer Survivor Organizations is built on the foundation laid by the courageous work of those who started the psychiatric survivor movement in the early 1970’s. These early leaders were inspired by the civil rights movement and by the example of many other oppressed people who were finding strength, courage and power by joining together to work for human rights. The visionary leaders of the consumer/survivor movement understood the only way to gain rights and independence was to come together and unite in a common cause. Meeting in churches, apartments and basements, they discovered the power of sharing our stories, of being heard and of being understood. Instead of the idea that we were eternally trapped in a dark future of a psychiatric label, they discovered we could shift into a vision of leading independent lives where we become authors rather than victims in our lives.

As a result of the example of this early leadership hundreds of self-help groups, consumer-run initiatives, and statewide consumer organizations have been formed all over the country. These groups have had some success in influencing policy and practices on the local level. Despite this, we have been unable to form a single, national organization, which could gain recognition and influence on a national level. In order to effect change on the grandest scale possible we need to have a united national consumer/survivor voice. Leaders of other national groups in Washington, D.C., elected officials, and the media have been searching for our united consumer voice. Without such a group to directly represent us, family groups or organizations of providers have been speaking for us. We have protested this trend to have other groups speak for us. We have proclaimed, “Nothing about us without us.” Yet we have not organized ourselves into a common voice to carry out this goal.

Several attempts have been made to form a national organization, but the time was not right. After the first Alternatives Conference for mental health consumer/survivors in 1985, two national groups were formed. One identified with consumers and the other with survivors. We were not ready to look beyond our differences to the greater struggles we share and our internal conflict led to our demise. In the late 1990’s a national summit was held in Oregon, which developed planks, but we were unable to grow the organization to carry out these initiatives.

It is now a new beginning for the consumer/survivor movement. We are uniting nationally, consumers and survivors, as never before. It seems our movement has gained the experience, wisdom and maturity to realize that the time to unite is urgently at hand. In May 2006, The National Empowerment Center (NEC) received a grant from the Public Welfare Foundation to organize a national consumer/survivor group. NEC began sponsoring a series of teleconferences with representatives of major consumer/survivor groups from 28 states and the three national TA Centers (CONTAC, Self-help Clearinghouse and NEC). This group crafted a mission, a statement of purpose and formed a 9 member steering committee, whose bios are on our website, www.ncmhcso.org. The steering committee hired a Director of Public Policy, Lauren Spiro, who has office space in the Consumer Action Network of DC.

A criteria for membership was developed:

  1. The group be genuinely consumer/survivor run.
  2. The organization be involved with consumer/survivors statewide or in a significant region.
  3. The organization’s board approve of the mission and statement of purpose of the coalition.

The coalition plans to assist states that do not yet have a statewide consumer/survivor group to form one. We are developing an action agenda to prioritize our efforts in the coming year. Thus, has begun the formation of a national coalition whose time has come. We have within our reach the ability to find the common ground of what unites us rather than those issues that divide us. This coalition provides the vehicle for having a united consumer/survivor voice that can impact decisions on policy, funding, services and more. Join us in celebrating and growing this organization.