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National Coalition of Mental Health
Consumer/Survivor Organizations

Statement of Purpose

       Mental health consumers/survivors are leading the transformation of the mental health field through our authentic voice and vision for self-directed recovery.  Our vision of recovery goes far beyond treatment, because it is about all the elements that go into good lives–housing, education, jobs, social relationships, and full participation in the community. Our vision was echoed in the New Freedom Mental Health Commission Report, which sees a “future when everyone with mental illness will recover.”       

Our national coalition of organizations representing people who are recovering or have recovered proposes a new consensus for the mental health field:

  • Recovery: Recovery is real and possible for everyone. To recover, we need services and supports that treat us with dignity, respect our rights, allow us to make choices, and provide assistance with our real-life, self-defined needs. This range of services must include consumer-run and -operated programs.
  • Self Determination: Self-determination is essential for recovery to occur. We need to be in control of our own lives.
  • Holistic Choices: We need choices that meet our self-defined needs. We need a wide range of recovery-oriented services and supports to assist us in achieving our goals. These include assistance with housing, education, and career development, all of which can be consumer-run. We need these opportunities to achieve full integration into the community.
  • Voice: We must have a voice in our recovery and in the policies facilitating our recovery. We are the most authentic voice in the mental health system, since mental health decisions affect every aspect of our lives. We bring our lived experience, therefore, we must be central in any dialogues and decisions about mental health issues at all levels. This is empowerment.
  • Personhood: We are whole human beings and will campaign to remove stigma and discrimination. We have the same dreams as all members of the community and the ability to make our own decisions.. A barrier-free community is one free from discrimination and stigma.

        We support the consensus statement on recovery endorsed by the Federal Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/sma05-4129/). In the emerging field of “evidence-based practice,” we know from our full range of lived experiences what works because WE ARE THE EVIDENCE!

For more information please send email to: info@ncmhcso.org