For the Tennessee Mental Health Consumers' Association, 2009 was a banner year. The Nashville-based organization — owned and operated solely by individuals who have been or who are still consumers of mental health services — opened three new Middle Tennessee locations this year, offering a variety of services to help people with mental illness stay on the road to recovery.

 

"We really believe in consumer entitlement and consumer rights, and that's our number one priority," said Anthony Fox, TMHCA's executive director. "We have proof that there is recovery … not necessarily healing … but recovery from mental illness, meaning that we work, and we live a mental illness, and we're all successful people." Fox openly acknowledges that he has been in psychiatric hospital inpatient treatment three times, and said, "There aren't that many CEOs who can share that experience with their members."

 

In addition to TMHCA's busy Nashville location, the Dickson site opened in January, followed by a new Columbia site in March in partnership with the Mental Health Cooperative. The cooperative is also a TMHCA partner in the new Murfreesboro location, which began receiving referrals last month.

 

Founded in 1988, TMHCA refers to itself as a grassroots organization. Fox said the consumer advocacy mission was an offshoot of the civil rights movements of the 1960s and '70s, yet the association's evolution is unique among similar organizations in other states. According to Connie Levenhagen, associate director overseeing program operations, TMHCA's mission has grown from an advocacy and education group to also providing Medicaid services through TennCare's managed care companies. TMHCA is also unique because, while similar organizations in other states are perhaps 51 percent staffed by mental health consumers, the Tennessee association's board of directors and staff are 100 percent consumers. "That does give us somewhat of an edge," Levenhagen said.

 

While Fox acknowledged that financing is tight, he said TMHCA offers a variety of counseling and treatment services with regional managers coordinating care and programming. Fox added the association is working to spread the word about its services to physicians statewide, and the number of physician referrals is increasing. Over the last three years, the number of individuals served by TMHCA has averaged 7,000 annually, and the Nashville office alone fields 300 to 400 advocacy calls a month.

 

Much of TMHCA's work focuses on the psychosocial rehabilitation of those with mental illness, helping them lead fulfilling and productive lives. Programs include:

Founded in 1995, BRIDGES — Building Recovery and Individual Dreams and Goals through Education and Support — has been implemented in communities across Tennessee. In fact, more than 4,000 individuals take part in BRIDGES annually. It's a self-help program in two parts: courses on recovery taught by mental health consumers and support groups facilitated by mental health consumers. "It's an evidence-based curriculum," explained Fox, who traveled to England to present the successful program to mental health professionals in Great Britain.

 

WRAP, another recovery tool for people with psychiatric symptoms, is designed to decrease and prevent intrusive or troubling feelings and behaviors.

 

WRAP helps its participants — some of whom are recovering from crisis — set life goals, and the program focuses on personal empowerment.

 

The illness management and recovery program goes a step further to include weekly sessions either for individuals or groups. Generally lasting three-to-six months, the sessions' practitioners work collaboratively with participants to outline action strategies for their everyday lives. For participants ready for a job, the supported employment program is a well-defined approach staffed by employment specialists.

 

At the heart of TMHCA is peer counseling by those who empathize, not just sympathize. Most peer counseling is short term, and training for these counselors is offered annually.

 

Finally, TMHCA coordinates a network of advocates to speak up for the rights of those with mental illness and to help consumers and their families access services across the state.

 

In Memphis, TMHCA operates the Peer Center, and the Beers Van Gogh Center of Excellence, with 10 single-room occupancy units for the chronically homeless, is under construction. This month, TMHCA also opened a Jackson location.