News

March 5, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Marsha Wilson, Division Director
Center for Supported Living
Seven Counties Services, Inc.
mwilson@sevencounties.org
502-609-5855

Seven Counties Services “Sells Out” First Recovery Conference
More than 400 registered for event celebrating recovery from psychiatric disabilities

Louisville, KY, 03-05-2008 - With a capacity crowd of over 400 participants pre-registered, Seven Counties Services' Center for Supported Living Director Marsha Wilson is certain that she and her staff had a good idea. “Our hope was to create a forum to bring together consumers, family members and service providers to celebrate the role that each plays in creating a recovery environment throughout our region for persons with psychiatric disabilities,” Wilson says. “It is clear from the response we've received that we hit upon a celebration waiting to happen.”

The first annual Recovery Conference, presented by the Center for Supported Living, will convene on Friday, March 7th at Masterson's Restaurant. The conference will run from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Conference co-sponsors include NAMI-Louisville, QofL Pharmacy, Eli Lilly, Olmstead State Coalition, TEVA Pharmaceuticals and Bridgehaven.

Slated to present the keynote addresses are Dr. Frederick J. Frese and Dr. Penelope A. Frese of Akron, OH. Dr. Frederick Frese is a psychologist who served for fifteen years as Director of Psychology for one of Ohio's largest psychiatric hospitals. Thirty five years ago, while a young Marine Corps officer, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was in and out of mental hospitals for ten years. His successful recovery included earning degrees in international business management and psychology. Dr. Frese is presently the coordinator of the Summit County (OH) Recovery Project.

Dr. Penelope Frese is a long time activist in the field of mental health. Her current efforts include the Red Flag Program, a school-based adolescent depression awareness and intervention program for middle school students. She is a producer of behavioral health topic videos. She and her family have been featured on CNN, ABC's World News Tonight with Peter Jennings, in the Wall Street Journal and on PBS.

In addition to the Freses' presentation, the conference will feature a recovery story from a local individual and the presentation of two new awards. The Champion of Service in Recovery will honor a strong advocate who embraces the vision of recovery, reaches out to help others and develops opportunities for recovery through community leadership. The Champion of Life in Recovery will honor an individual who possesses an enthusiasm for recovery, exemplifies the positive spirit of recovery and takes initiative and is proactive in their own recovery, as well as encouraging and advocating for others in recovery. The award presentations will occur at approximately 3:45 p.m.

Local media representatives are invited to attend.

Seven Counties Services, Inc., a private, non-profit corporation, is the state-designated regional behavioral health center for Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, and Trimble counties of Kentucky. The mission of Seven Counties is to build healthy communities by helping individuals and families who are affected by mental illness, developmental disabilities, addictions and abuse realize their potential. Seven Counties is nationally recognized for its innovative and effective programming and fully accredited by the Joint Commission. The organization is the largest non-profit, non-hospital organization and one of the top forty employers in the Louisville metro area. More than 1,400 clinical and administrative staff members and 400 volunteers create and deliver quality services to approximately 32,000 persons each year. For more information, visit www.sevencounties.org.