News

March 10, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Dean Johnson
Public Information Officer
DJohnson2@sevencounties.org
502-589-8615, ext. 1297 Office
502-439-9461 Cell

CSL Succeeds with First Celebrate Recovery! Conference
First Annual Mental Health Conference Survives the Weather

March 10, 2008 - Even the second largest snowfall ever recorded in March couldn't keep them away. Over 250 participants braved the weather (and the roads and sidewalks) to attend the first annual Celebrate Recovery Conference, presented by the Center for Supported Living, on Friday, March 7th at Masterson's Restaurant. Conference co-sponsors included NAMI-Louisville, QofL Pharmacy, Eli Lilly, Olmstead State Coalition, TEVA Pharmaceuticals, Bridgehaven and Our Lady of Peace.

Center for Supported Living Director Marsha Wilson was very pleased with the turnout and the program. “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. “From all we've seen and heard, I think we're off to a very good start.”

The keynote speakers were 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.

Two new awards, created for the conference, were presented. The Champion of Service in Recovery, honoring a strong advocate who embraces the vision of recovery, reaches out to help others and develops opportunities for recovery through community leadership, was presented to Phyllis Parker, Adult Branch Manager with the Division of Mental Health and Substance Abuse.

The Champion of Life in Recovery honoring a person 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 was presented to Charlie Merrill, a Wellspring Peer Support Counselor.

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.