Speakers Bureau

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 Purpose of the Vail Place Speakers Bureau:

To provide the community with information on mental illness and with resources to seek additional information or connect with service options.

Where presentations are provided:

In most community settings: work places; service organizations; schools; places of worship; etc.

Who are the presenters:

As appropriate to the particular presentation, they may include:

1. Program staff with broad experience with mental illness and specific expertise on workplace accommodations, housing support, and other issues
2. Consumers with a broad range of backgrounds
3. Family member of someone with mental illness

Presentation content:

We tailor presentations to specific needs, but typically the presentations may include:

1. Staff introduction
1. Basic facts on mental illness
2. Brief background on Vail Place, including the origin and need for community based support services
2. Member story
1. Personal perspective on onset and course of symptoms and illness
2. Impact on family and relationships in general
3. Impact on education and work
4. Achievements: treatment; recovery; successful community reintegration
3. Family member story
1. Impact on family life in dealing with mental illness
2. Diagnosis and treatment related information, including negotiating mental health system and accessing services
3. Suggested strategies and resources for families
4. Q & A
1. Opportunity for audience to engage presenters. Presenters will be ready with questions and strategies to guide and engage audience, if needed.

Length of presentations:

As requested, most commonly 15 minutes to one hour.

Sample of Support Materials:

• Fact sheet on mental illness (pdf 19Kb) – basic information and statistics
• Fact sheet on mental illness in the workplace (pdf 33Kb)
• Resource sheet (Word 52Kb) – local and online resources
• Information on Vail Place (pdf 82Kb)

Cost of Program:

Vail Place provides informational presentations at no cost as a community service to spread understanding about mental illness. We accept, when available, honoraria to help cover basic costs of materials and transportation.

 

For additional information contact:

Karen Irwin: ; 952.938.9622 ext. 29