Changing Our Consciousness

In The News

August 3, 2010

"Waging Dialogue" Forum to Present at APCS Conference

The WagingDialogue forum on Antisemitism and Islamophobia will present a panel discussing the forum process at the annual conference of the Association for the Psychoanalysis of Culture and Society, Oct 22-24, 2010, at Rutger's University. The panel is entitled "Antisemitism and Islamophobia: Can justice be found?" and the presenters are Ronald Abramson, M.D., Selma Duckler, and Alice Maher, M.D.

April 14, 2010

Dr. Lois Oppenheim and Sheryll Franko Receive NJ Governor's Council on Mental Health Stigma Ambassador Awards

It is with great pleasure that we announce that Dr. Lois Oppenheim and Sheryll Franko have each been named a recipient of the NJ Governor's Council on Mental Health Stigma Ambassador Awards in the category of Media and Entertainment.The reception will take place on May 18th at the NJ Forensic Science Technology Center in Hamilton, New Jersey.

Dr. Oppenheim serves as Co-Director of COC's Campaign "They Are Us" and is a creator of our documentary film, How To Touch A Hot Stove™. Sheryll Franko is an award-winning filmmaker and the director of How To Touch A Hot Stove™. The film is now in production.

February 1, 2010

Princeton Center for Leadership Training Completes Stage 1 of COC Model Curriculum

Alice Maher, M.D., Founder and Director of Changing Our Consciousness (COC), is pleased to announce that the Princeton Center for Leadership Training has completed Stage 1 in the process of developing, implementing and testing a model curriculum for our K-12 educational initiative, Emotional Imprint™.

Under the direction of PCLT President and CEO, Daniel Oscar, and Director Melissa Brand, Psy.D., the Center has generated a presentation for Dr. Maher to deliver as part of an effort to identify pilot schools in which to implement the initial iteration of an Emotional Imprint curriculum, as well as attract funding to finance the development and implementation of Emotional Imprint in schools. We plan to hold one or more events in 2010, to introduce our unique program to representatives from New York schools, as well as institutions and individuals such as community/after school centers, pediatricians and educational psychologists, and parent and student advocacy organizations. With funding in place and a commitment from two pilot schools, we plan to commence development, implementation and testing of a model curriculum by 2011.

The Princeton Center for Leadership Training (PCLT) is a non-profit organization with a 20-year record of developing strategies and programs that help young people succeed in school and in life. The distinctive feature of PCLT’s strategy has been to build the capacity of educators and parents to motivate and positively influence young people to assume leadership roles with their peers.

PCLT partners with schools and communities to implement the Center’s replicable and sustainable peer leadership and youth development models. The Center’s models annually reach tens of thousands of students and adults in more than 275 schools in New Jersey, 12 other states, and in South America and Asia. The programs operate successfully in public and private schools and in urban, rural, and suburban settings. In addition, PCLT partners with schools and communities to custom-design programs and trainings that address a school’s or organization’s specific educational needs. PCLT’s custom-designed work is currently focused in New Jersey and surrounding areas.

For more information on the Princeton Center for Leadership Training, please visit: www.princetonleadership.org.

October 18, 2009

COC Film Director Sheryll Franko honored with Voice Award

Sheryll Franko, independent filmmaker and director of our documentary feature How To Touch A Hot Stove™ has been honored with a 2009 Voice Award for her independent film, Crazy Enough To Care. At the 'red carpet' Hollywood ceremony, Franko's film received an Honorable Mention in the Documentary Category. Other honorees included the documentary Boy Interrupted, and episodes from television's The Mentalist, Law & Order SVU, and Greys Anatomy — good company!

The Voice Awards are sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and honor writers and producers who have given a voice to people with mental health problems by incorporating dignified, respectful, and accurate portrayals of these individuals into film and television productions.

Learn more about Sheryll Franko>>

October 4, 2009

How To Touch A Hot Stove™ Now in Production

Filming of our documentary feature, How To Touch A Hot Stove™, is underway. How To Touch A Hot Stove™ is a project of Campaign They Are Us, which advocates the de-stigmatization of mental illness through an understanding of feeling and thought process differences. Our watchword is "Don't Turn Away™!"

Against the backdrop of the legacy of Chestnut Lodge, a beacon for the psychodynamic treatment of severe mental illness, we filmed a compelling series of conversations in Rockville, Maryland, with Changing Our Consciousness Founder and Director, Dr Alice L Maher. Joining Dr Maher in an informal interview setting were Joanne Greenberg, author of the autobiographical novel I Never Promised You A Rose Garden, Warren Schwartz, Psy.D., Marilyn Charles, PhD, ABPP, and her daughter Devon King, PhD,Martin Cosgro, PhD, and Ann-Louise S. Silver, MD.

Accompanying Alice Maher was the creative team of C.O.C. Communications Director Susan Dansker, filmmaker Sheryll Franko and her assistant Vanessa Laine Montesano. Reflecting our vision of the film as an organic process of exploration and discovery, rather than simply the reporting of current thinking on the de-stigmatization of mental illness, the film-making team participated in the conversations from behind and in front of the camera.

Our thanks to The International Society for the Psychological Treatments of the Schizophrenias and Other Psychoses, U.S. Chapter, for its generosity in allowing us to film at their Tenth Annual Meeting venue. ISPS promotes the humane, comprehensive, and in-depth treatment of psychotic disorders, and reaches across the boundaries of the mental health professions to integrate a psycho-bio-social approach promoting secure attachment.

Click here to learn more about How To Touch A Hot Stove™>>

September 23, 2009

Dr. Elyn Saks Receives MacArthur "Genius" Grant

We congratulate our Advisory Board Member, Dr. Elyn Saks, on her selection as a 2009 MacArthur Foundation Fellow. Dr. Saks currently serves as Orrin B. Evans Professor of Law, Psychology, and Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law in Los Angeles. A noted legal scholar and mental health policy advocate, Dr. Saks is the author of The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness.

In announcing the 2009 awards, the MacArthur Foundation praised Dr Saks for "expanding the options for those suffering from severe mental illness through scholarship, practice, and policy informed by a life story that adds uncommon depth and insight."

January 28, 2009

Actor John Turturro Joins Campaign "They Are Us"

We are pleased to announce the participation of award-winning actor, John Turturro, as spokesperson for Campaign "They Are Us."

John Turturro has earned wide recognition for films ranging from Do the Right Thing in 1989 to The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3 In 2009, and the television series The Bronx is Burning in 2007. In 1991 Mr. Tururro won the award for Best Actor for his work in Barton Fink at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1995 he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role for Quiz Show.