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Event Archive | Shared Resources (General)

Experiences of Self-Help in the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Communities
STAR Center Teleconference, December 15, 2004, 7 pm EST

Download an audio file or read a complete transcript.

The conference call explored self-help and recovery from mental illness among individuals from various communities of sexual and gender orientation.

Teleconference Speakers:

• Steve Holochuck is a gay man who has been an organizer for self-help and social justice in both the consumer/survivor/ex-patient (C/S/X) and gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender (GLBT) movements since 1978. In 1983, he organized the GLBT caucus at the national C/S/X conference and has continued the work he began there on the local, regional, and national levels. He has been the Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health since 1993.
• Paula Lafferty is Founder and Executive Director of Hearts & Ears, Inc. Together with a group of like-minded individuals, in November 1998 Paula founded Hearts & Ears, Inc. for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals with mental illness. Now funded by the state of Maryland Mental Hygiene Administration, Hearts & Ears includes a drop-in center, three weekly support groups, an award-winning advocacy and education program, and a program matching individuals with group members for peer friendships.
• Traci Murry is a 56-year-old male to female transgender person who is living as a full-time female. Traci sits on the Greater Oregon Behavioral Health, Inc. Board; the Mental Health Association of Oregon Board; and the Northeast Oregon Housing and Urban Development Advisory Board. Traci was recently a presenter at the Alternatives Conference in 2004 in Denver, Colorado, about transgender issues.
• Melody Riefer is Director of the Office of Consumer Affairs for the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. Melody was the Founding Director of The Peer Project, a 100% consumer-run vocational training program in Atlanta, GA. She is a member of the United States Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association and serves on the advisory council of the National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse. Melody has a Bachelor in Social Work degree and is a self-identified person in recovery from serious mental illness.