Advocacy opportunities

Patients who have completed treatment at Rogers often want to explore ways to get involved in advocacy, anti-stigma activities, or share stories that may help others who could benefit from treatment. Submit your contact information below, and a member of the Rogers team may reach out to you to discuss how you want to get involved.

Please know that none of your personal information will be shared without your consent. If you decide to go forward in participating in an event or activity that involves more than simply sharing your statement below, you will be asked to sign additional disclosure forms. Rogers’ policy is to provide guidance and other safeguards to ensure that such participation is beneficial to our past patients as well as potential patients and the community at large. See the strategic decision-making section below. Participants must be age 18 or older. To respect the recovery process, Rogers does not engage patients in advocacy until at least six months following treatment. If you express interest, we will connect with you after that point.

I am interested in exploring the following advocacy opportunities: (Check all that apply.)

To the Rogers team

To patients and families

Your treatment at Rogers

Note that you can request at any point that content be removed from our website or social media channels by notifying Rogers via email at Media@rogersbh.org or mailing Marketing at Rogers Behavioral Health, 34700 Valley Road, Oconomowoc, WI 53066.


Making a strategic decision: should I talk about my mental illness and recovery?

Talking about your mental illness should, first and foremost, support your healing and recovery. While many reach a point in their recovery when they have a strong desire to stop keeping their mental illness a secret and/or assist others by sharing what they have learned, it is always important to consider any consequences of sharing your story. For some, the benefits outweigh the potential risks and they decide to talk about their mental illness with their family, their friends, at their workplace and/or other settings. Some choose to participate in opportunities to tell their story publicly to further the mission of reducing stigma.

Before you talk about your mental illness and experiences of recovery, consider the potential short-term benefits and risks and the long-term benefits and risks of sharing your personal information. Sometimes people overestimate the negative reactions of others and discover that people are more supportive than expected and even begin to share their own experiences. Some people underestimate the risks and are surprised when someone they know says something negative about the choice to talk or even puts them down for having a mental illness. It is difficult to predict how others will react and how you will feel about your decision in the future. Hearing your story could both negatively and positively impact friendships, job opportunities and other relationships. Careful consideration needs to be given to this decision.

The setting for the conversation, the people you choose to talk with and what you choose to share are all parts of the decision. Some people find it very freeing to stop hiding that aspect of who they are. They choose to talk about it openly and have decided not to let the risks stop them from getting the benefits. Others carefully walk a path of disclosure, one person and setting at a time. It is up to you. A workbook to help you make disclosure decisions can be found here.

 

 

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