'Conversations' Event Comes to Institute
The American Psychiatric Foundation's first “Conversations” event at the Institute on Psychiatric Services last year in New Orleans was such a success that it is hosting a similar event at this year's institute in Chicago. The institute will be held from October 5 to 8.
Terrie Williams is the co-founder of the Stay Strong Foundation, whose mission is to promote the well-being of youth and support their educational and professional development through programs and events.
Credit: Damaso Reyes
Unlike the special event at the 2007 institute—which featured New Orleans musicians who performed and shared their experiences in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina—this year's event will follow the format of the popular “Conversations” event held each year at APA's annual meeting. That format features an interview by a psychiatrist with a well-known person who has gone public with his or her experiences with mental illness.
The person who will be interviewed this year at the institute is Terrie Williams, president of the Terrie Williams Agency for public relations and communications. Through the years, her agency has handled such clients as Miles Davis, Eddie Murphy, Time Warner, and HBO, but she is also well known for her work as an author, lecturer, executive coach, social worker, and community activist, especially for youth and people with depression.
“Conversations” will be held on Saturday, October 4, from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Red Lacquer Room on the 4th floor of the Palmer House Hilton. Williams will be interviewed by the immediate past president of the American Psychiatric Foundation, Altha Stewart, M.D.
Williams, who was diagnosed with depression in 2004, is the author of the recently published book Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We're Not Hurting.
Black Pain identifies the emotional pain that deeply affects the black experience as the root of lashing out through desperate acts of crime, violence, drug and alcohol abuse, eating disorders, workaholism, and addiction to shopping, gambling, and sex. In Black Pain, Williams not only shares her personal experiences with depression, but also provides insights from mental health professionals to offer solutions.
In addition to the interview, the event will include a poster session by the foundation's Helping Hands Grant recipients. The Helping Hands Grant program is intended to raise awareness of mental illness and the importance of early recognition and builds interest among medical students in entering psychiatry and working in underserved communities.
The “Conversations” event is supported by AstraZeneca.▪
