Understanding Extreme States and Psychiatric Diagnosis: A Process Work Approach 

Saturday, February 4th 10am - 4:30 pm
Process Work Institute 2049 NW Hoyt St. Portland, Oregon

Taught by Will Hall MA, Dipl PW and Myriam Rahman MA, Dipl PW

$60; ($50 before Jan 20th) (please contact myriamrahman@gmail.com regarding scholarships) Space limited. Pre-registration recommended. Please contact portlandhearingvoices@gmail.com to register. CEU's available for this event. 

Sponsored by Portland Hearing Voices www.portlandhearingvoices.net, Mental Health Association of Portland, and and National Association of Social Workers - Oregon Chapter, Mental Health Network.

Is there meaning in madness? Is there potential growth in the distressing experiences labeled psychosis, bipolar, and schizophrenia?

This workshop will bring light to how the human mind is far more mysterious than a label or a diagnosis could ever encompass. We will discover the gifts of sensitivity, creativity, and spirituality that are intertwined with what gets called a disorder, and explore together the many ways for individuals who experience extreme states to live beyond the confines of a medical diagnosis.

Process Work skills allow us to approach extreme states as meaningful communication that reveals unique pathways for individual growth and social change. How can we engage with extreme states when they pose difficult and sometimes life-threatening challenges, including hospitalization; diagnosis; medication; and an identity of being ill? Using discussion, demonstrations, and experiential exercises, this workshop will provide an introduction to a Process Oriented way to live and work with the meaning behind bipolar, schizophrenia, psychosis, and other extreme states of consciousness.

Everyone is invited to this in introductory and inclusive workshop: those interested in Process Work, people with diagnosis and/or extreme states, anyone taking or not taking medications, professionals, family members, and the community are all welcome.

About the co-teachers: Will Hall and Myriam Rahman offer a unique personal perspective on Process Work and psychiatric diagnosis from their own experience with hospitalization, diagnosis, and medication.

Will Hall, MA, DiplPW, is a Portland based therapist and facilitator who has recovered from a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Director of Portland Hearing Voices, Will also hosts Madness Radio on KBOO and teaches internationally on new approaches to madness and extreme states. www.willhall.net.

Myriam Rahman, MA, Dipl PW works with individuals, couples and families in her Portland, Oregon private therapy practice. She teaches internationally and is a trainer and consultant for Portland Hearing Voices. Myriam is a survivor of a diagnosis of bipolar disorder w/ psychosis and uses her experience of recovery in her work as a therapist and facilitator.

About Portland Hearing Voices: Founded by schizophrenia survivor Will Hall, Portland Hearing Voices organizes support groups, educational events, training, and counseling resources for people who experience voices, extreme states, visions, and different realities often labeled as psychosis, bipolar, and schizophrenia. (Fiscally sponsored by Mental Health Association of Portland.) www.portlandhearingvoices.net