New Directions ¦ About Us

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About Us

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Board members of New Directions Support Group, Inc. Annual Board Meeting on March 14, 2005, at Cafe La Fontana, Hatboro, PA.

Bottom row, L-R: Ruth Deming, MGPGP, Director, in recovery from bipolar disorder, also a family member; Laurel Hoffmann, fashion instructor Philadelphia University, http://www.LaurelHoffmann.com, family member; Freda Samuels, retired administrator Temple University Hospital, family member; Loran Beth Kundra, JD, research assistant, Center for Mental Health Policy and Services Research, University of PA School of Medicine, http://www.Upennrrtc.org, and also director of weekly Mood Disorder Group for Parents with Mood Disorders at Bryn Mawr (PA) Hospital, sponsored by http://www.DRADA.org; in recovery from bipolar disorder.

Back row: Edie Mannion, MFT. Family therapist. Director, TEC Family Center of the Southeastern Mental Health Association, Philadelphia; http://www.MHASP.org, type in “TEC.” Joseph V. Bondi, PhD, Retired scientist and executive from Merck Research; family member. Ada Moss Fleisher, MA,CCC/Sp., retired speech and language pathologist; in recovery from depression; Mark Salzer, PhD, Clinical psychologist, Director, UPENN Collaborative on Community Integration of Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities, http://www.Upennrrtc.org; Joe “The Prince of Corona” Quinones, CPA, JoQuin Associates, LLC, Warminster, PA.

Not shown: Lawrence DiBello, RPh. Retired Pharmacist. Family Resource Center, Friends Hospital, Philadelphia. John F. “Jack” Brent, DMD. Dentist. Member of Harleysville Rotary. Harleysville Dental Associates, Harleysville, PA 19438. Fellow of Academy of Dentistry. Richard D. Fleisher, DO. Radiologist. Lower Bucks Hospital, Bristol, PA. Pamela "The Singing Psychiatrist" London Barrett, DO. Psychiatrist/psychopharmacologist. Family Service Association, Langhorne, PA, http://www.familyserviceofbucks.com. Bernard H. Samuels, President of BHS, Inc., businessman, home remodeling, Warrington, PA. Professional Advisor: Francis J. McMahon, MD, Chief, Genetic Basis of Mood and Anxiety Disorders, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD. http://neuroscience.nih.gov/Lab.asp?Org_ID=495 and http://mapgenetics.nimh.nih.gov

OUR MISSION:
New Directions Support Group is a gathering of individuals and families with bipolar disorder and depression to facilitate healing through camaraderie and storytelling. Our goal is to help individuals reach their highest potential: to move beyond their diagnosis to lead meaningful, productive and joyous lives, even if that means changing our goals and our lifestyles to accommodate our illness. We help members participate in society to the fullest: through work, volunteerism, involvement in the community; and encourage our members to develop lasting and loving relationships. We are also committed to community education programs to instill education and dispel prejudice.

WHY SUPPORT GROUPS HELP:
The support group is a safe place for people to tell their story and be heard by people who understand. This is essential for healing to take place.

WHAT WE OFFER:
New Directions offers an opportunity for you to be a "whole person" rather than just a "person with a mental illness." We accomplish this through:

2 evening support groups per month
2 daytime meetings per month
regular social outings
lectures by experts
educational classes
referral to excellent doctors and therapists
and a spirited mental health quarterly, The Compass.

We also provide outreach to the community to educate the public on mood disorders, helping to instill education and dispel prejudice.

OUR PHILOSOPHY:
Mental illness is an obstacle, but is not insurmountable. Through diligent application of wellness techniques, progress can be achieved, even in the smallest steps.

AFFILIATIONS:
New Directions Support Group, Inc. is an independent non-profit organization. We are an independent affiliate of NAMI PA (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Pennsylvania Chapter) - the national DBSA (Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance) - member of the Abington (PA) Memorial Hospital Referral Network - and work in cooperation with the following organizations: Montgomery County (PA) Office of Mental Health; the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania (MHASP) - Active Minds on Campus, Inc. - and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

New Directions' Professional Advisors: Bipolar Disorder Genetics Project Staff
of NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health), Bethesda, MD.

Francis J. McMahon, MD, (front row, middle), Chief, Genetic Basis of Mood and
Anxiety Disorders
Leatha Chase-Jones, secretary to Dr. McMahon, front row, pink sweater, last one
on Left
Diane Kazuba, purple sweater - top row
Erin Snyder, long blond hair and red shirt – top row
Layla Kassem, PsyD, interviewer, taking the photo, not shown

http://neuroscience.nih.gov/Lab.asp?Org_ID=495
http://mapgenetics.nimh.nih.gov

Many of us at New Directions have participated in genetic studies to help find susceptible genes for bipolar disorder. We encourage our viewers to consider doing the same.

A MODEL SUPPORT GROUP
Since 1986, New Directions has done our best to be one of the model support groups in the nation, translating our members' needs into what services we can provide for them. We are proud of our reputation of responding to every single phone call that comes to us: within 24 hours. No phone call ever goes unanswered. We know the importance of this. People call us because they need us. And we are there for them.

We wish to thank the following New Directions' members who go beyond the call of duty to serve our members' needs: Ada Fleisher, Helen Kirschner, Laurel Hoffmann, Nick Breslin, and Bob Cuddy, members who are able to disclose their illness to the public.

Our support group has grown in our mission as we identify and target areas where we have the staff and capacity to reach out. Here is a broad picture of what we do:

THE SUPPORT GROUP:
As a fellowship of men and women struggling with mood disorders, our philosophy is to foster independence: to provide our members with a safe haven where they can move from the safe contained world of the "mental health community" - to which many of us retreat when our illness gets the best of us - into the larger world of the "community at large." In addition to the traditional "chat group," we move beyond this into social programs, leading our often shy or ill members into the community at large, under the safe awning of the support group. This allows the individual to become comfortable in the larger world. We also encourage our members to take on responsible jobs in our group, which contributes to their sense of importance and value. Jobs include telephone greeter, meeting greeter, room set-up, refreshment chairman, librarian. Such jobs, handsomely reinforced by group appreciation, bolster a person's morale, preparing them for eventual work re-entry.

OUR ROLE IN THE COMMUNITY:
Our role however doesn't stop with the group proper. All people live in a wider community with its owns values, cultures and prejudices. We take it upon ourselves to educate our community on mood disorders. The community is only too curious to listen, learn and become enlightened. To that purpose, we make every effort to give public talks about mood disorders: to civic organizations, church groups, adult evening schools and special presentations, such as our groundbreaking standing-room only talks at Upper Moreland Public Library.

Our message to the community is simple: Here is the good news about Mood Disorders. When our illness, like any other, is well managed, we are valuable members and leaders of the community.

OUTREACH TO THE PEOPLE WHO TREAT US:
We have a deep belief that by speaking to groups of doctors, nurses, and therapists, we are creating a more powerful healing network. The goal is to be partners in recovery.

SPEAKER MEETINGS:
Since education is a vital part of Recovery, we offer our group members the best speakers in the Philadelphia area on all aspects of mental health recovery. Our monthly guest speakers have included world-renowned genetic researchers Dr. Wade Berrettini and Dr. Douglas Levinson from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as Penn neuroscientist Dr. Ruben Gur, and the famous Dr. Laszlo Gyulai from Penn's Bipolar Center. Our well-rounded programs have also included art therapist John Sappington whose slide lecture on artists such as Goya, Michaelangelo and Van Gogh, illustrated the vibrancy of the artist's work coupled with the raging passions of their minds; and feng shui master Kevin Starbard discussing how the arrangement of our homes affects the clearness in our minds.

If you or your organization wish to speak at New Directions, feel free to contact our Speaker Director, Larry Kirschner, at 215-646-0266.

New Directions

Glenside, PA - Suburban Philadelphia Area

About Us