RTV: Episode 4 Mental Health & Violence

RAISING THE VISIBILITY is Hope For Us Network’s newest digital education series exploring mental health care in the 21st century! Each episode is a Livestream broadcast that offers interactive education and discussion experience on The Network’s Twitch Channel.

EASON 1: Stimgas and our Institutions

We will be examining social and cultural factors that can create "blind spots" among professionals that lead to obstacles in identifying, validating, and servicing mental health challenges.

Together with voices representing lived experience, advocacy, clinicians, and professionals, we hope to have a comprehensive discussion identifying problems and seeking solutions!

Episode 4: Mental Health & Violence In America

America has a violence problem. The Stats are staggering, and it's wearying to repeat them—more than 200 mass shootings in 5 months. Uvalde is the 30th school shooting of the year. There are more numbers, and reading them can make anyone feel helpless and hopeless that the carnage will recede. America has a violence problem. Is it mental health? Is there any hope?

Episode 4 Community Panel

Chelsea Laliberte Barnes

Mary Blanchard

Vikki Webster

Peter Renwick

Chelsea Laliberte Barnes

Chelsea co-founded Live4Lali in 2009, which has a mission to reduce stigma and prevent substance use disorders among individuals, families, and communities, and minimize the overall health, legal and social harms associated with substance use. Live4Lali takes an innovative, comprehensive, and compassionate approach to helping people with substance use disorders, their loved ones, professionals, and communities. Through this work, Chelsea advises local, state and federal government entities regarding comprehensive community strategies to reduce stigma and overdose deaths, end the drug war and punishment-based strategies, enhance support and recovery opportunities, and decrease barriers to evidence-based, culturally competent care.

Mary Blanchard

Mary has been supporting mental health awareness since their family was directly impacted back in 2013. Her son experienced anxiety and depression his freshman and sophomore years of high school. Even having every resource available to support him she saw how stigma deepens vulnerability and isolation. Mary has co-hosted a community parent group called Raising A Resilient Child - in an effort to fight stigma and help parents step out of the children Olympics.

Peter Renwick

As an adopted Korean born child Peter was deeply impacted by his dynamic multiracial upbringing to go into education with a career focus on special education. Peter has been an ardent mental health advocate in the public education sector over the past ten years.

Vikki Webster Founder & Executive Director, Paul & Reginald Sewell Foundation. Vikki has been a passionate advocate for suicide prevention driven by the losses of her beloved brothers Paul and Reginald to suicide. She has worked to bring education, outreach, and combat stigma through her foundation and as a member of the Board of Directors for AFSP Illinois.