Heart Forward Conversations from the Heart

Meet Georgette Darby in this interview. She is one remarkable woman who has endured so much and has emerged strong and resilient. Georgette has a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration with an emphasis in Criminal Justice from California State University at Dominguez Hills. She graduated in 1996. She also has an AA degree in Science, Computer Information Technology from Los Angeles Trade Tech College. She was awarded that degree in 1988. These are ac...

In this episode, we visit with two representatives from Fountain House in New York. Our primary intent was to provide a platform to share the results of a recent research report issued by Fountain House: Beyond Treatment: How Clubhouses for People Living with Serious Mental Illness Transform Lives and Save Money. This first of its kind analysis not only offers a fuller accounting of the fiscal and societal costs of untreated mental illness — looking beyond health care spendi...

In Part II of this interview with Adrian Berumen, an inmate at Calipatria State Prison, we track his journey from serving as an inmate Mental Health Assistant (MHA) at LA County Twin Towers to being sentenced to serve a 25-year to life sentence. Adrian’s story resonates with Heart Forward because his peer service, under the supervision of the LA Sheriff’s Department (LASD) and the LA County Correctional Health Services in LA County jail, exemplified the radical hospitality that und...

In this 2 -part interview with Adrian Berumen, an inmate at Calipatria State Prison, we track his journey from serving as an inmate Mental Health Assistant (MHA) at LA County Twin Towers to being sentenced to serve a 25-year to life sentence. Adrian’s story resonates with Heart Forward because his peer service, under the supervision of the LA Sheriff’s Department (LASD) and the LA County Correctional Health Services in LA County jail, exemplified the radical hospitality that ...

Dr. Deborah Pitts is a Professor of Clinical Occupational Therapy at the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. Her practice expertise includes community-based mental health and psychiatric rehabilitation, particularly in the permanent supportive housing (PSH) context, and the ‘lived experience’ of recovery for persons labeled with psychiatric disorders, in particular occupational engagement and psychosis. Her doctoral dissertation focused o...

This is Part Two of a conversation with Leila Towry and Aimery Thomas of The Future Organization (TFO) about their recent year-long research study into Los Angeles County ARFs and RCFEs. These are commonly referred to as “board and care” homes, but the researchers make a case that the community and regulators should intentionally move away from that labelling as we attempt to forge new policy in this space. The study was supported by an Initiative, involving the participation...

This is Part One of a two-part podcast interview.A long-awaited research study and report prepared by The Future Organization (TFO) helps to shine a light on an important, but fragile segment of our housing continuum for people with mental health conditions, many formerly homeless. Colloquially referred to as “board & care homes,” they are officially referred to as Adult Residential Facilities (ARFs) and Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFEs).Sponsored by Brilliant Corn...

Is involuntary psychiatric treatment a solution to the intertwined crises of untreated mental illness, homelessness, and addiction? In recent years, elected officials and advocates have sought to expand the use of conservatorships, a legal tool used to require someone deemed “gravely disabled" (e.g., unable to meet their needs for food, clothing, or shelter as a result of mental illness) to take medication and/or be placed in a facility (often locked) under the care of a guardian for a ...

What we do each day and how we define ourselves to others is critical to our identify and sense of self worth. In this interview, we will explore the importance of identity as a foundational component of mental health recovery. For those who are involved in designing social enterprise businesses, or creating more pathways to employment for people living with a mental illness in their community, this interview will provide ideas and inspiration.Paul Barry has had a distinguished ca...

This interview with an amazing couple – Rhoda and Gochin – who have operated a small family-style board and care home in the San Fernando Valley (Los Angeles) for the last 22 years, will leave you feeling anxious at the end. And that is the objective: to stimulate not just a sense of urgency, but emergency, to protect precious beds that provide homes for people living with mental illness in our city, in the county, in the state of California. In this interview, we ...