| Date: | Sat, 19 Aug 2000 09:30:50 -0700 (PDT) |
| To: | "MHOCCA List" <mhocca@egroups.com> |
| From: | "Client Activist" <accountability_caucus@yahoo.com> |
| Subject: | [MHOCCA] client bureaucracy |
| Cc: | "Silicon Valley Net" <svnet@egroups.com>, Steve Mayberg |
On Wednesday Aug. 16th we attended a meeting of the Humboldt County Mental Health Board. The featured presenter was Ed Diksa, Training Coordinator for CIMH (contract training provider for California DMH). He addressed (1) the regional ‘recovery’ training this fall in Eureka and (2) a forthcoming local MHB training he is to conduct. We were concerned about the way the client organizing process locally and statewide is being intruded upon by ‘client bureaucrats’. Those are people who are likely indifferently grounded in the local client activist milieu and collaborating with and/or directly employed by the local mental health system. By dint of effort/clarity this is something that may be done with integrity, however there is no ‘expectation’ of being accountable to the local clients. Reports of flagrant disrespect and incompetence are all too common, and there is not much ready recourse practically speaking. It really won’t do to challenge this in a personal way and come down individually on clients who are being divisive and incompetent like this. The ‘moral high ground’ demands that we raise this issue as a matter of principle and that we challenge the policy of DMH and the business of the California Network in promoting this system of privilege — at the level of program. Eventually Tom asked Ed to make ‘client bureaucracy’ a topic of the local MHB training. “Thud!” was the sound but there was support, including from some NAMI members. We could have made a stink about this issue and then been publicly castigated for our pains by Mr. Diksa as being ‘controversial’. We’re sorry to say this, but surely he figures that’s what we are about. :-( The fact however is that this reckless empowerment of people who are not held responsible for the hurt they may cause let alone the scores they may settle is a terrible toxicity. We who are the clients deserve respect based on the merits of our actions and this new ‘recovery’ world must be accountable to us. |
Tom Harkins
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