The Impact of the SCAO Updates (15 Min Video)
Empowering Parties with Mental Health Needs (Free Training)
MH Mediate and the Mental Health Safe Project are providing free trainings to Michigan mediators who were affected by the now-updated SCAO mental illness screening policies.
As the video above illustrates, approximately 400 SBM ADR Section members with mental illness and 15,000 parties were affected by these stigmatizing practices each year they were active, in addition to more people who internalized negative attitudes toward their loved ones with mental health problems.
To address this problem, we are providing free access to Empowering Parties with Mental Health Needs. This online program was approved to be provided to the Michigan Behavioral Health Mediation Services (MBHMS) mediators and, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Safety (MDHHS), it was received very well. Normally it costs $249/person but Michigan mediators who were operating under the now-updated SCAO code of conduct can access it for free using the coupon code “SCAO-ended-mental-illness-screening”
The program includes 4 hours of on-demand training including an introduction to mental health experiences and choices, guidance about empowering ways to talk about mental health, ways to notice and address discrimination, and strategies for responding to challenging behaviors without singling out parties with mental health problems.
Sign up free with the “SCAO-ended-mental-illness-screening” coupon code by clicking here
Bias-Resistant Courts (Free Resources)
MH Mediate has also developed BiasResistantCourts.org in collaboration with the CUNY Dispute Resolution Center, with funding from the American Arbitration Association – International Centre for Dispute Resolution (AAA-ICDR) Foundation. This website provides free training and 12 free one-page resources to help all court-connected professionals become trauma-informed and bias-resistant. Visit www.biasresistantcourts.org to access these resources.
Get Involved
SCAO took some great steps forward making updates to content that inadvertently discriminated against people with mental illness, and this work continues. If you would like to get involved to help the Mental Health Safe Project with this work, please contact us