Writing About Mental Health – A Bold Panel Discussion

San Diego Memoir Association Presents:
Writing About Mental Health – A Bold Panel Discussion on May 4, 2018

Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, PTSD. As a culture we are familiar with these terms but often we hide from discussing the impact that they have on a person or family. Struggling with mental illness is like having an invisible illness – very real for the person or family, yet others may have no awareness of its impact on your life. Furthermore, talking about mental health issues can be highly stigmatizing. Join three bold, powerful writers who are tackling the myths, misconceptions and falsehoods while they bravely share their own truths or providing paths to healing. This is a do-not-miss panel.

Moderator: Dr. Gina Simmons
Writer, psychotherapist, coach and corporate trainer, Gina Simmons Schneider, Ph.D. is cofounder of Schneider Counseling and Corporate Solutions. She is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and certified coach, with over 25 years of experience. Dr. Simmons Schneider’s article “Does Violent Media Cause Aggression?” appears in the volume, At Issue: Is Media Violence a Problem?, Vol. 2, published by Gale: Cengage Learning,  May, 2010.  You can also read her tribute story in Heart of a Military Woman: Stories and Tributes to Those Who Serve Our Country, winner in the Spiritual/Inspirational category from the San Diego Book and Writing Association Awards (2009).    Dr. Simmons Schneider writes the award-winning Manage Anger Daily blog. She has blogged for Forbes.com, The Feisty Writer, and Women In Crime Ink, dubbed by the Wall Street Journal, “A blog worth reading.” Subscribe at www.manageangerdaily.com and learn more about her upcoming book, Frazzlebrain.    

Panelist: Rebecca Chaama
Rebecca Chamaa is a writer who has chronic paranoid schizophrenia and an anxiety disorder. She has written hundreds of essays, articles and blog posts about mental illness. Her work has been in Teen Vogue, Yahoo Health, Byrdie, Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, Headspace, Ravishly, and many other online magazines, blogs, and anthologies. She has published a short memoir and an activity journal for people battling mental illness. In her mind, her biggest accomplishment is a twenty-year marriage to her husband, Jean-Claude.    

Panelist: Madonna Treadway
Madonna Treadway is an author, an artist and an MBA. Madonna is a guide who has walked down an unusual and difficult path. Her deepest hope is to show that it is never too late to be heard or to engage in the healing process. Madonna was a winner of the San Diego Memoir Association’s 2018 Memoir Showcase, which featured her story entitled “Secrets.” She is a guest blogger for The Feisty Writer. Her work will be featured in the 2019 anthology Shaking the Tree Volume Two: Things We Don’t Talk About. Madonna leads workshops on grief and healing. Madonna’s upcoming book, 6 Healing Questions: A Gentle Path to Facing Childhood Death of a Parent is being published by MCM in September of 2019    

Panelist: Nicola Ranson, LCSW
Nicola Ranson was licensed as a Clinical Social Worker in 1997, and has a private practice in Encinitas called “Tea and Empathy Counseling”, where she specializes in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety and helping people through creative blocks. For 16 years Nicola has provided psychological evaluations and psychotherapy for Survivors of Torture, International, San Diego. From 1999 to 2015 she was a member of the Adjunct Faculty at National University where she taught in the Marriage and Family Therapy program. Nicola has previously worked as a Drama Therapist and a Massage Therapist. She is passionate about bringing about healing through working with the body and nervous system (as opposed to talking) and has been a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner since 2005. She is working on her memoir which is a journey of healing in both content and process.