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ISPS-US 23rd Annual Conference | November 1-3, 2024 | University of Pittsburgh & Duquesne University | Pittsburgh, PA & Hybrid Online | Preliminary Schedule
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A Retrospective of the Icarus Project: Lessons for Contemporary Mental Health Movements (Hybrid)
Sunday November 3, 2024 9:45am - 11:15am EST
Union Ballroom
From 2002-2020, The Icarus Project developed a network of peer support groups and a creative media outlet that provided a home for folks who experienced mental health struggles and a deep alienation from society. Drawing inspiration from anarchism, anti-psychiatry, permaculture, and other counterculture movements, we aimed to normalize discussions of altered states, intense emotional distress, and suicidality and foster solidarity among people with experiences that were often diagnosed as “serious mental illness” and “psychosis.” At its height, The Icarus Project had thousands of online forum community members, dozens of local peer support/mutual aid groups, and a series of DIY publications that made their way into public mental health systems and became texts for academic analysis. At the same time, we also struggled greatly with interpersonal conflict, leadership burnout and turnover, issues related to identity politics and structural oppression, technological system management, and other challenges common to small social movement organizations.

More than 20 years since its founding, The Icarus Project has left a complicated legacy of ideas and creative visions, influencing individuals and organizations across North America and the world. Former members have gone on to play significant roles in transformative mental health practices, advocating for approaches that prioritize human connection, social justice, and the de-stigmatization of mental health experiences. Others left the organization with the sense that their efforts were underappreciated and lacked recognition in public narratives.

This panel will delve into the origins and impact of The Icarus Project, exploring how its creative grassroots approach has influenced contemporary mental health movements. Attendees will learn about the project's innovative use of language, its critique of the mainstream medical model of “mental illness,” and its commitment to fostering mutual aid communities. Panelists, including co-founders and long-time collaborators, will reflect on the project's successes and challenges, offering insights into how its legacy can inform future efforts in mental health social movements.
Speakers
avatar for Erica Hua Fletcher

Erica Hua Fletcher

Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System
Dr. Fletcher is a mental health services researcher at the VA of Greater Los Angeles. Her research focuses on peer-involved interventions, mental health social movements, and Mad/disability studies. She has worked on adapting the Hearing Voices support group approach for Veterans... Read More →
avatar for Sascha DuBrul, MSW

Sascha DuBrul, MSW

Institute for the Development of Human Arts
Sascha Altman DuBrul, MSW  is the co-founder of The Icarus Project, a network of peer based mental health support groups and media project dedicated to redefining the language and culture of mental health and illness. He has a Masters from Silberman School of Social Work and worked... Read More →
avatar for Jacks McNamara

Jacks McNamara

Jacks McNamara is a trauma healing coach, facilitator, educator, writer and artist based in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Jacks has been in private practice for 11 years, with a specialty in using somatics and Internal Family Systems to support queer and trans survivors, and in mentoring... Read More →
Sunday November 3, 2024 9:45am - 11:15am EST
Union Ballroom
  Breakout Session, Hybrid

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