Depression And Bipolar Support Alliance Succasunna A/k/a DBSA Succasunna

The purpose of DBSA Succasunna is to improve the lives of people living with mood disorders (depression and bipolar disorder) and related illnesses by providing hope, support, and education to patients/consumers, family members including parents of minors, and friends.

Description:
DBSA Succasunna is a mutual aid self-help support group which means the group is "run" by volunteers and not run by professionals. The group offers support and education to consumers (also known as patients) living with depression and/or bipolar disorder, family members, including parents of minors, and friends. Family members and friends are more than welcome to attend with or without the person diagnosed with a mental health problem. We offer peer based support/rap groups meetings on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month as well as educational meetings on the 2nd Thursday of each month. All meetings begin at 7:15pm and are held at:
Temple Shalom, 215 S. Hillside Avenue, Succasunna, NJ 07876. At educational meetings, there is typically a professional who speaks about a topic related to depression and/or bipolar disorder as well as other related difficulties i.e. Chronic Pain and Mood Disorders. . . Proven Strategies to Combat the Symptoms. We also have monthly board meetings and many opportunities for consumers also known as patients and family members to get involved with small or large tasks. Our group is operated on the basis of empowerment and thus, we work to get everyone involved in some way whether small or large. Furthermore, the group maintains a membership database, a professional supporter database, and a temple and church affiliation database. All persons or agencies receive mailings typically one time per year with our detailed symbol calendar on one side and our educational topic and speaker schedule on the reverse. Advocacy alerts and mental health news of all types are provided to persons interested in receiving e-mail alerts. At group we also provide free educational literature on all types of mental illness as well as a lending library, and our Sunshine Club allows people the opportunity to receive recognition of special events in their lives. Last but not least, we have hosted information tables at community wide events, have sat outside grocery stores to raise awareness, have held major community educational events on Sundays whereby we have hosted a major speaker including in 2005, then First Lady Mary Jo Codey. We have also provided speaking engagements to local agencies and professionals and we are involved in so much more. Our special group based logo says it all though - Lighting the Way by Providing Hope, Support, and Education.

History:
DBSA Succasunna is a part of a much larger entity, DBSA which is located in Chicago, Illinois. From 1986 - 2003, DBSA Morristown Area (operating out of Morristown, NJ) was the only DBSA support group in Morris County. The founder of DBSA Succasunna was in charge of keeping a phone/address chain going and noted that people in the Northwest area of Morris County (closer to Sussex County) were not attending meetings in Morristown. A hypothesis was drawn to see if people would come out to a meeting that may be closer and 35 people showed up at the first DBSA Succasunna meeting that took place on August 21, 2003. Since that time, the group has been operating and consistently working to change and grow as the needs and desires of our group members have changed. Surveys have been conducted typically one time per year to solicit the input of group members and members are constantly encouraged to attend monthly board meetings to provide feedback. Over the past 4 years, the group incorporated, received 501(c)3 recognition, received a Chapter Service of the Year Award before we turned 1; and a second one in 2008. celebrated anniversary celebrations along the way, held information tables at community awareness events, passed out free literature to local agencies, provided speaking engagements to many agencies, established a lending library and Sunshine Club, held monthly educationals since October 2006, held a one time per month daytime support group meeting (only one of it's type in the area but on hold right now), bi-monthly evening support group meetings and so much more. Major community educational events were held on Sunday afternoons, one in January 2005 with at the time First Lady Mary Jo Codey attracting a standing room only audience of over 150 people. Other major events have attracted 100 people including the hosting of an author in September 2007 where we also received a grant from Eli Lilly and Company. In 2007, the group established a brand new empowerment oriented website full of resources and information. A group member also artistically created a group logo with a lighthouse "Lighting the Way - Providing Hope, Support and Education" and a new brochure and calendar/flyer was created as well. A designated phone line was established in late 2007 and the updated website is not up and running. Furthermore, DBSA Succasunna trained facilitators (trained through DBSA), hosted the 4 week Living Successfully with a Mood Disorder curriculum, and 8 lesson Pathways to Recovery curriculum which will be held again and open to the community in the future. There is something new happening all the time at DBSA Succasunna which continues to help reach out to those people in need to not be all alone. A rough estimate is that we have helped well over 800 people in our 6 years of existence.

Contact person: Bonnie Rosenthal, President, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (973) 984-2880

Address:

215 South Hillside Avenue Succasunna, NJ 07876 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.dbsasuccasunna.org

Miscellaneous Information

Do you accept court-appointed community service volunteers?
	No

Last updated on November 24, 2009