Candidates for the ESSPD Lived Experience Deputy Spokesperson role

Fiore Caprai

I’m Fiore Caprai and I joined the ESSPD LE group as the daughter of a person with BPD, but I also bring my own experience of living with BP (Bipolar Disorder) and ADHD.

I’m interested in the role as I’d like to work with the Spokesperson to strengthen the LE group influence and plan group efforts to incentivise the presence of LE in mental health research and existing therapy programs, and also to introduce effective LE experiences in areas that don’t provide them yet.

In order to accomplish this, I’d like to assist the Spokesperson in building a collaboration platform for our group, so we can all communicate and share information as easily as possible. Emails are useful and important, but when working in a group, there can be miscommunications or message overlaps. I believe that creating this platform would be greatly beneficial in the long run.

I’d make sure that available tools are understood by all, since a tool is useful only when you know how to use it.

I would also like to improve our group’s diversity, to give us more visibility on the current state of mental health services in Europe.

My main goals as part of the ESSPD LE group are:

  • To represent young caretakers
  • To encourage the development of support for children targeted towards improving their relationships with their parents with BPD

 About me

I’m a strong advocate for mental health and particularly passionate regarding the importance of including LE support in the treatment of mental disorders.

I’m a member of the following associations, active in Italy:

  • AIPESP –national association that had the ESP (Esperto in Supporto tra Pari – Peer-Support Specialist) figure legally recognised by the Ministero delle Imprese (Minister of Business).
    I’ve been certified as an ESP by the association and it keeps providing continued education for such role.
  • Rete Regionale Toscana Utenti Salute Mentale – mental health advocacy organisation in Tuscany.

I represent them in the Civic Participation Committee which collaborates with the regional branch of the SSN (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale – NHS).
I’m currently working on creating peer-support groups and psycho-educational courses to be offered by mental health services with the assistance of LE representatives.

  • Ciao Borderline OdV – Italian association that works with relatives of persons with BPD.
    I’m one of the facilitators of the AMA Emozioni group (Auto Mutuo Aiuto – Peer-Support Help), and I’m the main facilitator of the new AMA Love Recovery group for partners, children, siblings and friends of persons with BPD.

Barbara Corbin

I am the mother of a young man diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), and I have been an active volunteer in the field of mental health since 2011.

In 2012, I co-founded—and served as the legal representative for—a mental health advocacy organization in my city, *Progetto Itaca Genova*.

Since 2015, I have focused on the “Family Connections” (FC) program for families of individuals with BPD;

I facilitate this course both in collaboration with public health services and through the association *Nea BPD Italy*. In my home city of Genoa, I participate in collaborative efforts between public services and various associations through the ASL3 Liguria Mental Health Council (*Consulta della Salute Mentale*) and the “Family Roundtable” (*Tavolo Famiglia*).

I also collaborate on the FC program with public services in Milan and the Lombardy region.

 

A key priority for me is the support and training of volunteers.

Recognizing the need for families to remain connected after completing the course, I—along with a group of other family members—developed monthly self-help/mutual-aid groups, which we call “Relationship Groups” (*Gruppi Relazioni*).

The facilitators of these groups undergo training in Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and mindfulness practices. There are currently four such groups, involving a total of approximately 80 family members.

Regarding my personal development, I am an instructor for Mindfulness-based protocols and “Mindful Parenting.”

I have also pursued further training in Nonviolent Communication through international programs.

I have a degree in Biological Sciences of  Università La Sapienza Roma  , and I was a high school teacher

 

For the lived experience group, I would like to put myself forward as Deputy, drawing on my experience within  groups and driven by a desire to help individuals with lived experience achieve their goals in the field of research—ultimately to improve therapy outcomes and reach areas that are currently less explored by researchers.

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