North Country Forum
Dr. Carney’s most recent posts are to be found here. He is in the process of compiling a complete archive of all articles he has written since his retirement from professional social work practice in 2010. All his blogs have as their focus issues pertaining to social justice; are generally placed in their historical context; and, ultimately, are subjected to in-depth analyses whose aim is to promote a full understanding of the issues being addressed.
A Post-Racial Public Mental Health System: If Not Now, When?
In answer to the question posed in the title to this article, probably not for a long, long time. Or perhaps more accurately, when the entire country does. We often seem to forget that the public mental health system reflects the larger social system of which it forms part. To judge from the pronouncements that emanate from local and Federal governmental agencies, many of us, whether providers or peer/survivors, continue to define our reality and our own identities within a parochial system that seeks to avoid harsh realities. Specifically, it ignores poverty, as I’ve written in earlier articles, and makes use of euphemism to protect the...