NEW YORK – Cause Célèbre presented “You Are Not Alone,” Part One of the Mental Health Matters series, this past Monday, November 18, 2013 at 3 West Club in Manhattan. This was the first in a series of events that will include workshops and informative sessions focused on mental illness’s impact on the family.
“We want Cause Célèbre to serve as a resource for loved ones and those suffering from mental illness. America’s mental health system as it stands now is complicated and difficult to navigate. My hope is that the Mental Health Matters series will educate and guide individuals and their families through the legal and clinical process to get proper interventions and treatment.”
– Carolyn Reinach Wolf, Esq., Director of the Mental Health Law Practice
Monday’s event also included a question and answer panel with Ms. Wolf, television and film star Louise Lasser (‘Mary Hartman’) as well as Thomas O’Connor, Founder and Managing Director of O’Connor Associates, LLC, a psychiatric case management specialist.
“Mental illness within a family impacts everyone: the family member living the compromised life with its disabilities, and the surrounding loved ones trying to cope and support that life,” said Thomas O’Connor, Founder and Managing Director of O’Connor Associates, LLC. “The goal of Cause Célèbre is to honor the person, manage the illness, and rebuild full, dignified living that is the process of recovery.”
Cause Célèbre plans to hold more events in 2014 in collaboration with Ms. Wolf and her practice as well as O’Connor Associates.
About Cause Célèbre
Created 6 years ago by Food For Thought’s Founding Artistic Director Susan Charlotte, an award-winning writer whose plays and films have enjoyed productions and screenings throughout the country. Cause Célèbre is devoted to fostering an enhanced understanding of psychological, physical and social issues by presenting plays related to a particular cause, performed by our finest actors. They have produced nine successful shows Off Broadway and numerous Galas. Cause Célèbre’s mission is threefold: to connect theatre with different causes, to provide visibility for different causes and to educate the public.
About Louise Lasser
Louise Lasser became a household name when she starred in the hit series, “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.” And who could forget the wife of Woody Allen when she shared the screen with her husband in “Bananas,” “Take The Money And Run,” and “Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Sex.” And of course she had a recurring role on the other hit TV series, “Taxi” and can now be seen in the series “Girls.”
About Thomas O’Connor
Thomas J. O’Connor M Ed CRC is the Founder and Managing Director of O’Connor Associates LLC. Mr. O’Connor is a nationally recognized specialist in psychiatric disability management and care management with 25 years of experience working with families, clients in recovery and with employees with psychiatric disability. Mr. O’Connor has a national reputation as a champion of family recovery and dignified living for adults living with a mental illness. Mr. O’Connor’s work has been the subject of multiple media related to providing psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery services, including The New York Times, Psychiatric News, National Public Radio, and The Washington Business Journal.
About Carolyn Reinach Wolf, Esq.
Carolyn Reinach Wolf is a senior partner in the law firm of Abrams, Fensterman, Fensterman, Eisman, Formato, Ferrara & Einiger, LLP in New York City and Lake Success, Long Island. Ms. Wolf’s practice concentrates in the area of mental health law, representing professionals, hospitals, educational institutions, individuals, and their families. She is a frequent speaker to health care and mental health professionals and associations. She has assisted hundreds of individuals and families navigate the complicated mental health legal and health care systems. The New York Times Sunday Edition (February 8, 2013) ran a front page story entitled “A Guide in the Darkness” in the Metro section on Carolyn Reinach Wolf and her unique mental health law practice. Ms. Wolf also writes a blog for The Huffington Post website and has been interviewed by the media, including print, radio and TV, extensively in these and other areas of mental health and health care law.
