AUGUST2002

Question: I'm a parent working in the system of care and must say that I don't see the stigma and discrimination we talk about lessening in our daily work. Sometimes we can contribute as families and it feels great. Sometimes I wish I hadn't opened my mouth. And sometimes I don't because I don't trust what will happen to my child. It's hard for me to keep my passion for this work.

Response:

Martin Luther King, Jr., in Strength of Love, said, "This hour in history needs a dedicated circle of transformed nonconformists. The saving of our world from pending doom will come not from the action of a conforming majority, but from the creative maladjustment of a transformed minority.

There are many advocates and family members who empathize with all you say. Many who have labored for a long time in hope of eradicating stigma and discrimination in mental health-just as many have tried to eradicate racism, heterosexism, and classism. Even so, America lives in dread of diversity.

Our passion as family advocates is always balanced with our instinct to protect ourselves. There are emotional consequences (positive and negative) we take each time we take a risk to speak out. Our greatest asset is our passion when it compels us to help and serve others like us. Our greatest liability is our passion (you heard me right!) when we feel the pain of failure or rejection. What tips the balance is trust!

An organizational culture of trust makes us want to support and contribute to the work. If we work in environments of trust, and have leadership who model trust, we feel like we can do anything-conquer the world! However, when there is no one to set and protect the emotional direction of an organization, there is no one to tip the balance toward giving, and we feel "given out"!

Look to your leadership to create an environment of trust and respect. Trust is confidence and the absence of suspicion, confirmed by a track record and the group's ability to self-correct. All persons are willing to trust in an environment where everyone lives and practices our core values and principles, where qualities taught are practiced by the leaders themselves, and where trust itself is more important than any person or organization.

To get you revved up, I encourage you to read Built on Trust: Gaining Competitive Advantage in Any Organization by Arky Ciancutti, M.D., and Thomas L. Steding, Ph.D. The cover says, "Read this over the weekend and put it into action on Monday." That is exactly right. They provide real tools and practice that instantly create an environment capable of more trust and as you experience more trust, you will find that passion you have misplaced