Self-Employment Options for People with Psychiatric Disabilities: A New Program That Places Lived Experiences and Peer Mentoring at Its Center

At JAN, we frequently receive inquiries from individuals with mental health conditions who are interested in becoming self-employed or starting a small business. Over the years, I’ve followed emerging research by Dr. Laysha Ostrow and colleagues exploring why self-employment can be a viable and important employment alternative for individuals with psychiatric disabilities. For this article, I discussed with Dr. Ostrow the approach she brings to this topic and an exciting new program at Live and Learn, Inc. that places peer support as a key component to self-employment success. She brings a unique perspective to this topic both personally and professionally.

Print MediaLaysha OstrowAugust 3, 2021self-employment/entrepreneurship

Students With Disabilities Aim For A College Degree, But Often Get Stuck | Huffington Post

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, convened the hearing as one of several framed around the pending reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

Print MediaLaysha OstrowJuly 16, 2021education, federal policy

On the future of mental health | Psychology Today

The following interview is part of a “future of mental health” interview series that will be running for 100+ days. This series presents different points of view about what helps a person in distress. I’ve aimed to be ecumenical and included many points of view different from my own. I hope you enjoy it. As with every service and resource in the mental health field, please do your due diligence. If you’d like to learn more about these philosophies, services, and organizations mentioned, follow the links provided.

Beyond Awareness: Mental Illness and the Ableism of Capitalism | Truthout

Confronting ableism requires confronting capitalism, which values people only for the efficiency of their output within mechanized schedules.

Print MediaLaysha OstrowJuly 16, 2021workplace, self-employment/entrepreneurship, employment

How we’re missing the real story on mental health in Massachusetts | Boston Globe

Print MediaLaysha OstrowJuly 16, 2021peer respite, service user perspectives, state policy

‘Peer Respites’ Provide an Alternative to Psychiatric Wards During Pandemic | LA Times

The first peer respites arose around 2000, said Laysha Ostrow, CEO of Live & Learn, which conducts behavioral health research. The approach seems to be expanding. Live & Learn counts 33 peer respites today in the U.S., up from 19 six years ago. All are overseen and staffed by people with histories of psychiatric disorders.

Print MediaLaysha OstrowJuly 13, 2021peer respite, state policy

Many People Taking Antidepressants Discover They Cannot Quit | New York Times

The New York Times reports that the medical profession has no good answer for people struggling to stop taking the drugs — no scientifically backed guidelines, no means to determine who’s at highest risk, no way to tailor appropriate strategies to individuals.

Print MediaLaysha OstrowDecember 23, 2019medication use, discontinuation, service user perspectives

What Happens When you Stop Taking Psychiatric Medication | Pacific Standard Magazine

"This is something people choose, and we don't know enough about it to help people," says Laysha Ostrow, chief executive officer of a mental-health consultancy in California and a public-health researcher who worked on the study. "I feel that it's important to bring those ideas into more of a mainstream conversation, given how many people decide to discontinue. It shouldn't be this subversive thing that we don't talk about in the health-care system or in research."

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