The following description comes from the event organizer.

Let's talk about mental and emotional wellbeing! 

Folio: The Seattle Athenaeum and Companis initiate a monthly series of community conversations to facilitate dialogue on mental health and emotional well being.

Fear, prolonged social isolation, grief, loss and the socioeconomic changes and the ongoing pandemic are leading many of us to suffer from anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress symptoms and substance and alcohol abuse. Youth and older adults are particularly vulnerable populations who often struggle in isolation.

Through these community conversations, Folio aims to connect people and provide a platform for discussions around mental and emotional wellbeing and the ongoing challenges of the stigma surrounding it while exploring recovery and community healing.

Each conversation will feature a guest sharing their lived experience. Members of the community will be able to share stories and ask questions. Free and open to all.

Our first guest in the series is Topher Jerome, Project Director for Harborview Behavioral Health Institute (BHI) and Lived Experience Advisory Board Chair at Jasper Health. 

Topher brings a lifetime of relevant experience to his work. As a Project Director at the BHI, Topher implemented and manages a SAMHSA grant funded COVID-19 Emergency Response for Suicide Prevention program for emergency departments and inpatient psychiatric settings in WA State. This program combines post crisis peer support with the use of the Jaspr Health app. Prior to this, Topher spent 12 years developing, implementing and supervising a variety of peer support programs in intensive psychiatric settings. This includes the implementation of Peer Bridger programs in two publicly funded hospital psychiatric programs in Washington State and serving as part of the leadership team for a community behavioral health agency. In addition, Topher has over 15 years experience in information technology as a project manager, web developer, and as an analyst and educator in clinical information systems. As a multiple suicide attempt survivor himself, Topher brings a personal commitment to his work in suicide prevention.