As a panel of practitioners and consumers, we reflect on research, case studies, and lived experiences. We have found when people are believed in and supported in their voice and agency, strength-based, individualized conversations can help cease symptoms and promote thriving without interventions. This dialogical movement inspires opportunities for solution, remedy, growth, and repair.

Our case studies advocate for viewing individuals as responding to real-life challenges rather than mental illness. They emphasize focusing on resilience, growth, and healing instead of defining oneself by their worst moments. The approach is holistic, personalized, and rooted in belief in one’s ability to overcome difficulties, regardless of severity.

This conference will feature young adults and families, including those previously diagnosed with severe mental health conditions, who advocate for an understanding of emotional suffering that reflects their voices and needs. They challenge the view that emotional distress has a purely biological origin and call for de-medicalizing emotional responses to life events and trauma. They assert that labeling these responses as mental illness can lead to hopelessness and exacerbate distress.