'Voices of Hope' gives 'Options' for understanding mental illness

Marlborough - In "Voices of Hope," (Employment Options Inc. $22), Helen Shore gives a corrective lens to every reader who holds stereotypes about mental illness, clearing up misconceptions about people who have been labeled as "crazy" and enabling readers to appreciate the multifaceted strengths and talents of those challenged by chemical imbalances in their brains.

"Voices of Hope" is a collection of stories that tell the real-life experiences of 23 people living with mental illness and six staff members who thrive together through a supportive program in Marlborough called Employment Options, Inc. Shore tells the stories based on conversations with participants in the program.

Employment Options is a psychosocial clubhouse that operates according to a model that is followed internationally and is focused on helping men and women recover from mental illness. Within its structure, members become part of a mutually supportive family network. They have the chance to learn, grow, work, recognize and share their talents, and heal.

In "Voices of Hope," Shore not only illustrates how Employment Options is successful in carrying out its mission, but also draws connections between how people's traumas and life experiences affect their emotional reactions; how these reactions and chemical imbalances have impacted their lives; and how - despite that - people are able (with strong support) to utilize their unique attributes to persevere and succeed.

By showing how real people have overcome extreme adversity, Shore provides hope and inspiration to readers with and without mental illness. She helps readers replace their fears with admiration, and gain a deeper understanding of brain disorders. In the book, she reaffirms that it is possible to emerge from dark times and to succeed. Her message of the power of mutual support leaves readers sure that in the right environment, growth can happen.

In her conversations, Shore's skill and compassion in zooming in on and highlighting people's strengths is a constant that rings throughout the book. Readers may be touched when they read about how Ilise "extraordinarily maintained an ordinary life," despite the constant challenge of living the obsessions, compulsions, and anxiety. And they may be energized by Toni's story of how her early childhood life lessons propelled her to her current work as executive director of Options.

Readers who once crossed the street to avoid interaction with people they feared may now find themselves wanting to cross back over to say hello to Eddie, Larry, Jimbo and the others who shared their "voices of hope" or have passed through the doors of Employment Options' clubhouse.

Throughout the book, Shore draws parallels between the benefits reaped at Employment Options by both staff and members, identifying the common threads of emotions and personal struggles to succeed that exist equally among people with or without mental illness. She removes the barrier of difference. She helps readers to come along on the Employment Options' mission of focusing on "what is possible."

"Voices of Hope" can be ordered through Options by calling (508) 485-5051. Mail-in order forms are also available at the web site www.employmentoptions.org.

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