Project Return participants are consumers who educate and inspire audiences by using role-play to illustrate the challenges that people with mental illness face everyday. One of the greatest benefits of Project Return is when the participants have the rare opportunity to see that their experience with mental illness is actually of value to the general community.

By having Project Return at partial care centers, MHANJ intends to empower the partial care community while providing staff with an exciting program that will stimulate their members' sense of independence, creativity and self-expression. 

Each consumer volunteer is trained in communication, improvisation, public presentation and community education skills through weekly groups. During the Project Return training, the participants have the opportunity to use social skills, time management skills, communication skills and creativity. The Project Return program is an extraordinary way for consumers to become leaders in the partial care community and to re-integrate into the general community.

Members will create scenes about their experience with mental illness for presentations in the community and for presentations at their partial care center. Subjects matter can include medication compliance, handling conflicts with clients and staff, communication with treatment team, looking for an apartment, looking for a job, relationship issues and re-integration into community.

MHANJ will no longer coordinate Project Return presentations. If you used Project Return in the past, please contact our Community Education Department at 973-571-4100 (ext. 25) or email Susan Maginn to see if we can design a presentation that will meet your organization's needs.