ISPS-US Annual Conference 2026

10:45am EST

Plenary Panel: The Impact of Involuntary Outpatient Commitment: Findings from a Comprehensive Evaluation of New York State’s Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program (Hybrid)

Saturday November 7, 2026 10:45am - 12:00pm EST

Student Dining Hall, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Forty-eight US states currently have statutes that allow for the issuance of involuntary outpatient commitment orders, with programs frequently named Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT], in which a civil court issues a 6-12 month “order” to comply with community-based treatment. New York State’s program, initiated after the 1999 Kendra Webdale incident and the subsequent passage of “Kendra’s Law,” is the largest in the country and is frequently cited as a model program. Dr. Nev Jones and colleagues from the University of Pittsburgh and HSRI recently completed a contracted comprehensive evaluation of New York State’s AOT program. This alternative format presentation will feature a summary of findings from Dr. Nev Jones and comments from invited representatives of New York State’s psychiatric, legal, and peer support communities. Dr. Philip Yanos will act as moderator for the panel.

Speakers

Philip Yanos, PhD

Professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Philip Yanos, PhD is a professor in the psychology department at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is the author of the books Written Off: Mental Health Stigma and the Loss of Human Potential (2018) and Exiles in New York City: Warehousing the Marginalized on Ward's ... Read More →

Nev Jones, PhD

Associate Profssor, University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work

Nev Jones, PhD, is Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work, Director of PathLab, and affiliate faculty in the Department of Psychiatry and Institute for Bioethics. Her research examines coercive psychiatric treatment, early psychosis services, and... Read More →

Pablo Sadler, MD, MPH

Medical Director, Bureau of Mental Health, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene

Pablo Sadler, MD, MPH works as a community psychiatrist and serve as the Medical Director for the Bureau of Mental Health at the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Over the last 30 years, his clinical work in various community mental health centers throughout New York State... Read More →

Saturday November 7, 2026 10:45am - 12:00pm EST
Student Dining Hall, John Jay College of Criminal Justice 524 West 59th Street, New York, NY 10019

Plenary Panel, Hybrid

9:15am EST

Plenary Panel: Beyond the Individual: The Past, Present, and Future of Family-Inclusive Psychosis Care (Hybrid)

Sunday November 8, 2026 9:15am - 10:30am EST

Student Dining Hall, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Family involvement in the treatment of persons experiencing psychosis has been fraught with challenges. From theories of the ‘schizophrenogenic mother’ to the reductionism of the biomedical model, families have been blamed, neglected, and/or excluded from the treatment process. Despite major treatment guidelines recommending family-based interventions, these services are rarely offered due to lack of program availability.

This multidisciplinary panel will explore the past, present, and future of family-inclusive services in psychosis care. Beginning with how the biomedical model came to dominate psychiatric practice, we will explore how this contributed to an emphasis on the individual at the expensive of a broader view of their social and relational context. We will explore how families with lived experience of psychosis and the mental health system experience psychiatric services and what supports beyond those services have emerged to address their needs. Finally, we will envision a more family-inclusive model of psychiatric care in which families are seen as meaningful partners rather than adversaries.

Speakers

Sydney Laurel Harris

Justin Palanci, MD

Assistant Professor, Emory University

Justin Palanci, MD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University School of Medicine. He serves as Director of Family and Network Engagement in the Clinical and Research Program for Psychosis and staff psychiatrist in the Psychiatric... Read More →

Justin Garson, PhD

Professor, Hunter College and The Graduate Center, CUNY

Justin Garson is professor of philosophy at Hunter College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York. He is the author of Madness: A Philosophical Exploration (2022) and The Madness Pill: The Quest to Create Insanity and One Doctor’s Discovery that Transformed Psychiatry... Read More →

Sunday November 8, 2026 9:15am - 10:30am EST
Student Dining Hall, John Jay College of Criminal Justice 524 West 59th Street, New York, NY 10019

Plenary Panel, Hybrid