Stockbridge, MA – July 6, 2016 – The Erikson Institute of the Austen Riggs Center is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2016 Erikson Institute Prize for Excellence in Mental Health Media:
· Benedict Carey, a reporter covering brain and behavior topics at The New York Times
· Neal Shusterman, a New York Times bestselling novelist, screenwriter and television writer
· Steve Silberman, an award-winning science writer whose work has appeared in Wired, The New Yorker, Salon and Nature
“There’s both remarkable similarities—and diversity—among this year’s impressive honorees,” says Shenk. “Steve and Ben are two of the great working journalists working on science and mental health—and Neal’s book represents an astonishing work of personal observation. But we also have here, in Ben, a great beat reporter for a daily newspaper; in Steve, a long-form magazine and book writer driven by the lyrical and narrative literary traditions, as well as that of immersion reporting; and, in Neal, a leading author of fiction who has authored a stunning novel drawing on the experience of his son’s mental illness.”
Continuing education credits are offered to MDs, PhDs, PsyDs and social workers. This event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited; advance registration is recommended. To register, please call [413] 931.5230 or email: samantha.blache@austenriggs.net. For more information on the colloquy, visit: www.austenriggs.org/2016-Erikson-Prize.
Follow us on: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter
Benedict Carey is a reporter covering brain and behavior topics at The New York Times. He has written pieces on the problems of replicating research studies in psychology, suicide in veterans and beautifully-crafted stories about people suffering from schizophrenia. More recently, he wrote a stunning series about mental health care in West Africa. He has also written three books: Island of the Unknowns, a math adventure; Poison Most Vial, a murder mystery involving forensic toxicology and How We Learn: The Surprising Truth about When, Where and Why It Happens.
Neal Shusterman is a New York Times bestselling novelist, screenwriter and television writer. He has written over thirty novels for young adults, including the Unwind Dystology, which is currently in production as a feature film. His novel Challenger Deep, a stunning and insightful account of a teenager’s schizophrenic breakdown, won the 2015 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. He is currently adapting Challenger Deep for 20th Century Fox as a feature film, and Tesla’s Attic with co-writer Eric Elfman for television.
Steve Silberman is an award-winning science writer whose work has appeared in Wired, The New Yorker, Salon and Nature. He is also the author of the bestselling book NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity, which published to great acclaim in 2015. Oliver Sacks called it “a sweeping and penetrating history . . . presented with a rare sympathy and sensitivity.” His related TED talk, “The Forgotten History of Autism,” has been viewed more than a million times and translated into 25 languages.
The Erikson Institute of the Austen Riggs Center promotes education and research in psychodynamic thought and treatment, often in partnership with a range of disciplines, and brings a clinically-informed, psychosocial perspective to societal problems. www.austenriggs.org/erikson-institute.
Austen Riggs Center, a leading psychiatric hospital and residential treatment program, has been serving adults since 1919. Within a completely open setting, patients are provided immersion in an intensive treatment milieu that emphasizes respectful engagement. Individual, four-times weekly, psychodynamic psychotherapy is provided by doctors on staff. www.austenriggs.org.
Aaron M. Beatty
Marketing and Outreach Coordinator
Austen Riggs Center
25 Main Street / P.O. Box 962
Stockbridge, MA 01262
T: [413] 931.5245 F: [413] 298.4020
www.austenriggs.orgv