Mothers of the Mentally Ill

Losing my beloved son, Calvin, to a treatable condition has moved me to support other families and systems change advocacy. 

Together we CAN change the system

Please join me in following key issues, outreaching to lawmakers and policy leaders, and spreading accurate information about what needs to change to improve the lives of people with severe mental illness (SMI) and those who love them. My opinion article in the Seattle Times outlines how change will require national willpower, attention to human rights, and linking dollars to whole-person outcomes: The mental health system that failed my son is fixable. 

Please begin by caring for yourself

My motherhood was shattered long before my son's suicide. His death was a final gut-punch after four years of poor mental health services, ineffective hospitalizations, incarcerations, and homelessness. Watching his "living death" was every bit as hard as losing him to his final desperate act. He was "gone," but also not gone. The term for that is "ambiguous loss," and learning to cope was my survivalist act of self-care. 

Stay in touch for news of my upcoming book

Now I'm teaching others about ambiguous loss, culminating in a book,  which I've titled, Gone before Gone: How to cope with ambiguous loss when mental illness steals someone you love. I will share updates about the book through Facebook and MOMI's Blog, so be sure to sign up! 

My professional job is resource and advocacy manager at the national non-profit TAC (Treatment Advocacy Center)

For information about my ambiguous loss seminars and webinars,  contact me at work: jclark@tac.org

To seek support navigating the treatment system, reach out to TAC's Helpline

MOMI does not provide crisis support 

Please call 988 if you or someone you love is having a mental health crisis. If there is violence or risk of immediate danger, call 911.