About

Familiar Minds is a blog dedicated to eliminating the stigma of mental illness in communities everywhere. Through the sharing of personal accounts by those suffering with mental illness or their families, the goal is to open up discussion on the taboo topic, providing encouragement and support to the many families suffering in silence.  For more information or questions about Familiar Minds, email familiarminds@gmail.com.

If you or someone you know has a story to share, please consider responding to our Call for Submissions. For more information, please see Submission Guidelines.

This blog was conceived by Tracey Capers.  Ms. Capers lost her brother to suicide shortly after his diagnosis with paranoid schizophrenia close to 20 years ago.  Ms. Capers oversees program planning, external affairs and development operations at Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, the nation’s first community development corporation. Prior to joining Restoration full time in September 2005, she served as a consultant to Restoration leading efforts to renew funding relationships, increase board involvement and create strategic partnerships. Other past clients included the Bowery Residents’ Committee, the Development Training Institute, the New York Community Trust and the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Ms. Capers has held a number of leadership posts at nonprofits and government; she served as Vice President of Development at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC); and Chief of Staff for the New York City Department of Small Business Services. A resident of Brooklyn, Ms. Capers serves on the boards of the Noel Pointer Foundation and the Brooklyn Cooperative Federal Credit Union. Ms. Capers received her Bachelors of Arts in Economics from Yale University and studied policy at the Fels Center of Government, University of Pennsylvania.