Sharon Wise, MHS,

Sharon Wise, MHS, was diagnosed with a mental illness at a young age and hospitalized for the first time at the age of nine. Following over thirty institutions and hospitalizations, many of them by force, including being secluded and restrained, she has learned to use the trauma she suffered as learning and teaching tools. She is now an advocate for others who’ve had similar experiences. Sharon goes around the country teaching and training peers, government officials and the community about trauma-informed care, sharing her experience, strength and hope. She also is an independent filmmaker and documentarian. Sharon is a Certified Wellness Recovery Action Plan Facilitator located in Washington, D.C. with over fifteen years in the mental health consumer movement and operated the first 100% consumer-run organization in the Washington DC metropolitan area. She was successful in winning one of the first major contracts from the D.C. Department of Mental Health in consumer-run history. Sharon is an artist-in residence for the St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and performs at major conferences that support mental health recovery for consumers all over the world. She recently completed an Alternatives to Seclusion and Restraint documentary entitled, “Leaving the Door Open” and a cable show “The Great Hip-Hop Debate.”