MHA’s 2022 Clifford W. Beers Award will be presented to mental health advocate Sally Zinman. The Clifford W. Beers Award is presented annually to an individual with the lived experience of mental illness who best reflects the example set by MHA founder Clifford W. Beers in their efforts to improve conditions for and attitudes toward people living with mental health conditions.
Sally Zinman has been a pioneer of the mental health peer movement since the mid 1970’s. Sally's commitment to the rights of people with mental health challenges came from her own horrendous experience in the mental health system. After this experience, she connected with the burgeoning ex-mental patient movement and found a community of people like herself, a family, who inspired and supported her for the next 45 years.