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Mervyn Matthews is a consumer and peer specialist, a counselor for mentally ill people who also has a mental illness. He works with Elmhurst Hospital's Assisted Outpatient Team (AOT), which monitors people who are not medication compliant. He uses his inner resources and inspiring recovery story in his work.

Mervyn was driven to succeed, despite his illness. He said, "In 1975, I started going for therapy after work once a week. I read books on the causes of my illness and what I could do to help myself. When I was in group therapy, I can remember telling my therapist that I wanted to become a psychiatrist, that's how much I fell in love with the field of psychiatry."

In 1995, a fellow consumer and a graduate of Howie T Harp (Mike Milligan) whom he had met at a Brooklyn consumer committee meeting, noticed Mervyn's functioning level, and recommended he be trained to be a peer specialist or counselor at Howie the Harp Peer Specialist Training Center. At Howie the Harp, Mervyn studied entitlements, conflict resolution, counseling and substance abuse and was trained as a job coach.

Mervyn became a part-time peer counselor for Services for the Underserved. He said, "I had daily contact with the consumer, doing referrals; entitlements, housing, counseling and recreation" He was promoted to case manager after five months.

"While still attending a support group at Howie T. Harp, a coordinator (Mrs. Iris Augustine) told me about a position at Elmhurst Hospital on the AOT Team and suggested I speak to the late Julius Green. At the time Mr. Green was the assistant director of Howie T. Harp. I then submitted my resume to Mr. Green who then forwarded it the AOT department. I had three interviews and was then hired."

Mervyn joins the doctors, social workers and secretaries in weekly rounds to discuss the status and progress of their cases. He facilitates two support groups at the hospital on medication compliance, employment services, substance abuse, and community resources such as the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) and entitlements. He said, "I get films and written material that might be of good use to the consumers and family members, like from the Internet." Mervyn also does a lot of reading as a way of staying abreast of what's happening in the community and in the world on mental health.

As part of his job, Mervyn sometimes go out in the field on investigations with a doctor or social worker (staff) to meet with prospective consumers to better understand if they meet requirements for AOT. Mervyn says he lets the consumers know that treatment will and can work and that it's working for him. He says he talks about being in treatment since 1975, taking his meds and going for therapy on a regular basis. Since being in therapy from 1975 if he has missed ten sessions, he has missed a lot. He holds two jobs, he's active in the community, being part of NAMI; going to therapy twice a week at one time (individual and group), seeing a psychiatrist once a month and being involved in a beautiful relationship. He said that after meeting one consumer and having the consumer understand that he's on medication, working and is very active he was impressed. He then said "where were you all my life? This is what I need."

Mervyn says if he had to sum up his success he would say, "you have to believe."

"Believe in a Higher Power, believe that recovery is possible and most of all believe in you. Of course I had lots of support and encouragement from people. People like VESID, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, especially NAMI East/Flatbush, the Metro Club, SUS Brooklyn Clubhouse, the Chelton Loft Clubhouse and numerous friends and well wishers. But, most of all, I believed."