A.W.A.R.E.

Contact me ([email protected]) to join our virtual quarterly AWARE coalition next on Monday, April 7 at 5pm EST. Our AWARE Coalition is for Religious, Spiritual & Mental Health Leaders who are on mission to positively impact crisis care by raising awareness on the spiritual & religious aspect of mental health.

Do you know about the WPA Position Statement on Spirituality and Religion in Psychiatry – World Psychiatric Association ?

Do you know that as of 1994 the DSM (Diagnostic Statistical Manual) included a new V code entitled “Religious or Spiritual Problem”: V62.89: This category can be used when the focus of clinical attention is a religious or spiritual problem.

Do you know that the American Psychiatric Association Foundation’s Mental Health and Faith Partnership brings psychiatrists and other mental health professionals together with faith leaders? Faith | APA Foundation

Do you know that the American Psychiatric Association Board & DSM Steering Committee approved definition for Religious or Spiritual Problem (V62.89) as of December 2024 includes the terms by name “MORAL injury, MORAL distress, and MORAL dilemmas?” 

Do you know Z71.81 is a valid billable ICD-10 diagnosis code for Spiritual or religious counseling. It is found in the 2025 version of the ICD-10 Clinical Modification (CM) and can be used in all HIPAA-covered transactions from Oct 01, 2024 – Sep 30, 2025. Z71.81 ICD 10 Code – Spiritual or religious counseling – Billable 2025 ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Code Z71.81: Spiritual or religious counseling

Do you know?

V Codes (used in the DSM-5 and ICD-9) and Z Codes (used in the ICD-10), also known as Other Conditions That May Be a Focus of Clinical Attention, are codes used to identify issues treatment that are a focus of clinical attention or affect the diagnosis, course, prognosis, or of a patient’s mental disorder. However, these codes are not mental disorders. Both V and Z codes are underused by clinicians, and there is often a lack of awareness about these codes. It is often helpful to put V or Z codes in a patient’s clinical documentation when there is no evidence of a mental disorder, but if they are presenting with significant impairment. Compared to the DSM-5 V Codes, ICD-10 Z Codes are much more comprehensive and cover a wider variety of psychosocial problems. These codes capture important social determinants of health information that psychiatric diagnoses do not capture. Sometimes, it is these codes that are more important than any psychiatric diagnosis! V Codes (DSM-5) & Z Codes (ICD-10) – PsychDB

Do you know that AWARE NJ, USA, Global is on a mission to raise awareness on these issues & offer solutions to prevent wrongful hospitalization & forced medications? We provide preventative & alternative solutions that improve care. Ask us about our AWARE orientation & training programs.

Do you know about this 2025 report from Rob Wipond, Author of Your Consent is Not Required? Illegal Fraud is the Norm for Psychiatric Commitment

How to HELP

1. Advance our A.W.A.R.E. footprint in NJ, New York and around the US.  Host an AWARE orientation in your community or online with first responders, hospitals, houses of spiritual worship, mental health organizations.  Join our AWARE team/become an ambassador/meet quarterly with AWARE US/Global.
2. Sign up for our 1-1 mentoring in spiritual emergency support. Introduce us to a healthcare organization who sponsors our 4-8 hour fee based training.
3. Donate to our AWARE video.  Speak into our AWARE video. Co-produce our AWARE video. Contact [email protected]

How did we get started on raising AWAREness?

We started A.W.A.R.E at the Rutgers University Medical School Conference in 2023 to raise attention to the spiritual & religious element in mental health care.

Dr. Johnson offers this FEAR video as another tool in our AWARE orientation.

We moved forward by establishing a monthly NJ AWARE Coalition for Religious, Spiritual & Mental Health Leaders who are on mission to positively impact the 988-crisis line in a way that includes clergy.

We invited experts & collaborators to our NJ Coalition to bridge across the USA.

We got invited to present a 3-part series with First Responder Health.

We issued a proposal to the State of New Jersey to include the religious & spiritual part of mental health crisis calls in 988 training. Our colleague Ernie Stevens asks why not have our faith-based leaders trained in what he calls hyper-religiosity. Prep for 720 Live short 1 1 Ernie Hyper Religiosity

Ernest Stevens speaking on spiritual/religious experiences in mental health crisis calls.

We continue to collaborate with folks across the USA & around the world to raise AWAREness on the spiritual & religious aspect of mental health.

We reach forward to collaborate with Cops, Clergy & Community in NJ and Faith & Blue across the USA. Faith & Blue – Building Bridges to More Inclusive Communities (faithandblue.org)

Reverend Ronald Sparks leads a prayer over our officers.

Pilgrim Baptist Church, Red Bank, NJ. Oct. 10, 2024.

We completed Part 3 with First Responder Health on Nov. 1, 2024.

Moving forward with orientation for CSPNJ staff & Mobile Crisis Response Units in NJ on Dec. 2, 2024 & January 10, 2025.

Trenton Psychiatric Hospital orientation Dec. 20, 2024. NJ AWARE Launches Spiritual Awareness Event Series at CSPNJ’s Wellness Center located at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital

…shared at MLK breakfast 1/17/25 sponsored by the YMCA. Shining the light on what we can do …stronger together… Representing Senator Andy Kim: Julianna Heck. Constituent Advocate and Field Representative United States Senate; Rekishia McMillan, Department of Labor & Workforce Development; Achille Dejean, ED Mental Health America; Rev. Sparks, Bethel AME; Vincent Siracusa, Army National Guard. Table Talk hosted by Dr. Calvin Chatlos & NJ AWARE.

Monmouth Prosecutor’s Office, We Are Monmouth, Feb. 20, 2024. Meeting with first responders, clergy & behavioral health care workers.

AWARE orientation sponsored by the Department of Health & Human Services in Monmouth County NJ 2/21/25

Contact the co-leaders to get involved with A.W.A.R.E NJ bridging across the USA and around the globe. Ask us about our 1-hour virtual orientation programs and 4–8-hour competency training programs.

Carlito Cabelin [email protected] NJ

Joshua Roberts [email protected] CA

Dr. Calvin Chatlos [email protected] NJ

Tawanda Mutsigwa [email protected] South Africa

Janet Werner [email protected] NJ

Dr. Olivia Johnson, Blue Wall Institute, Illinois. [email protected]

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