CLEARWATER, Fla. - Missouriar -- CCHR, an award-winning watchdog organization dedicated to the reformation of the mental health industry, hosts seminars on a regular basis in their Center located in downtown Clearwater. These seminars vary by topic and are open to the general public.

The mental health law, commonly referred to as the Baker Act in Florida, covers the use of involuntary examination and commitment. At the peak, this form of coercive psychiatry was used against Floridians over 214,000 times in 2018/2019.

The controversial use of involuntary mental health "treatment" has come under fire in recent years with international organizations calling for an end to coercive psychiatry.

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While there are restrictions on the use of the Baker Act involving minors and parents must be called before it is invoked on a child for the purpose of giving them the opportunity to help as is their right, this human rights abuse still exists with 31,661 Baker Acts involving children in 2023/2024.

It is vital for those entrusted with the power to initiate an involuntary psychiatric examination to understand the intentions behind the law and possible consequences when this law is used. Whether a person works as a school counselor, teacher, social worker, law enforcement or in another field, this seminar will help provide greater insight.

Geared to provide attendees with a better understanding of the Baker Act, specific learning objectives for the event include:

1. Understanding the legal context and intentions of the Baker Act.

2. Being able to describe the laws regarding involuntary examinations.

3. Being able to identify the basic human rights impacted by the Baker Act and the Act's unintended consequences.

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4. Obtaining action steps to help protect yourself, your children and those impacted by the Baker Act.

For more information or to reserve a seat at the next seminar, please call 800-782-7828.

About CCHR: Initially established by the Church of Scientology and renowned psychiatrist Dr. Thomas Szasz in 1969, CCHR's mission is to eradicate abuses committed under the guise of mental health. The Florida chapter of CCHR is an award-winning nonprofit in the area of mental health human rights and government relations. L. Ron Hubbard, founder of Scientology, first brought psychiatric imprisonment to wide public notice: "Thousands and thousands are seized without process of law, every week, over the 'free world' tortured, castrated, killed. All in the name of 'mental health,'" he wrote in March 1969.