About Me
Mental Health Trainer, Schizophrenia Advocate, & Speaker
I’m Sally Littlefield—a mental health trainer, consultant, and schizophrenia advocate helping organizations better support people experiencing psychosis, crisis, and serious mental illness.
My work combines lived experience and professional expertise to train clinicians, mental health staff, and care teams in crisis de-escalation, stigma reduction, and psychosis-informed care.
Lived Experience With Psychosis & Schizoaffective Disorder
In 2019, I experienced a 10-month episode of psychosis that led to my diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type.
Since then, I’ve worked in the nonprofit mental health sector in communications, development, and training roles, while building a national advocacy platform through writing and public speaking.
My essays have been published in Slate, STAT News, Psychology Today, and Health Union, and my story has been featured in interviews with the Associated Press and in a documentary on the television network A+E.
Why I Do This Work
Too often, people experiencing psychosis are managed before they are understood.
My mission is to help organizations build more compassionate, effective mental health care by centering dignity, curiosity, and human connection.
Resume
Name: Sally Littlefield
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Primary email: sallyalittlefield@gmail.com
Mental Health Advocacy Experience
Independent Mental Health Trainer & Consultant
April 2025 – Present
Design and deliver trainings, workshops, and consultation for hospitals. residential treatment programs, universities, and mental health organizations on psychosis-informed care, crisis de-escalation, stigma reduction, and therapeutic trust-building. Training content integrates lived experience with psychosis and practical strategies to improve care, communication, and engagement.
Mental Health Association of San Francisco | Training Institute Coordinator
August – December 2021
Delivered multiple mental health trainings, including Supportive Crisis Response, drawing on lived experience to promote safe crisis de-escalation, while supporting fundraising and community engagement initiatives.
National Alliance on Mental Illness San Francisco | Mental Health 101 Program Manager
October 2020 – April 2021
Trained and managed volunteers, coordinated educational presentations, developed program materials, and built community partnerships to expand mental health education and public awareness.
Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance | Community Engagement Manager
April – October 2022
Led community engagement, fundraising, and digital communications initiatives in support of national schizophrenia advocacy and education.
Strategic Partnerships & Advisory Roles
Teva Pharmaceuticals | Teva Ambassador & Home Ground™ Community Counselor
May 2025 – Present
Serve as a lived experience ambassador and Home Ground™ Community Counselor for a national schizophrenia awareness initiative, contributing content creation, campaign advising, community engagement, and strategic feedback to support public education and stigma reduction.
Represent the initiative through conference appearances, live events, and storytelling campaigns, including participation in NAMICon 2026 and a company-wide live panel for National Family Caregivers Month.
Selected Publications
My writing explores psychosis, recovery, stigma, psychiatric trauma, and the human experience of schizophrenia, with work published in national outlets including Psychology Today, STAT News, Slate, and Health Union.
Psychology Today
- I Was Sexually Assaulted in a Psych Ward (September 30, 2024)
- What I Learned About Psychosis From My Police Records (December 4, 2023) — Selected as an Essential Read
- Merry Christmas From the Psych Ward (November 30, 2023) — 4th most-read article sitewide
Health Union
- The Emotional Toll of Being on Disability Benefits (September 25, 2024)
- My Psychosis Photo Album (May 9, 2024) — Bronze Digital Health Award (2025)
STAT News
- Why I’m Wary of the New Schizophrenia Miracle Drug (October 15, 2024)
Slate
- I Have Schizophrenia. Where’s My Pride Movement? (March 6, 2023)
- My Schizophrenia Has a Soundtrack (May 24, 2022)
Media Features
Associated Press | Quoted in:
- “A promising new schizophrenia drug showed mixed results” (Oct. 31, 2024)
- “Genes link bipolar, schizophrenia, once thought unrelated” (Oct. 22, 2022)
Documentaries
- Voices Magnified: Mental Health Crisis (A+E Networks, 2021)
- Featured in an upcoming film by Boehringer Ingelheim
Podcasts
- Beyond 6 Seconds (2025)
- Survivor Shift (2025)
- We Need More of This (2025)
- Friends With Wheels (2025)
Speaking Engagements
(Talks delivered to clinicians, peers, caregivers, first responders, workplaces, students, & more)
- Teva Pharmaceuticals Global | 2025
- Federal Healthcare Workers Mental Health Event (Bethesda, MD) | 2025
- National Alliance on Mental Illness, New York City | 2024
- Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance of California | 2022
- University of San Francisco | 2022
- University of California, San Francisco | 2021
- California Institute of Integral Studies | 2021
Awards
Bronze Digital Health Award (2025)
For: “My Psychosis Photo Album”
Issued by the Digital Health Association
Social Impact & Digital Advocacy
Build and maintain a mental health advocacy platform across LinkedIn and Instagram focused on psychosis education, stigma reduction, and lived experience storytelling.
Content has reached hundreds of thousands of viewers and is known for translating complex experiences of schizophrenia into accessible, human-centered education for clinicians, caregivers, and the broader public.
Education
University of California, Berkeley
B.A., American Studies, 2017
Regents’ and Chancellor’s Scholar
Graduated with Honors