About Me
Schizophrenia Speaker & Mental Health Advocate
I’m Sally Littlefield—a national speaker and advocate working to change how the world sees schizophrenia.
Living with Schizoaffective Disorder: My Journey
In 2019, I experienced a 10-month episode of psychosis that marked the onset of schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type—a condition that combines features of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Seven months after my last hospitalization in early recovery, I returned to full-time work in the nonprofit sector. I held communications, development, and training roles at three mental health organizations. That experience deepened my understanding of trauma, stigma, and the systemic barriers that so many people with serious mental health conditions face.
Mental Health Advocacy Through Writing and Media
I started my advocacy career as a writer, publishing essays in Slate, STAT News, and Psychology Today—not just about the challenges of schizophrenia, but also about its humanity. My story has also been featured in a documentary on A+E and in interviews with the Associated Press, helping to elevate the voices of people living with psychosis on a national stage.
Talks, Trainings & Consulting on Psychosis and Stigma
Today, I offer:
- Keynote talks on stigma reduction, recovery, and mental health justice
- Trainings on how to support people with psychosis in clinical, family, and workplace settings
- Consulting on mental health crisis response and de-escalation strategies
Why I Do This Work
This work is personal. I know how easily people like me are dismissed, pathologized, or feared. My mission is to create spaces where we are treated instead with curiosity, dignity, and care.
Resume
Name: Sally Littlefield
Location: San Francisco Bay Area
Primary email: sallyalittlefield@gmail.com
FosterClub Inc.
Communications & Fundraising Manager | 2023 – 2025
- Manage communications calendar for leading nonprofit organization serving young people in foster care, including social media, eNewsletters, bulk emails, and annual reports
- Oversee individual fundraising program; plan & execute annual fund strategies and manage donor relationships
- Manage FosterClub brand; ensure communications assets are aligned with the style guide, “look and feel,” and voice of the organization
Schizophrenia & Psychosis Action Alliance
Community Engagement Manager | 2022
- Develop, implement, and monitor annual revenue producing and engagement programs
- Develop annual fundraising budgets and prepare and monitor income projections and strategic plan forecasts
- Manage activities relating to marketing and communications including appeals, newsletters, and social media
Mental Health Association of San Francisco
Training Institute Coordinator | 2021
- Developed and facilitated staff and community trainings providing continuing professional development on mental health-related topics
- Created interactive online trainings for individuals on a learning management system
Center for Justice & Accountability
Development Officer | 2020 – 2021
- Developed goals and planned activities to advance CJA’s individual major donor outreach and cultivation
- Designed strategies, planned, organized, publicized, and independently managed public and donor cultivation events, (300+ people), including outreach and program
- Drafted grant proposals for individual donors, family foundations, and grant making organizations
- Led drafting, design, and production of CJA direct mail appeals and development correspondence
National Alliance on Mental Illness, San Francisco
Part-Time Mental Health 101 Program Manager | 2020 – 2021
- Trained and managed volunteers for Mental Health 101, a public education initiative by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, San Francisco
- Coordinated logistics and scheduling for educational presentations for community organizations
- Researched, wrote, and prepared presentation materials and slideshows for speakers
- Fostered new and existing relationships with community partners
- Developed program assessment protocols for evaluation and improvement of our programs
The Representation Project
Development Associate | 2018 – 2019
- Oversaw planning and execution of The Representation Project’s annual benefit with $320,000 fundraising goal
- Performed all data entry, maintenance, and analysis within Salesforce for an organization with a $2,000,000 budget
- Recruited, supervised, and mentored college interns
Futures Without Violence
Public Education Campaigns & Programs Intern | 2017 – 2018
- Created blog posts, graphics, and monthly videos for national education campaigns to end violence against women
- Managed Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts for That’s Not Cool, a teen dating violence prevention initiative
- Led programming for ambassador team of 800 teenagers, creating daily and monthly challenges to spread awareness
- Conducted research to determine efficacy of campaigns, synthesizing findings into regular grant reports
University of California, Berkeley
Bachelor of Arts in American Studies | 2017
- Regents’ and Chancellor’s Scholar – top merit scholarship offered by UC Berkeley, awarded to top 0.5% of applicants
- Graduated with honors
Sally Littlefield
