Mad in America Virtual Event
On Saturday, January 25 · 6 – 8pm GMT – Online
Please join Mad in America for a private screening of Cover Me followed by Q&A with Alison Perry Sower, Cover Me producer and founder the veterans ranch featured in the film.
Cover Me: The Path to Purpose is the award-winning film about the Central Oregon Veterans Ranch (COVR), a small nonprofit ranch in Oregon with a big vision for the post-traumatic growth of veterans. Narrated by founder and film co-producer Alison Perry Sower, the film features the stories of combat veterans and military trauma survivors whose lives were transformed by their participation at the ranch. Perry Sower weaves in elements of her own experience and insight as a military family member and trauma therapist who worked under the medical model for six years, along with her vision for a paradigm shift in how we approach healing and growth in trauma survivors. Perry Sower, who currently works as a trauma-informed coach, consultant, educator, and writer, will also illuminate the core elements of the model of care implemented at COVR, as well as its relevance as a model of care applicable to various populations.
About the Producer
Alison Perry Sower is a Licensed Professional Counselor, military family member, and founder of the nonprofit Central Oregon Veterans Ranch. She has worked with veterans in government, private practice, and nonprofit settings for approximately 20 years, including six years in the Department of Veterans Affairs. Alison began working at the Portland VA Medical in 2005, two years after her brother deployed for the invasion of Iraq as an Apache helicopter pilot. She served in the Mental Health Clinic and on the PTSD Clinical Team prior to transferring to the Bend VA Community-Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC) in 2008. During her six years in the VA, Alison developed a passion for working with combat trauma across the lifespan. In 2012 she left the VA to pursue her vision of a more holistic approach to healing trauma, and in 2014 established the Central Oregon Veterans Ranch (COVR), “A 19-acre working ranch that restores purpose and spirit to veterans of all ages and eras.” Alison served as the Executive Director of COVR from 2014 to 2023, and in 2022 co-produced the documentary, Cover Me: The Path to Purpose, a film about the transformative approach to healing veterans at Central Oregon Veterans Ranch. Additionally, Alison taught at Oregon’s Department of Public Safety Standards & Training for four years, co-facilitating Veterans Awareness and debriefing Mental Health scenarios with Law Enforcement and Corrections students. She is the winner of a 2009 Red Cross Community Hero Award, 2016 Deschutes County Health Advisory Board Health Hero Award, and 2017 Bend Chamber of Commerce Community Hero Award. Alison currently works as a trauma-informed clinical and nonprofit consultant, coach, presenter, and public speaker, and is writing a book about her professional journey, anticipated for release around the 25th anniversary of 9/11.
About the Host
Robert Whitaker is the author of four books, and coauthor of a fifth, three of which tell of the history of psychiatry. In 2010, his Anatomy of an Epidemic: Magic Bullets, Psychiatric Drugs, and the Astonishing Rise of Mental Illness won the U.S. Investigative Reporters and Editors book award for best investigative journalism. He is the founder of madinamerica.com, a website that features research news and blogs by an international group of writers interested in “rethinking psychiatry.”
Tickets: $10 USD. Funds will support Mad in America’s work as a non-profit organization. We understand that not everyone can afford the expense at this time. Please type in the code coverme for a free ticket as needed.
Refund Policy
Refunds up to 1 day before event
Eventbrite’s fee is nonrefundable.