Our History
We were founded in 2005 by Jayson Blair, who has bipolar, and his mother, Fran Blair. The Blairs received the idea of a support group from a man named Bob Mills in North Carolina who is a member of a similar group.
In January 2006, the first support groups met -- one for loved ones and one for those with bipolar -- in Centreville, Virginia. The month before the group affiliated with the national Depression Bipolar Support Alliance. That is where the group gets its second name DBSA-Northern Virginia. The groups quickly grew to include parents, children, husbands, wives and other relatives, as well as those with bipolar. The groups were peer-run, but were assisted by professional advisors who worked in the mental health field.
In the summer of 2007, the group laid the groundwork for two new support groups for those with bipolar, with one in Woodbridge, Virginia and one in Ashburn, Virginia. The group also received a grant to start a local hospitalization awareness program where volunteers went into area psychiatric units and hospitals to educate patients, loved ones and mental health workers about support available in the community.
Jayson is a former reporter for The New York Times who
left in a turmoil that also allowed for the discovery of his bipolar
disorder. Fran is a retired special education principal, administrator
and teacher. Jayson is a non-voting member and Fran is a voting member
of a 10-person board of directors made up of those with bipolar disorder
and their loved ones.
The group's professional advisor is Michael Oberschneider, Psy.D., a
renowned clincical psychologist and founder of Ashburn
Psychological Services.
The Bylaws of DBSA-Northern Virginia
Our mission:
• Support for Those with Bipolar Disorder
• Support for the Loved Ones of Those with Bipolar Disorder
Our value statement:
To improve the lives of those with bipolar disorder and their loved ones, anywhere and everywhere,
through support and information.
Our programs:
• A support group for those with bipolar meeting in Centreville, Virginia every Tuesday.
• A support group for the loved ones meeting in Centreville, Virginia every other Tuesday.
• A support group for those with bipolar meeting in Woodbridge, Virginia every other Wednesday.
• A support group for those with bipolar meeting in Ashburn, Virginia every Monday.
• Open website listserv discussion groups to provide information to those with bipolar and their loved ones.
• A local hospital awareness program where our members work with area psychiatric hospitals and units to
educate patients, family members and others about community support.
• Speaker events and lecture series
• Special programs, such as a mood disorders screening day and others
Future Programs:
• A teen support group.
DBSA-Northern Virginia Board of Directors
ERIC ANDERSON has spent 10 years in home improvement and more time in other sales jobs. He is currently the sales manager at Procraft of Virginia Liquid Siding. He lives with bipolar.
FRAN BLAIR is a retired principal, school administrator and special education teacher in Maryland and for the Fairfax County Public Schools. Fran co-founded DBSA-Northern Virginia and is the facilitator of the Loved Ones Group and is on the subcommittee creating a bipolar support group for teens. She is the mother of someone living with bipolar.
JAYSON BLAIR is the executive director of DBSA-Northern Virginia and a non-voting member of the board. He is a writer and small business owner. Jayson co-founded the group, is the facilitator of the Centreville Bipolar Support Group. Jayson is a former reporter for The New York Times and a life coach. He lives with bipolar.
ERICA LAGERSON has worked in social science research
for six years. She has also served on the board of a neighborhood
association and volunteered as a Girl Scout leader. Currently, she is
a housewife in Northern Virginia and is expecting her first child. She
lives with bipolar.
JOAN LUNSFORD is a retired music school teacher for
the Fairfax County Public Schools. She is the mother of someone living
with bipolar.
MARK MESCHTER has spent years as a writer and editor and now specializes in health care and scientific stories. He lives with bipolar.
JENNIFER MARSHALL is DBSA-NOVA's deputy executive director. She works in corporate human resources and has been a recruiter and account manager in the field, an account executive at an advertising agency and a computer software instructor. Jennifer lives with her husband in Herndon. She lives with bipolar.
DAN NARKIEWICZ is a computer engineer and works in the Northern Virginia area. He is the husband of someone living with bipolar.
MICHAEL SALMON works in construction design and management, and lives with reoccuring depression. Michael lives with his wife in Woodbridge, Va. Mike is the facilitator of the Woodbridge Bipolar Support Group.
ONE BOARD MEMBER, who chooses not to disclose her mental
illness, is an event coordinator and will facilitate the DBSA-NOVA Teen
Support Group. She has experience working and volunteering for various
non-profit organizations. She lives with bipolar.
ONE BOARD MEMBER, who chooses not to disclose his mental
illness, is a computer
systems whiz who has worked for a major defense contractor and other
large corporations. He is the principal architect and webmaster of dbsanova.org.
He lives with bipolar.
DBSA-Northern Virginia Professional Advisor
MICHAEL OBERSCHNEIDER, PSY.D. is a
clinical psychologist and the founder of Ashburn
Psychological Services.
He received his Doctoral Degree in
Clinical Psychology from George Washington University in 2001. Upon completion
of his degree, Dr. Oberschneider completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship
at the Pennsylvania Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania Health
Systems. This advanced training involved in-patient and out-patient consultation,
treatment and evaluation rotations. Dr. Oberschneider has spent the past
four years working as a psychologist in a variety of capacities with
children, adolescents and adults. Dr. Oberschneider has practiced as
a staff psychologist at an in-patient hospital unit, the United States
Justice Department, the City of Alexandria (Youth and Family Services)
and in private practice.
Dr. Oberschneider has published several articles in academic journals
including: Clinical Child Psychiatry and Psychology, The Archives of
Sexual Behavior, The Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic. He has presented
at national conventions, such as the American Psychological Association,
Division 39, Annual Meeting and received honorary awards for his published
work. He has had additional psychotherapy and assessment training at
the following: Children’s National Medical Center, The DC Superior
Courts, Howard University Counseling Center, the Speech and Language
Center of Northern Virginia, the Center Clinic of the George Washington
University, the N Street Village Residential Facility, the Baltimore
Washington Center of Psychoanalysis and the Pennsylvania Center of Psychoanalysis.
