Stories From The Road

6th Annual One Community In Recovery Conference

 

 

 

 

6th Annual
NC “One Community in Recovery” Conference
November 12 – 14, 2014
Village Inn and Conference Center, Clemmons, NC

Their 6th year! Sure to be an inspiring and informative event, this conference is designed to foster the continuing growth of the North Carolina Recovery Movement, to teach participants how to get recovery programming up and running in their own communities, to showcase some of the most progressive recovery practices and to bring the community of providers and individuals in recovery together as students and partners. This conference is also designed to educate and motivate participants to apply principles of recovery in their personal and professional lives.    Thur. Nov. 13th from 9:00 AM to Fri Nov. 14th at 3:00 PM   Register for Event | View Event Brochure       Related Materials: Recovery Champion Award Nomination.pdf Scholarship Application.pdf Scholarship_Sponsor_Registration_Form.pdf Sponsorship Opportunities.pdf Target Audience: This conference will be beneficial to those caring for people with mental health, substance abuse, and/or developmental disabilities, including administrators, educators, family members, individuals with lived experience, licensed professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, peer support specialists, policy makers, psychologists, service providers, social workers, substance abuse counselors, and other health and human service professionals interested in recovery. Sessions: Wednesday Pre-Conference. Please click here for registration fee and indicate below which sessions you will attend.  Wednesday November 12 from 11:30 AM to 4:45 PM Wednesday Pre-Conference Session A: More than Medicine: Recovery-Focused Psychiatry for the New World of Mental Health Care  Wednesday November 12 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM Wednesday Pre-Conference Session B: Resilience and Youth Recovery  Wednesday November 12 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM Wednesday Pre-Conference Session C: Responsive Crisis Response: The Role of Peers in Minimizing Hospitalizations  Wednesday November 12 from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM Wednesday Pre-Conference Session D: The Effective Use of Assertive Engagement and Harm Reduction Within ACT  Wednesday November 12 from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM Thursday and Friday  Thursday November 13 from 9:00 AM to Friday November 14 at 3:00 PM Thursday Only  Thursday November 13 from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Friday Only  Friday November 14 from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Objectives: Discuss the values, principles, adn philosohy of the Recovery Movement. Identify ways to implement Recovery principles into practice. Discuss and potentially implement cutting edge Recovery practices.

Upcoming Event: Fourth Annual Peer Conference in Greensboro

 

Life Lessons in Mental Health

 

Saturday, September 13, 2014

12:30 - 5 pm

Interactive Resource Center

407 E Washington St

Greensboro

Open to the public

$8 per person

 

Who should attend? Anyone who has experienced mental health challenges; anyone who has cared for someone with mental health challenges; anyone interested in mental health recovery and wellness.

 

What's it all about? Every presenter at the conference is a peer who is in mental health and/or substance abuse recovery. They will present on their areas of expertise, including yoga, finding fun in

recovery, drawing and mindfulness, trauma-focused care, "healthy me" collages, storytelling, learned optimism, and self care. Click here to download a full description of all sessions.

 

REGISTER HERE

 

After you have registered, please take time to review the sessions available. Please select ONE of each of the two sessions and contact Nellie or Nadia at [email protected] or [email protected] so that we can plan for the correct amount of space for each session. For more details, contact Mary Seymour at [email protected] or call 336-373-1402.  

 

 

May Is Mental Health Month

 

 

Mental health challneges are real, common and treatable. It is estimated that approximately 1 in 5 American adults (nearly 44 million people) and 13-20% of children living in the United States will experience a diagnosable mental health disorder in a given year. 

The month of May has been designated Mental Health Month. As a part of Mental Health Month I wanted to point you to some helpful resources provided by Mental Health America.

These are some helpful items to download related to managing good mental health this May:

• Mind Your Health Poster Calendar
• Fact Sheet- Alcohol Use and Abuse What You Should Know
• Fact Sheet- Finding Help
• Fact Sheet- Healthy Diet Eating with Mental Health in Mind
• Fact Sheet- Rest Relaxation and Exercise
• Fact Sheet- Social Support Getting Connected Staying Connected
• Fact Sheet- Stress Coping with Everyday Problems
• Fact Sheet- Supplements Weighing Benefits and Risks

 

May 4th and the Dignity of Persons

 

Dignity speaks to our attributes, our status and significance, our concious awareness and our support for others. May 4th is Mental Health Dignity Day and a day to underscore the worth of persons.

To what do we attribute those with mental health challenges? Dignity never excludes the qualities of another.  It acknowledges the true nature of a person. All persons.

What status do others already have? In our social and professional lives, what significance do we give those we don't fully know and and yet understand? Will fear diminish their merit? Dignity is about each person having (and us validating and affirming) their rightful place and position in life.

How do we perceive those different than us? Do we (in ignorance) qualify them differently? In dignity, we esteem each person's true worth. Each having their own marks of beauty and distinction.

In our concious awareness, what value do persons carry? Does a mental health challenge lessen another's importance? Dignity gives the true,existential import and level of seriousness that each person deserves. 

In our support of others, how do we regard them? Dignity leads us to curiosity, wonder, concern and a level of mindfulness of each person as a person.

May 4th, once a year allows us with intentionality and heart to bear witness to the importance, value and dignity of persons with mental health challenges.

On May 4th...Let us, as peers...in solidarity...stand with and stand together.

You May Also Like:

• We Do Not Help or Fix...We Support, We Serve
• Peer Inspiration: Humility and True Effectiveness
• Supporting Peers Towards Self-Determination

Critical Time Intervention Training with BHRP and UNC

 

When: 5-week series, Wednesdays, 1-2pm, starting April 30

CEUs: 5 Contact hours available

Fee: Free of charge

Register here: http://bhrp.sowo.unc.edu/cti

Behavioral Healthcare Resource Program is offering a 5-week series of instructor-led webinars on Critical Time Intervention (CTI). The series will offer 5 contact hours of continuing education. CTI is an intensive case management model designed for persons with serious mental illness who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, or who are making a critical transition from an institutional to community setting. It is a SAMHSA evidence based practice with demonstrated outcomes in reducing nights of homelessness and hospitalizations. It combines clinical engagement strategies with practical help and fosters collaboration amongst community providers.

CTI is time-limited and phase-based, lasting up to nine months and consisting of three phases. It is delivered by a team led by a licensed clinician. The model focuses on six key areas: connection to mental health, substance abuse and medical treatment; housing; benefits; money management; independent living skills; and family and social connections. This workshop will provide an introduction to CTI and review potential of the model to fill service gaps in the NC mental health system.

THE SCHEDULE

April 30, 1:00–2:00 PM: CTI Overview

May 07, 1:00–2:00 PM: Outreach, Engagement, and Assessment

May 14, 1:00–2:00 PM: Housing and Benefits

May 21, 1:00–2:00 PM: Living Skills and Social Connections

May 28, 1:00–2:00 PM: Creating a CTI Team and Building Community Partnerships

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Upon completion of this webinar series, participants should be able to:

1. Describe the CTI model and who may benefit from it

2. Examine clinical and practical strategies useful in CTI

3. Explore strategies for developing a CTI team and collaborating with community partners

4. Discuss benefits of CTI

TARGET AUDIENCE

Social workers, counselors, nurses, mental health workers, care coordinators, administrators and policy makers.

FACULTY

Barbara B. (Bebe) Smith, MSW, LCSW, is a clinical assistant professor in the School of Social Work and an adjunct clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is currently project director for Critical Time Intervention: Local

The Recovery Bill of Rights

 

The organization "The Faces and Voices of Recovery"  offers much hope and empowerment on their site for others wanting to find stories, current issues, trainings/events, and resources as tools for empowerment for others on their recovery journey.

For instance, a very powerful film is being shown across this country called The Anonymous People  a feature documentary film about the over 23 million Americans living in long-term recovery from addiction to alcohol and other drugs.  It will be shown by Recovery Communities in North Carolina (RCNC) on Wednesday, February 26th 2014 at 6:30 pm at the UNC School of Social Work and also online March 1st. 

With more than 22 million Americans who live with addiction, I found the "The Recovery Bill of Rights" to be an empowering tool to help us support others in finding their own paths to recovery  here in North Carolina.

1. We have the right to be viewed as capable of changing, growing
2. We have the right-as do our families and friends-to know about the many pathways to recovery, the nature of addiction
3. We have the right, whether seeking recovery in the community, a physician's office, treatment center or while incarcerated, to set our own recovery goals
4. We have the right to select services that build on our strengths
5. We have the right to be served by organizations or health care and social service providers that view recovery positively
6. We have the right to be considered as more than a statistic
7. We have the right to a health care and social service system that recognizes the strengths and needs of people seeking recovery
8. We have the right to be represented by informed policymakers
9. We have the right to respectful, nondiscriminatory care from doctors
10. We have the right to treatment and recovery support in the criminal justice system
11. We have the right to speak out publicly about our recovery

These bill of rights are instructive to the kind of care that should be received and the kind of policies that should developed as we move towards more recovery-oriented systems of care in NC.

They are also applicable to guide to the way we, as peer support specialists, are to advocate for individuals as they seek to find their voice, recover their sense of self, and realize a life beyond their challenges as the seek recovery here in North Carolina.

I would also encourage each one of you to check out (NC-ROCS) North Carolinians for Recovery-Oriented Care and join NC-ROCS on their Facebook Page and to follow them on the Webpage as well.  

Their vision is to see " a future in which all North Carolinians with mental health and substance use recovery needs achieve a high quality of life with the support of communities and health systems that embrace the principles of self-determination, resilience, and wellness."  

 

Their mission "is to catalyze transformative change by influencing public opinion, policy and practice around a Recovery-Oriented System of Care."

 

Gayle Bluebird "Taking Arts Seriously"- Free Peer Webinar: Wed. Feb.19th @ 1pm EST

A free webinar designed for peer specialists (also applicable for recovery coaches) on how peersupporters can use the arts to support others. The webinar is entitled: "Taking Arts Seriously" and will be presented by Gayle Bluebird, an arts and peer support advocate for many years.

Information presented will help both peer supporters discover how the arts can be used to facilitate self-awareness, problem solving and communication.

The webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014, from Noon to 1 p.m., EST. Participation information is provided on the following page. To receive a free certificate of participation, just complete the very brief quiz after the webinar (the link will be found on our website (www.inaops.org). A certificate will be mailed to you 3-4 weeks after the webinar.

Questions? Contact us at:
[email protected]
No pre-registration is required!!!

Please note that this webinar will be recorded so during the Question and Answer period, your voiceand identifying information may be disclosed. Questions and comments may be communicated to presenters using the “chat box” function during the webinar.

For continuing education credit, please contact your state certification authority to determine if this webinar is qualified for such credit.

Important!!! This webinar will involve a different audio system. Once you have joined the webinar,you will be asked to provide your phone number and you will be immediately called back by the system. It will be useful to call from a cell or single-line phone (so as to avoid multi-service phone systems). When you answer the phone, you will be prompted to press “1” to listen to the webinar.

A flyer about this webinar, with access information, is available on the Free Webinar Series page of our website: http://inaops.org/free-webinar-series/.

For Gayle's Altered States of the Arts commentary, visit: http://www.alteredstatesofthearts.com/index_files/Page315.htm

Building Your Own Peer-to-Peer Recovery Center

The Center for Social Innovation along with the The Faces and Voices of Recovery hosted a wonderful webinar presented by The Recover Project out of Massachusetts on "How to Build Your Own Recovery Center." 

Linda Sarage, The Recovery Center Director, presented the beginning steps of how to build your own peer-to-peer recovery center.  Some of the important points they laid out in that webinar included (which soon should be archived and posted on their site to listen to):

1. How to Plan For Your Project
2. The Staffing of Your Center
3. The Location of Your Center
4. Developing Your Vision
5. Assessing Your Community's Strengths and Needs
6. The Importance of Cultural Competency & Linguistic Inclusion
7. How to Craft Programs and Policies

These important areas of consideration are laid out in more depth in their "How-To-Manual" for Building Your Own Peer-to-Peer Recovery Center. They have truly built there Recovery Center from the "ground-up" and they are unique from other 12-step programs, club houses or drop-in centers. 

What struck me about their approach is the level of peer involvement in their visioning, their staffing decisions and their programs. There was input from the webinar from participants who have brought a special focus to the Veteran population. They also mention a special emphasis in their work with families.

They will be hosting another webinar on November 19th, 2013 at 1:30 p.m. The topic will be:

"Co-Creating Safer Spaces and The Participatory Process"

You can register here: http://a3.acteva.com/orderbooking/bookEvent/A338690

Whether you are a grass-roots organization or whether you work with an existing agency, you really ought make to sit in on this very informative webinar and hear the exciting work they are doing.