Mental Health Recovery Newsletter

Contents

Notes from Mary Ellen and Ed

Mental Health Recovery and WRAP Facilitator Training

Recovery Topics:
Wellness Tool: Light
WRAP: Early Warning Signs
A Reminder About WRAP

Notes from a Peer Support Specialist

Other Educational Opportunities
Correspondence Course

Resources
WRAP and Peer Support Manual
Booklets
Website
E-group

Introduction

Welcome to Mental Health Recovery Newsletter, begun in March 2000 and published quarterly from the office of Mary Ellen Copeland. This newsletter is available free to anyone who wants to learn more about recovering from uncomfortable and often disabling emotions, feelings and behaviors. If you do not have a subscription to this newsletter and would like one, please contact the office of Mary Ellen Copeland by e-mail or click here. Subscription is free by email or ground mail. Multiple copies are available: 50 copies for $25 plus mailing; 100 copies for $45 plus mailing. Please contact us and let us know whether we can send you the email version to save a tree. You may freely copy and distribute this newsletter or sections of it, giving credit to Mary Ellen Copeland.

Notes from Mary Ellen and Ed

It is with great sadness that we share with you the news of the death of our good friend and a leader in the mental health recovery movement, David Hilton. In his role as director of the Office of Consumer Affairs in New Hampshire, Dave held firm to a recovery vision. He brought us to New Hampshire for intensive state wide training that has spanned many years. The earliest of these mental health recovery seminars are the model for recovery training that is now happening all over this country and all over the world. He also leaves a legacy of pioneering work in peer support. He was a giant in the movement and will be missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him, working with him and being his friend.

After years of travel and teaching others all over the world about mental health recovery, we have decided that, with a couple of exceptions for programs already in process, Ed and I will not be traveling to teach after November 1. Travel is becoming more and more physically draining. Our bodies are telling us that it is time to stop, that we need to spend more time at home. We will continue our efforts to network mental health recovery and WRAP around the world using strategies that fit within this change in our lifestyle.

We know we are able to do this now without jeopardizing the international networking of Mental Health Recovery and WRAP because we now have over 1,000 excellent facilitators who are already doing this work. We are working on setting up a referral system that will connect people who are looking for WRAP facilitators, seminar leaders and keynote speakers with others who are well trained and highly qualified. There will be more information on this in the next newsletter. In the meantime, if you are looking for someone to do a workshop, seminar or keynote, contact my office.

We will continue to provide this free quarterly newsletter.

You can still order all of the resources from our office. A new manual that I am writing with Shery Mead on Peer Support and WRAP will soon be available.

We will continue to have at least three five day Mental Health Recovery and WRAP facilitator trainings here in Vermont each year. We will also host an annual three day refresher for facilitators who have already taken the training. We may plan other trainings here in Brattleboro, Vermont.

In addition META Services in Phoenix, AZ and the West Virginia Mental Health Consumers Association, Inc. will be holding five day training events on Implementing Recovery and WRAP in your Mental Health System. The first of these trainings was held in February in Phoenix. Evaluations of this training were superb. People learned from the presenters and the other participants those strategies that are creating change in their systems much more quickly than they had previously thought possible. One of these trainings will be happening in October in Charleston, WV and another one will be held in Phoenix in February. Check the website for further information and to register.

I (Mary Ellen) will be spending much of the year working on two very important projects.

1. The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has contracted with me to develop a training protocol, Self-Care in the Mental Health System: Training to Increase Health Care Information and Facilitate Recovery. This curriculum will be used by state, county and local mental health delivery systems to implement educational programs in self-help skills and strategies for people with mental health issues. This three part manual will include a section on specific recovery information that needs to be covered in educational programs; another on training people, especially those of us who have had difficult times, to teach this information; and a section on strategies for integrating this program into a system, agency or organization, which will include information on funding mechanisms, staffing and human resource development. This exciting manual will be based on my previous studies and the findings of studies I will be undertaking in the coming months.

2. I will be working with Shery Mead on a Vermont state research project to determine the strategies like WRAP and peer support that would be most helpful to those of us who are working on our recovery and have had repeated involuntary commitments. While this study targets this special group, the findings of the study and the curriculum developed based on the findings will be of value to all of us.
   

Repeating this Special Request

If any of you are working with mental health recovery and WRAP programs that are reaching people who are often hard to reach and difficult to engage, people who are in prisons or institutions, have repeated involuntary treatment or hospitalizations, are homeless or living in shelters, live in very remote areas, are very poor, etc. I would like to hear about what you are doing and your successes and your challenges. Please e-mail me at copeland@mentalhealthrecovery.com. Your experience will be helpful to others. Thanks.

Come to Vermont for Mental Health Recovery Seminar II: Facilitator Training

The next Mental Health Recovery and WRAP Facilitator training led by Mary Ellen Copeland is scheduled for January 19-23, 2004 in Brattleboro, Vermont. In this training you will work with highly skilled teachers who have years of experience in this field. You will learn from them, the other participants and several interns, the values and ethics that guide mental health recovery work, and how to 1.) lead interactive groups in developing Wellness Recovery Action Plans and other mental health recovery topics, 2.) share information in ways that make it easy for people to understand, even people who are struggling with very intrusive symptoms, 3.) motivate others to take back control of their lives and make their lives the way they want them to be, and 4.) how to begin to integrate mental health recovery into your health care system. Combining WRAP and peer support initiatives will also be included in this training.

As a Mental Health Recovery and WRAP facilitator, you will become part of an ever expanding network of mental health recovery facilitators that now numbers in the thousands. Interest in this work continues to grow as people become more and more committed to programs and initiatives that are focused on hope, empowerment, self determination, recovery and wellness. This focus is right for those of us who are working to reclaim our lives. It is also right for agencies and systems who are dedicated to assisting people in the wellness process, and who are being forced to provide services at the least cost possible.

Prerequisites for the training include having a basic understanding of mental health recovery and WRAP. You can get this basic understanding by taking the Correspondence Course described later in this newsletter. You can also get it by attending one of the thousands of WRAP and recovery groups being held around the country. You can find out about such programs in your area by contacting your local mental health agencies and organizations. If you don't have success there, contact my office.

People have successfully secured the funding to attend this training through: 1.) their State Department of Mental Health, 2.) state offices of consumer affairs or statewide organizations of people who have used services, 2.) consumer operated services, 3.) vocational rehabilitation, 4.) groups that serve people with disabilities, 5.) local or regional mental health agencies and organizations, 6.) churches and other local organization and 7.) family members and friends. You may need to reach out to several different funding sources. If you are having difficulty with securing funds, e-mail my office and I can send you a hand-out on how to find funds.

Theses courses fill up early so make your plans soon. The cost of this seminar is $975, including the Facilitator Training Manual. Add your travel and personal expenses. As soon as we receive your registration, we will send you an informational packet on travel arrangements and other details.

Mental Health Recovery and WRAP Facilitator Refresher

April 13, 14 and 15, 2004 in Brattleboro, Vermont

If you have been teaching Mental Health Recovery and WRAP, you will find that this three day refresher will teach you new skills and strategies, connect you with others who are doing work similar to yours, re-energize you, validate the significance of the good work you are doing and introduce you to the latest thinking on Mental Health Recovery and WRAP. As an attendee, your ideas and experience will become part of the body of knowledge that is being developed in the mental health recovery field.

The focus of this refresher will be: 1.) using participatory action research to evaluate and improve your program, and 2.) integrating WRAP and peer support programs. In addition there will be ample time for you to work with the instructors and other group members to find solutions to problems in your program.

The cost of this training is $475 including lunch. You are responsible for your personal expenses.

PLEASE SEND ME A REGISTRATION PACKET FOR:

__ Seminar II: Facilitator Training __ Mental Health Recovery and WRAP Facilitator Refresher

Name_____________________________________________

Address___________________________________________

City, State, Zip ______________________________________

Phone_____________________Fax_____________________

E-mail____________________________________________

COPY and MAIL, FAX, or EMAIL this form to Mary Ellen Copeland, PO Box 310, W. Dummerston, VT 05357, Fax: (802) 254-2092, or E-mail Copeland@mentalhealthrecovery.com

Recovery Topics

Wellness Tool - Light

Fall is here. The days are getting shorter and shorter. There are more and more cloudy days. For many of us, that means the beginning of a downhill slide into a winter depression. You may notice that you feel worst around the holidays, when everyone else seems to be feeling jolly and having a good time. There are some things you can do to help yourself feel better. You may want to list them in your Wellness Toolbox.

• Spend as much time outdoors each day as possible-even on cloudy or stormy days. If you work, go outside on your breaks. If you can take a brisk walk, that will help as well.

• When you are indoors, spend your time near windows.

• Get up at the same time each day, even if you don't feel like it. Avoid sleeping in.

• Change your light bulbs to full spectrum bulbs.

• You may find that you feel worse in rooms that are lit with regular fluorescent lighting. If so, spend as little time in those rooms as possible.

• You may benefit from using a light box. You can find out about light boxes by searching on the web. Some companies will let you have a free trial period. If the light box hasn't helped after several week, it won't work for you. Light boxes can be costly. Some mental health agencies have rooms with light boxes where you can get exposure to light.

I include spending at least 1/2 hour outside each day in my daily maintenance plan. If I notice I am starting to feel depressed, an early warning sign, I try and spend at least an hour each day outside. I also have a light box that I use to light my work space.

I sometimes notice that if I leave the light box on late in the day, I have trouble sleeping. If you have uncomfortable feelings like racing thoughts and too much energy, you may want to limit your exposure to light until you feel better.

If your problem with fall and winter depression persists, you may want to contact a physician that specializes in the treatment of Seasonal Affective Disorder.

WRAP: Early Warning Signs

This section is an on-going explanation of the parts of the Wellness Recovery Action PlanT. In previous issues of this newsletter, we have discussed the Wellness Toolbox, the Daily Maintenance plan and Triggers. In this issue we will address Early Warning Signs. The sections after Early Warning Signs are When Things are Breaking Down, followed by Crisis Planning and Post Crisis Planning. For complete instructions on developing a Wellness Recovery Action PlanT you can order resources from the order form in this newsletter or refer to several articles on the website.

Early warning signs are those subtle signs that things are not quite right. When I began working on WRAP I listed my early warning signs that I was aware of. Then, in being part of many WRAP groups, I began to realize I had other early warning signs-signs that had always been there but that I had not thought about. So I added those to my list. Some of my early warning signs include forgetting to buckle my seat belt, not answering the phone, feeling uneasy in crowds, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, wanting to eat lots of junk food, worry and obsessive negative thinking.

Before I had WRAP I used to ignore my early warning signs-those that I recognized. I hoped they would just go away. I just kept doing the things I usually did the way in the same way that I usually did them. But, without taking any action, usually they didn't go away. In fact, they often got worse. As they got worse it became more and more difficult for me to keep going. I might go into a depression, have anxiety, start hearing voices and believing that certain people were "out to get me". I might end up having to take time off from work, being unable to enjoy my usual activities, taking more medications or even being hospitalized.

Now, with WRAP, I have become much more aware of what my early warning signs are. Instead of ignoring them, I take action. In the old days my actions might have included hiding out in my room for a few days, taking extra medications, and eating junk food. As you can imagine, I would get worse and worse. Now, using my Wellness Toolbox as a guide, I have developed a list of things to do when I notice any of my early warning signs. My list includes telling a supporter how I am feeling, spending at least an hour each day doing something I really enjoy (for me it might be taking a long hike, playing with my grand son or working on a quilt), getting at least a half hour of exercise, doing at least two relaxation exercises using my favorite relaxation tapes and making sure I avoid caffeine and sugar. When I do the things on this list, my early warning signs usually go away. If they get worse, I may have to refer to the next section of the plan, "When things are Breaking Down". But this hasn't happened to me in a very long time.

In doing this work I talk to many, many people who have developed a WRAP and use it as their personal guide to daily living. They report experiences similar to mine-that using their own plans to respond to early warning signs, they have reduced or eliminated much more difficult times.

If you are just beginning to work on your recovery you may have only one early warning sign that you are aware of. This is fine. It is a good place to begin. As you become more aware of how you are feeling, you may notice more early warning signs you can include in your plan. You also may only have one or two Wellness Tools that you are aware of. Again, that is a good beginning. There are various WRAP resources listed on the order form at the end of this newsletter that describe other Wellness Tools that you may want to try. In addition, you might benefit from attending a WRAP group where you share your ideas and get ideas from others.

Another hint

These days many people are telling me that they are having a very difficult time with depression. I have been having the same difficulty. Perhaps it is the summer weather. Perhaps it is world events. Perhaps something that is difficult to deal with, like the death of a close friend is making each day hard for you. I am doing my best to do everything on my Daily Maintenance Plan each day and also following my Early Warning Signs Plan. In addition, I am reviewing my Wellness Toolbox, and each day I try to do one extra thing from that list. It may be to have a date (even one or two hours doing something special with my spouse), checking in with a friend I have not seen for some time, playing with my grandson, buying myself a gift, taking a walk with my dog, spending extra time listening to music or reading a novel. Whatever happens to suit me at the time. Sometimes it is hard for me to do this. I almost have to force myself. But it is worth it. This strategy is keeping me going.

Even if you don't have a WRAP, you can make a list of things you enjoy doing and choose to do one or several of them each day-even if you don't feel like it. You will be surprised by how much better you feel.

A Reminder About WRAP

The following was included in the last newsletter. Since I have had repeated requests for the following information about Wellness Recovery Action Planning, and hear complaints that WRAP is not being used as it was intended, I have decided to repeat it in this issue.

WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action PlanT) is a very important program. It is now used widely across the country and around the world. It is considered an exemplary practice by the SAMSHA Center for Mental Health Services. It has helped people like me, people who have experienced difficult psychiatric symptoms, some for many years, to take charge of our lives and move on with our recovery. It is important to be clear about what WRAP is, and what it is not.

WRAP is a structured system for keeping yourself well and for responding to difficult symptoms or troubling things that happen to you when you are not feeling well. WRAP doesn't tell you what to do. You figure it out for yourself. WRAP is totally self determined. You develop it for yourself. It can be very simple or it can be more complex. You can choose to do some parts of it or all of it. You can do some of it now and some later.

If someone says that they will develop a WRAP for you, it is not a WRAP. If someone else tells you that they will develop a WRAP for you, tell them they can't do that. You know more about yourself than anyone else, and you know more about what helps you and what doesn't. You also know what you are willing to do and what you are not willing to do. These are all personal choices. If someone else develops it, it is a treatment plan, not a WRAP. However, if you want to, you could ask someone to assist and support you as you write your own WRAP.

It is not OK for someone else to insist they keep your WRAP for you so you don't lose it. This is your WRAP. You keep it for yourself. If you lose it, you develop another one. However, if you do not have a good place to keep your WRAP (maybe you are staying in a homeless shelter or sharing space with several other people), you could ask someone else to keep it for you. But that choice must be yours.

Sometimes people attend a session or series of sessions where they learn about WRAP. Then they never develop one. They still say they got a lot out of hearing about the process, learned a lot about themselves, became aware of many new wellness tools, tried some of them out, and began working in earnest on their recovery. That's great. The important thing about WRAP and mental health education is that it is available. People who learn about it choose to use it in any way that works for them.

If you are in a program where you are told everyone in the program must develop and use a WRAP, please tell the facilitator that WRAP is not a program where you are told you have to do anything. It is a place to learn about options and opportunities, a place to learn more about yourself.

Notes from a Peer Support Specialist

Written by and included with permission from Cecil A-W Herr, Peer Support Specialist and WRAP Facilitator

WRAP helps us learn how to equalize the swings of emotion. WRAP enables us to maintain and decrease the frequency of the swings. WRAP shows us how to obtain the equalized lifestyle and enables us to feel better, thereby opening doors of opportunity for future improvements.

WRAP is just the beginning step. It's not hard yet it is hard, because you soul search yourself and admit very painful and frightful things about yourself. It opens doors that look like a vast emptiness, yet the ground is solid when you take that first step to personal responsibility.

WRAP educates people on how to achieve their own goals. The goals of the WRAP program are to educate people on how to help themselves and give information about the steps to be taken.

We don't just tell "what to do", we show "how to do it" with the resources to succeed. We teach how to "fix" self and show how not to depend on someone else to "fix" us.
We, the facilitators offer support, guidelines and encouragement. We've walked the road others are on and have chosen to return to assist others along the path.

Additional Education Opportunities

Mental Health Recovery Correspondence Course

The four-part Mental Health Recovery Correspondence Course will teach you mental health recovery concepts and skills as well as how to develop a Wellness Recovery Action PlanT for yourself and/or to share with others. It meets the prerequisites for attending Mental Health Recovery Seminar II: Facilitator Training. If you want to attend the Facilitator Training in January, this is a good time to begin the Correspondence Course.

This course is also valuable if you are beginning or working on your recovery. It will move you forward, guided by a highly trained and skilled WRAP educator. You can be in direct contact with her as you work on the course, either by phone, e-mail or regular mail. This course may be an option for you if there are no WRAP classes available in your area or if transportation is difficult for you.

In some areas where several people are taking the correspondence course, participants are gathering, usually once a week, to discuss and work on the assignments together. I have found that this works very well. If several people in your area are taking, or considering taking the Correspondence Course, you might consider this option.

The Recovery Education Center at Meta Services Inc. in Phoenix, Arizona and specifically Val Everton administer the correspondence course. Val, an experienced recovery educator reviews and responds to assignments.

The course includes reading and written assignments, projects, activities and phone discussion with the instructor. The three texts for the course are: The Depression Workbook, Living Without Depression and Manic Depression, and Wellness Recovery Action PlanT. The cost is $200 per participant, plus the cost of any needed text books.

For information on registering for Correspondence Course, contact Nancy Haldeman, P.O. Box 6464, Chandler, Arizona 85246 or e-mail nancy@copelandcenter.com.

Resources

Coming soon! WRAP and Peer Support Manual: Personal, Group and Program Development
Co-authored by Mary Ellen Copeland and Shery Mead

Last spring, Shery Mead and I attended a national meeting on peer support. At that meeting I was astounded by the number of peer support centers and programs that were holding WRAP groups as part of their program. The directors of the peer support programs reported on the positive effects of this connection on both personal and group recovery process. In order to make that connection possible for more and more centers and groups, Shery and I spent much of the summer writing what I believe is a profoundly powerful manual-one that has the potential for creating great change in the way we all do things in our own lives and in the way we work with others.

Peer support is about doing our relationships with others in new and different ways that promote growth, recovery and wellness. WRAP is about doing our life in new and different ways that promote growth, recovery and wellness. By combining the two, the skills and strategies that we discover in peer support can become part of our WRAP and the skills and strategies we discover as we learn about and use WRAP can assist us in peer support.

The combination of WRAP and peer support can be incredibly powerful in helping us grow, learn from each other, and challenge each other beyond what we thought we were capable of. Using some of the peer support theory, we can begin to use WRAP to help each other discover the context within which we've learned about ourselves, and then help each other develop plans that build a new "story."

This manual includes both theory and practical application, discussion questions, examples and activities. It also includes step by step instructions for developing a personal and a group or organizational WRAP within peer support settings.

It is expected that the first copies of this manual will roll off the press in December. You can be assured that you will get one of the first copies if you order yours now using the order form in this newsletter. The cost is $40. The first fifty copies of the manual ordered using this order form will be signed by the authors.

SAMHSA Booklets

Don't forget to order your free copies of the popular mental health recovery booklets that are available free by calling 1-800-789-2647, or through www.mentalhealth.org/highlights/whatsnew/. The titles and numbers of the booklets are: SMA-3715 Building Self-esteem; SMA-3716 Making and Keeping Friends; SMA-3717 Dealing with the Effects of Trauma; SMA-3718 Developing a Recovery and Wellness Lifestyle; SMA-3719 Speaking Out for Yourself; SMA-3720 Recovering Your Mental Health: Action Planning for Prevention and Recovery; and SMA# 3504 Recovering Your Mental Health: A Self-Help Guide.

E-GROUP

Join the e-group "mentalhealthrecovery" . Share your experiences and get ideas, advice and support from others with similar problems and issues. Go to www.yahoogroups.com. Then do a search for mentalhealthrecovery. It will pull up two sites--one that is the Mary Ellen Copeland group and one that is in the UK. You may want to join both. Then follow the instructions to register and participate in the group. There have been many lively discussions over the last few years.

Booklet Available "Steps toward Healthier and Happier Relationships".
By Beverly Johnson

The essay is designed to help people in recovery move toward healthier and happier relationships. I would like to share my insights to help others that either suffers from a mental illness or those who have difficulties with people they encounter in their daily lives. This essay is comprised of responses to what I feel are basic problems for people in recovery. From this writing, the readers will be able to grasp the concepts and apply them.

To order this booklet Steps Toward Healthier and Happier Relationships e-mail Bevjohnson60@cs.com. The booklets cost $5.00 each. If you order 50 or more they are $4.50 each. The postage fee is .37 cents plus .25 cents for the envelope.

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