Transformation

RESPECT speakers participate in college course videoconference

It's one thing to share your personal life story in front of a group of people. But to share with people in remote locations on a six-site teleclass is another. Two RESPECT speakers from northwest Missouri -- one a veteran speaker and one on his first speaking engagement -- did just that and were cool, calm, and collected throughout the process.

The outing started out normally. The two speakers -- Mark and Steve -- went to speak at a Social Work class at Missouri Western State University. But when they arrived, they discovered the DSM Psychopathology class was to be video-conferenced to six sites: Kennett, Cape Girardeau, Kirksville, Warrensburg, Blue Springs, and Columbia, with 42 students in attendance statewide and a local instructor.

"They did a wonderful job!," said Scott Clark, staff development officer at Northwest Missouri Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center (NMPRC) in St. Joseph, where the two speakers are based. "We knew Mark would handle himself well . . . and did. He attached the lapel mic and said 'test, test' a couple of times and launched into his talk. Stacy (Downey) and I cannot say enough about Steve's performance. This was his first time out. His presentation went really well."

St. Joseph Psychiatric Center holds first RESPECT Day

submitted by Gail Current, NMPRC RESPECT Coordinator

Northwest Missouri Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center’s (NMPRC) very first RESPECT Day was held Tuesday, January 11, 2011, with more than 50 patients, staff, and outside guests in attendance. The hospital’s RESPECT committee members and eight RESPECT speakers planned and worked the event.

Both staff and speakers worked the registration desk from 8:00-8:30 a.m., providing everyone who signed in a schedule of events for the day as well as a RESPECT stress ball and pen. RESPECT International founder, Joel Slack, spoke from 8:30 to 11:45 a.m., followed by Gail Current's announcement of the first-, second-, and third-place winners of the RESPECT Poster Contest. Prizes of canteen coupons were given out. The entries to the Poster Contest, an activity that was held to coincide with RESPECT Day, were displayed for a week prior to the event. Door prizes, including five DVDs with the theme of respect as well as an Aretha Franklin CD, were given out. RESPECT speakers and committee members handed out evaluations and certificates of contact hours for the morning session.

RESPECT participants "speak out" about the benefits in new YouTube video

The RESPECT movement in Missouri has had a significant impact on the participants in RESPECT Institutes, as noted by two RESPECT speakers and the founder of the movement in the latest video on Transformation's YouTube channel, titled Perspectives on the RESPECT Speakers Initiative.   

During the four-day RESPECT Institute, people who receive mental health services learn to tell their personal stories of recovery in a public setting to promote understanding and awareness of  mental illness. 

Missouri consumers are winners in Mental Health First Aid-USA art contest

Four individuals who receive services through the Department of Mental Health have been recognized for their art submissions to the Mental Health First Aid-USA art contest.

Betty Wood, a member of the Friends in Action Clubhouse in Park Hills, Mo., is one of the contest's winners. Runners up include Angela Ward and Valerie Brooks, also from the Friends in Action Clubhouse, and George Gamache, who receives services through the Bellefontaine Habilitation Center in St. Louis. 

RESPECT facilitators receive training to help consumers find their "voice"

Department of Mental Health and community mental health provider staff representing all six regions of the state gathered for two days to formalize training procedures for Missouri's RESPECT Institute. Joel Slack, founder of RESPECT International, made his way back to Missouri to give guidance to staff who will facilitate RESPECT Institutes in their respective regions. 

The RESPECT Institute is a four-day training program that teaches consumers of mental health services  how to help others get a better understanding of mental illness by telling their own personal stories of recovery. In addition to enhancing public understanding of mental illness, speakers find the process therapeutic as they ponder that cycle of recovery. During the past year, all six of the regions have conducted a RESPECT Institute -- some for the first time -- with the assistance of Slack; Leigh Gibson, statewide RESPECT coordinator; and Dr. Jane Smith, Fulton State Hospital chaplain. The institute had its beginnings at Fulton State Hospital in 2000, led by Slack and Smith.

What is a Peer Specialist?

Missouri's Peer Specialist movement, in which people in recovery from a mental illness are trained to work in treatment centers to assist their peers in the recovery process, has grown significantly since the first training held in September 2008. Since that time, six trainings have occurred with 157 consumers completing the five-day training. Of that  number, 90 have completed and passed the final exam, certifying them to work with other consumers.

Certified peer specialist Sarah Earll provides a brief overview of the role of peer specialists in the latest video on the Office of Transformation's YouTube channel. View the video and then learn more about the peer specialist movement at www.peerspecialist.org.

This video was taped during a break in the Real Voices, Real Choices Consumer, Family and Youth conference held August 22-24 at Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, Mo.

Real Voices Conference planners provide perspectives on the 2010 event

David Helling and Jeff Johnson, members of the Real Voices, Real Choices Consumer, Family, and Youth Conference planning committee, shared their thoughts on this year's conference in two separate videos. The conference, held August 22-24 at Tan-Tar-A Resort at the Lake of the Ozarks, hosted more than 340 mental consumers, family members, and youth participants. Video presentations of Helling's and Johnson's comments can be viewed on the MOMHTransformation YouTube channel.

According to Helling, self-sufficiency is a major goal for the conference, and he believes that people are invested in seeing it continue: "People plan their vacations around this conference" so that they can participate, he says. Johnson sees the conference as an opportunity to learn more about available resources and to share that information with others who may need help.

The 2010 Real Voices, Real Choices Consumer conference is Missouri's second such effort. The conference is sponsored by the Department of Mental Health, the Office of Mental Health Transformation, and the Missouri Mental Health Foundation.

"What a Difference a Friend Makes" Contest announced

 

SAMHSA and the Ad Council are pleased to announce the What a Difference a Friend Makes Contest. If you have a great story about how you have been there for a friend through his/her recovery from a mental health problem, or how a friend has been there for you, we'd love to hear from you. 

Friendship and support are key aspects of recovery from mental health problems. Individuals are more likely to seek help in an environment of acceptance and understanding. SAMHSA and the Ad Council have launched this video and essay contest to promote the powerful testimonies of friends supporting each other in recovery, and to further awareness and education about the vital importance of mental health.

If you know of someone who has a compelling story, please encourage him/her to participate.

Youth REACCH member shares his story on DMH web site

Spencer Reese, a founding member of Missouri Youth REACCH, is currently featured on the "Celebrations"  web page of the Department of Mental Health's Division of Developmental Disabilities. On the web site, Spencer shares his experiences in gaining greater independence with the help of his mother and the Self-Directed services program, a program promoted by Missouri's Transformation Initiative.

Spencer's story is the latest in a series of personal stories featured on the web site. Read them all at http://dmh.mo.gov/dd/spotlight.

 

 

Joplin RESPECT Institute gets attention of local media

A  RESPECT Institute held in Joplin May 11-14, garnered the attention of a local TV station, which covered the graduation ceremony for 13 individuals. Reporter Brad Douglas from KSN TV in Joplin was on hand on May 14 to report on the program in general and to speak to graduates and organizers of the event. The news story may be viewed at the following link:
http://fourstateshomepage.com/search-fulltext?&nxd_id=121125.