RecoveryPartnershipsCon2009

 

Introduction/Definition/etc Body Conclusion Discussion Page History Page Statistics Page Views:  since creation on 20090124

 

Introduction/Definition/etc

 

An annual RRWG initiated proposal line item RCSC con

educating the community on Trauma informed Care...

 

Body

 

 

Historically, the Regional Community Support Center was a first hired staffed project

of the early RRWG proposal under former NVMHI director Lynn DeLacy.

 

It aims to provide Trauma Informed services (education mostly) in the region,

by having an annual conference, paid staff director and advisory council. 

 

Previous years (somewhat described here on the NoVAPeers.pbwiki)

had breakout multi room workshops where some of the rest of the RRWG presented

and some participant forced confusion on choosing which room to be in

with aimlessly wandering the halls, but this year was much more limited

probably due to budget restrictions.

 

This year, two local speakers in one main room, with two vendors 'booths':

LMEC selling fundraising t shirts/ sweatshirts and

NIMH Outpatient Studies luring subjects for genetic studies on schizophrenia

and some associated literature.

 

A half day afternoon conference (hey, no mornings) included two 'invited' speakers:

[requested slides hopefully to follow].

 

Lori L. Beyer, a LICSW, MSWAC who seemed too clinical to me,

what parts I caught when arriving late, catching a quick box lunch

(later hey hotel staff, where are you going with those left over boxes on a cart?)

while catching up with a former RRWG member, and [maybe talking too loud

in the hallway?] but eventually heard Ms. Beyer make an interesting mention

that your administrative staff needs to be trained as well,

as they have more face time with clients sometimes than clinical staff,

[not to mention my personal experience of how unwelcoming

and unfriendly even our own organization is with a nasty receptionist or two...  ]

 

This speaker seemed to aim high, and presenting first probably gave an overview

and got the clinicians early, as several seem to escape by 3 pm

perhaps on the shift time boundary or working staff getting clubhouse people

back on time...

 

Tonier Caine, a NCTIC connected Consumer Advocate from Maryland

described her childhood trauma in painful detail, possibly re-traumatizing

the rest of us.  Childhood photos, mug shots and conference photos

were contrasted in a self promoting over the top presentation

that made me wonder if she had been using before getting 'on stage',

as describing being late as a ice breaker but I don't recall

seeing her present before to compare and I wouldn't diagnose

without a drug test kit...

 

Ultra-high energy and direct hitting, describing an alcholic family,

being used by her mother's visiting men, trying to protect siblings,

mistreated, neglected, repeatedly raped, and other trauma

was difficult to listen to, almost a trauma-a-log,

similar to a drug-a-log or drunk-a-log...

 

However, it was repeatedly brought back to trauma informed care

[after I no longer wanted to listen] when asking with the mug shot

photo projected, if you would give someone looking like her

a chance (or similar) and what if she had recieved

trauma informed care at age 9, before the disturbed schoolings,

60+ arrests, other criminal justice, mental health and

eventually a judge tried substance abuse treatment

with a public defender she had only met on the court day,

giving no time to prepare and typically makes you wonder about

a fair and adequate public defense system much less the

raping substance abuse counselor who gave her a ride

after one program ended...

 

She eventually got into a program after losing a still born child

(one hanging out of her dead in the hospital hallway,

on a trip from jail), and later pregnant with another,

(even the simplest question 'do you have children?'

can trigger incredible shame, that if you have had children

and don't know where or how they are...) requesting from

an overly friendly judge jail time to still be eligible to go to

something that sounded like a progressive halfway house

[residential] dual diagnosis program

where someone probably asked the trauma informed question

'what happened to you?' instead of the shaming

'what's wrong with you?'...

 

During the Q&A, at least one probably vanned in

clubhouse audience member seemed to want to be like her,

and others related so probably touched some people,

and it made a point, but at what emotional cost to the rest of us? 

 

My experience of the first speaker was of little connection,

but I was late and didn't have room and wasn't ready to hear,

the second speaker was as if I were being raped

and verbally abused by her descriptions of her being abused,

which I'm not responsible for, so why stay and be abused?

so I left the room multiple times, which I have done

previous trauma conferences as well, usually on concerns

or suggestions being ignored or demeaned by conference organizers...

 

This presentation seemed to aim low, as I mentioned to Russell afterwards,

in a 'hit them high and hit them low' sort of approach, but trauma informed,

IMO shouldn't involve hitting at all...

 

Unfortunately, some trauma people seem to only know how

to communicate/ interact and only respond in abusive ways.

I used to say stuff from old comedy routines like

'I didn't know that was the sick kind of relationship you were looking for'...

Other people who have had treatment/ therapy sometimes

dump all their problems on you like you are their therapist,

and the whole world doesn't not communicate like that,

though the alcohol commercial of a guy getting his therapy

on a bus seems apropos...

 

Dr. Reinhart, of DMHMRSAS fame was not present that I could tell,

probably not wanting to be hit with questions on budget cuts,

busy trying to rename the department something objectionably

called behavioral, or pending legislation, or unable to travel due

to state budget restrictions limiting within the state only travel,

though our two speakers were 'over the line/edge' also in being based in

Maryland and DC metro region (one with office in Old Town Alexandria)...

 

According to RCSC director Amy, no money for contract video taping

this year, and I was too busy to remember to unload my full

personal audio equipment, just barely remembering to go

on the day of the con, walking from rail on a

dangerously narrow high speed beltway interchange, making it to a

capacity crowd and standing in the back most of 3+ hours anyway,

as tabled seats were full, but still able to drop in,

though being an oscifer from the originated funding agency

probably helped gain admission with the Institiute gatekeepers/ registrars...

 

Jerry W. 20090124 6.52 am (don't ask, early morning wakings processing

the traumatic con and other stuff...)

 

Conclusion

Or similar

 

Discussion

A place for feedback on the page presented

 

Page History

20090124 Jerry

• Jerry created this page to do self therapy on a con (what we call conferences in other communities) and report out publicly and historically instead of the evaluation form.

 

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