About Us = RRWG


About Us = RRWG

 


 

RRWG Pre Proposal History from Beth's 9/11/2006 email

 

As was discussed at the last workgroup meeting (9/11/06), there is a desire to not lose the pieces that the group was working on prior to the grant proposal. So in that effort I will try to summarize what we had been working on. From the minutes I have and what I remember, we had finished with a mission statement for the group:

 

{RRWG Mission (before Proposal)}

 

“Under the direction of the Northern Virginia Regional Strategic Planning Partnership Steering Committee, and as a collaboration of mental health consumers, families and providers, the Regional Recovery Work Group will provide leadership to develop and enhance recovery-oriented services and supports within a culture that acknowledges the dignity, respect and self-determination of each individual.”

 

The group had also developed 4 goals for itself that include:

 

Goal 1:

Develop & distribute Recovery Principles for the Regional System of Services and Supports.

 

Goal 2:

Provide suggested assessment tools for each CSB, setting, site or stakeholder group to use to assess itself, with the ultimate goal of moving towards the agreed upon values that reflect integration of recovery principles.

 

Goal 3:

Hi-light positive examples of practices and policies in place within the region that demonstrate a commitment to recovery-focused services and supports.

 

Goal 4:

Suggest resources that can assist the region in making progress on integrating recovery principles.

 

{Notes}

We had started working on Goal 1, step 1 which involved developing a draft of the recovery principles for the region. As we were developing, SAMHSA was also finalizing their consensus statement on recovery. There had been a desire from the group to see what SAMHSA came up with in an effort to try and coordinate/consolidate the two. Below you will find SAMHSA’s statement and the last pass we made at our own principles (from the December ’05 meeting)

The following is the recovery consensus statement from SAMHSA:

Mental health recovery is a journey of healing and transformation enabling a person with a mental health problem to live a meaningful life in a community of his or her choice while striving to achieve his or her full potential.

 

The 10 Fundamental Components of Recovery (alternative)

 

Self-Direction:

Consumers lead, control, exercise choice over, and determine their own path of recovery by optimizing autonomy, independence, and control of resources to achieve a self-determined life. By definition, the recovery process must be self-directed by the individual, who defines his or her own life goals and designs a unique path towards those goals.

Individualized and Person-Centered:

There are multiple pathways to recovery based on an individual’s unique strengths and resiliencies as well as his or her needs, preferences, experiences (including past trauma), and cultural background in all of its diverse representations. Individuals also identify recovery as being an ongoing journey and an end result as well as an overall paradigm for achieving wellness and optimal mental health.

Empowerment:

Consumers have the authority to choose from a range of options and to participate in all decisions—including the allocation of resources—that will affect their lives, and are educated and supported in so doing. They have the ability to join with other consumers to collectively and effectively speak for themselves about their needs, wants, desires, and aspirations. Through empowerment, an individual gains control of his or her own destiny and influences the organizational and societal structures in his or her life.

Holistic:

Recovery encompasses an individual’s whole life, including mind, body, spirit, and community. Recovery embraces all aspects of life, including housing, employment, education, mental health and healthcare treatment and services, complementary and naturalistic services, addictions treatment, spirituality, creativity, social networks, community participation, and family supports as determined by the person. Families, providers, organizations, systems, communities, and society play crucial roles in creating and maintaining meaningful opportunities for consumer access to these supports.

Non-Linear:

Recovery is not a step-bystep process but one based on continual growth, occasional setbacks, and learning from experience. Recovery begins with an initial stage of awareness in which a person recognizes that positive change is possible. This awareness enables the consumer to move on to fully engage in the work of recovery.

Strengths-Based:

Recovery focuses on valuing and building on the multiple capacities, resiliencies, talents, coping abilities, and inherent worth of individuals. By building on these strengths, consumers leave stymied life roles behind and engage in new life roles (e.g., partner, caregiver, friend, student, employee). The e process of recovery moves forward through interaction with others in supportive, trust-based relationships.

Peer Support:

Mutual support—including the sharing of experiential knowledge and skills and social learning—plays an invaluable role in recovery. Consumers encourage and engage other consumers in recovery and provide each other with a sense of belonging, supportive relationships, valued roles, and community.

Respect:

Community, systems, and societal acceptance and appreciation of consumers —including protecting their rights and eliminating discrimination and stigma—are crucial in achieving recovery. Self-acceptance and regaining belief in one’s self are particularly vital. Respect ensures the inclusion and full participation of consumers in all aspects of their lives.

Responsibility:

Consumers have a personal responsibility for their own self-care and journeys of recovery. Taking steps towards their goals may require great courage. Consumers must strive to understand and give meaning to their experiences and identify coping strategies and healing processes to promote their own wellness.

Hope:

Recovery provides the essential and motivating message of a better future— that people can and do overcome the barriers and obstacles that confront them. Hope is internalized; but can be fostered by peers, families, friends, providers, and others. Hope is the catalyst of the recovery process. Mental health recovery not only benefits individuals with mental health disabilities by focusing on their abilities to live, work, learn, and fully participate in our society, but also enriches the texture of American community life. America reaps the benefits of the contributions individuals with mental disabilities can make, ultimately becoming a stronger and healthier Nation.

 

Recovery workgroups draft:

Recovery Principles for the Regional System of Services and Supports

 

 

“Recovery” is the individual process of living that each person goes through without being defined by the on-going symptoms of his/her mental illness.

(await SAMHSA definition)

A system that supports “recovery” embraces the principles of:

(not in any particular order at this point)

  1. Hope = The belief that recovery is possible, that every person will get better and will reach his/her full potential to live a satisfying life in the community.
  2. Self Direction = Each consumer makes choices regarding his/her medications, treatment, services and life goals. These choices are supported and enhanced by on-going education, advocacy and anti-stigma efforts.
  3. Human Rights = Each person’s human rights are respected and maintained throughout the process of recovery.
  4. Personal Responsibility = Each consumer’s personal responsibility is….. (?) to take an active role in directing his/her own recovery, including participating in on-going education, advocacy and anti-stigma efforts. Each provider’s personal responsibility is to deliver services that are guided by input from the consumer and his/her family and significant others.
  5. some combination of the following three concepts
    1. Community = we acknowledge that many recovery processes are independent of and beyond the boundaries and responsibilities of mental health services.
    2. Holistic Approach = system and services focus on areas other than the person’s diagnosis and symptoms.
    3. Inclusion = into the larger community as a whole.
  6. some combination of the following three concepts
    1. Diversity = system and services acknowledge, celebrate and adapt to each person’s differences, based on personal preferences, values, life experience, culture, language and spirituality.
    2. Collaboration = on-going collaboration between all participants in the system is utilized to meet the varied needs of each individual receiving services.
    3. Respect = respect for the diversity of various people treated in system.

 

If people would like to review both of these pieces and weigh in on what you think we should do (for example, adopt Smashes definition as is, take parts of it, totally develop our own principles, etc) as well as continue to flesh out definitions for our principles (if that is what you think we should do). I will take the emails/ideas/suggestions through Oct 6 and then consolidate what we have to present to the group at our next meeting on 10/16.

If you have any questions let me know.

Thanks.

Beth

 

Page History

20060913 Jerry

  1. Created page from missing pre Proposal History provided in a likely internal memo by a newly Elected Officers, but useful background for where we are going, imnsho...
  2. Wikified as much as possible, and possibly beyond recognition...
  3. Noticing spellcheck of things like step by step and resiliencies, but I'm ESOL ;-)
  4. Changing number) to wikified #
  5. Changing " -" to *
  6. Add toc
  7. Add Page History section so others know roughly, and in detail, what changes from original version
  8. Learn how to count without blank lines in source of #s

 

20060915 Jerry

  1. {wikified titles inserted here} above like Mission to be clearer in what is essentially 3 documents and notes on one page

 

 

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