Back not so long ago, I was in a really bad way. Psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, so many types of therapy I had. None of them quite did it for me. Psychiatrists pilled me, told me to get used to being a non-functioning human being. Psychologists helped me understand how I ended up so f*cked up. Therapists tried to 'behaviour-ize' me to someone I had never been and by rights never really wanted to be.
During my lowest of lows, I stumbled across a mental health culture that I was really able to grab onto. It was called Wellness and Recovery. It turned my entire life around. The Copeland Centre has a program called WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) that helps to develop awareness and recovery style habits that can really improve symptoms. Problem is, for those of us in this deep who are suffering from the inevitable poverty that goes along with severe mental health issues, that can be a stretch. If it isn't, I highly recommend the course.
If I can recommend, there are some courses out there that train people in Peer Support. Some of these courses are funded by local governments through mental health agencies. My biggest stumbling block was being able to find work again. I now teach a 6 month long peer support course to students. It is fascinating to watch the growth of the students as they progress. Honestly, if you are struggling in what your purpose is, and if this type of work is of interest to you, it is worth looking up.
I just found something on Pat Deegan. She was diagnosed as schizophrenic at 17 years old. After dropping into the MH big black hole she remade herself and was trained as a psychiatrist and has dedicated her life to help those with a MH label to reimagine and re-empower themselves. She has a website out there. I won't put the link in - you can look it up for yourselves. I get no financial gain from mentioning her just to be clear. Her course I believe can be taken online. I believe it is 20.00 US per month. I expect one can take the course and just stop paying for the membership if they are financially strapped. I expect she is offering this so the financially disadvantaged can get to her information. She has a tremendous piece on self-advocacy as well in the course that may be very helpful to some.
I wanted to put these ideas out to the audience here because I think that Wellness and Recovery model is very well hidden for whatever reason. For any of you looking for a different angle to your healing, I would suggest these two things or look up, in your area Mental Health Wellness and Recovery.
I hope this is helpful to some.
Could I ask please, if anyone is aware of peer support training out there, would you mind posting it in this thread please?
During my lowest of lows, I stumbled across a mental health culture that I was really able to grab onto. It was called Wellness and Recovery. It turned my entire life around. The Copeland Centre has a program called WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) that helps to develop awareness and recovery style habits that can really improve symptoms. Problem is, for those of us in this deep who are suffering from the inevitable poverty that goes along with severe mental health issues, that can be a stretch. If it isn't, I highly recommend the course.
If I can recommend, there are some courses out there that train people in Peer Support. Some of these courses are funded by local governments through mental health agencies. My biggest stumbling block was being able to find work again. I now teach a 6 month long peer support course to students. It is fascinating to watch the growth of the students as they progress. Honestly, if you are struggling in what your purpose is, and if this type of work is of interest to you, it is worth looking up.
I just found something on Pat Deegan. She was diagnosed as schizophrenic at 17 years old. After dropping into the MH big black hole she remade herself and was trained as a psychiatrist and has dedicated her life to help those with a MH label to reimagine and re-empower themselves. She has a website out there. I won't put the link in - you can look it up for yourselves. I get no financial gain from mentioning her just to be clear. Her course I believe can be taken online. I believe it is 20.00 US per month. I expect one can take the course and just stop paying for the membership if they are financially strapped. I expect she is offering this so the financially disadvantaged can get to her information. She has a tremendous piece on self-advocacy as well in the course that may be very helpful to some.
I wanted to put these ideas out to the audience here because I think that Wellness and Recovery model is very well hidden for whatever reason. For any of you looking for a different angle to your healing, I would suggest these two things or look up, in your area Mental Health Wellness and Recovery.
I hope this is helpful to some.
Could I ask please, if anyone is aware of peer support training out there, would you mind posting it in this thread please?