8/28/2011
Wow! We
really shook things up in Raliegh! That little earthquake we felt had everyone's attention for a few minutes. Thank heavens
we had a participant from southern California who put our minds at ease regarding safety issues. Then we had to worry about
hurricane Irene. Good thing we had Katy Castro from Puerto Rico (where hurricane's are relatively common) who provided wonderful
travel and safety advice. Hmmm. It seems natural disasters are following us!
Despite those disasters, the conference went very well. Our presenters were well-received, new friends were made and plans
are already underway for next year's event.
I
am sitting in my living room in Boston listening to the wind howl and rain smatter against my windows. The worst of Irene
is supposed to hit in a few hours but, so far, she isn't posing much of a threat. I spent most of yesterday preparing for
the big storm that is likely to be just a whimper. Oh, well. At least the waves on the ocean are bigger than usual. I wonder
if now would be a good time to take up surfing?
Some exciting things are on our horizon! We have begun a wellness initiative, thanks to support from Lauren Spiro and Wanda
Finch from SAMHSA. In addition to the presentations and line dancing at the conference, we are launching a series of informational
endeavors that will tie in nicely to the Recovery to Practice project. Lyn Legere, training director at the Transformation
Center in Boston, has agreed to be our "point person" for the wellness initiative.
Although the Recovery to Practice Project will take me away from the Alternatives
Conference (the first time in many years), I will have the opportunity to foster collaboration with psychiatrists at a conference
in San Francisco. And I must say that I remain optimistic and hopeful that the project will result in long-term collaboration
with not only psychiatrists but psychologists, psychiatric nurses and social workers as well. Yes, this is indeed a great
time to be part of this profession!
The wind is
picking up and my buddy, Zack, is calming his hamster, Kiki. I guess I should batten down the hatches and prepare for Irene.
What's next? Locusts? Forest fires? Volcanoes? Oh well, challenges are opportunities for learning. Right now, I'm learning
to be flexible and change plans on a moment's notice!
7/14/2011
Between a trip to Spain to help that country establish
a peer support program and an urgent family emergency, I've been pretty busy! Spain was tremendous. The scenery and people
were great and, of course, so was the food. I presented at a symposium and met with various government officials. There are
a handful of peers working in support positions in that country but, by and large, it is a new concept. They seemed especially
interested in my little story of recovery. The audience was primarily psychiatrists and I'm not sure if they really grasp
the reality of recovery. After the symposium, I took some time to visit Madrid. Really impressive architecture and art
galleries. Now, it's back to catching up with conference details! While I was away, I managed to write a little article
about acting on one's plan to immprove his/her life. It may appear in a future NAPS newsletter. But writing it made me think
about my many friends who have goals but do not go beyond their comfort zones to pursue them. It also made me think about
how I have or have not challenged fears about changing my life for the better. Yeah, I guess we all could do better! Hope
your week is a good one! Steve
6/23/2011
Whew! It has
been a busy month! In addition to planning for the annual national peer specialist conference, I have been traveling
the country helping organizations learn about recovery and adopt recovery practices. Jacksonville, Florida was the most recent
recipient of my "wisdom." Soon, Delaware will hear my words of recovery. I often joke around but
spreading the word of recovery is really most serious. And it is an honor to be asked to help organizations start peer specialist
programs or adopt recovery practices and policies.
The recent annual conference for
the U.S. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (USPRA) was held in Boston, where I now live. I found myself incredibly
busy but had time to meet new peer supporters and learn about what others are doing. One of the tasks I performed was presenting
a poster session at the conference. I was responsible fo explaining the Recovery to Practice (RTP) project. In this endeavor, five mental health professions (psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, social workers and peer
specialists) are coming together to spread the word of recovery. It is a most exciting project. Funded by SAMHSA, it is indeed
a heavy responsibility to represent peer specialists.
At the end of this month, Bill Anthony, director of Boston University's Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, will be
retiring. Bill is generally regarded as the "father" of recovery. In the mid-70's, when others still believed persons
with psychiatric conditions could not overcome them, Bill was busy learning about the reality of recovery and spreading hope.
Through research and writing, Bill was a powerful force in the recovery movement. We all owe a great debt of gratitude to Bill
for it is through his work that we have established the reality of recovery and moved so far so quickly.
Bill is world reknown for his expertise and is highly
respected. But he is a very humble person. He usually munches on peanut butter sandwiches washed down with Pepsi for lunch.
Although Bill says he will not "disappear" from the psychiatric rehabilitation field he largely founded, his constant
presence will be missed. I am so very fortunate to call Bill my "friend." And the times when I dropped
in at his office down the hall for an impromptu chat will be missed. But we have plans to meet periodically for lunch. You'd
better believe I'm going to be sure those plans actually happen!
I leave for Spain in a few days for ten days of meetings and sight-seeing. Then, it's back to conference planning. And,
right after the conference, a delegation of mental health professionals from Italy are coming to the U.S. for a coast to coast
tour of psychiatric rehabilitation programs. I have volunteered to co-ordinate the Boston leg of that visit. Will I ever
learn to say "no?" But when you find what you do so rewarding, it is difficult to step aside.
Have a great couple of weeks. I'll blog again when
I return from Europe! ~~Steve
5/24/2011
As we near our conference,
life just gets busier and busier! With each conference, word about peer support and NAPS spreads. That means more memberships
and requests for information. We try to do our best providing information and we have plenty of it. The problem often arises
when we get a request that simply asks: "Send me everything on peer support." Sorry, but we really can't do
that because we have SO MUCH! If anyone needs information, it would help greatly if the request was more focused on a
particular topic. Of course, if someone is looking for basic information, there are great sources online to refer people to,
such as the SAMHSA website (www.samhsa.gov) as that government agency has an excellent report, "What is Peer Support" available as a free download.
NAPS and peer support is becoming well-known around the world. We have helped peer
support programs form and develop in Japan, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. Next month, I'll be traveling to Spain
to do the same. In the U.S., speaking engagements will take me in the next few months to Florida (twice) and Delaware. It
continues to be an exciting time to be involved in peer support!
But I am reminded by friends that life is about much more than peer support. Sometimes we must stop to smell the roses.
Last week, I had a chance to do that with my friend, Zack. We were in California for a conference but found time to visit
wonderful Vietnamese shops and restaurants and bicycle along the beach. We enjoyed squadrons of pelicans and a hot tub with
a group of fellow peer supporters.
Stay tuned! Although the times are challenging, there a many great things coming our way! ~~ Steve
3/15/2011
It's been a very busy few weeks! Requests for membership information are increasing and
conference planning is in full swing. And the Recovery to Practice project appears to be going well as we have completed
a second draft of our situational analysis. SAMHSA staff and the staff of the Development Services Group, which is the primary
contractor, are all very helpful and supportive. They (as are we) fully dedicated to bringing more recovery knowledge to mental
health professions.
We continue to spread the word about peer support. In June, I'll be in Spain for
a week-long series of meetings intended to bring a peer secialist program to that country. Japan appears to continue
to make great progress in developing a powerful program. Here, in the U.S., Indiana peer specialists are gear up
for their first-ever conference to be held in Indianapolis on April 15.
Everywhere we turn, it seems, great progress can be found--even in these
difficult economic times.
If you have not yet done so, I hope you will complete the 2011 Compensation/Satisfaction survey found on this website. This information will help us advocate for better pay and workig conditions so please help
us out! Spring is just around the corner--I know it is! With the change of seasons comes new hope and
energy. Thanks for all the wonderful work you do! ~~ Steve
