1. Residential Milieu 2. Rehabilitation Activities 3. Reciprocal Relationships

Presenters: June Cullen (Program Graduate, WRAP Facilitator) Nathalie Tessier (Program Graduate, WRAP Facilitator) Marie-Michele Vaillancourt (Psychoeducator) Khalida Badran (Psychosocial Rehabilitation Worker)

Fisher Residence

Fisher: Rehabilitation & Recovery Program  Voluntary program with a maximum stay of 12 months  15 residents: private rooms  Staff 24 hours / 7days  Dry house  Interdisciplinary Team

3 R’s of Recovery (some of our learnings after 6 years in the program) 1.Residential Milieu supports 15 people living cooperatively and respectfully, sharing responsibilities and common spaces. It is more than a day program and most residents call Fisher “home”.

Dining Room

Living room

Private rooms

2. Rehabilitation activities are person directed and are offered both individually and in group formats. This one year program originally based on training from Boston University, consists of three phases facilitating transition into the community.

2.Rehabilitation activities

3. Reciprocal relationships are at the core of recovery. We nurture and help (re)build positive relationships among housemates, loved ones and workers. Unconditional acceptance and positive regard are demonstrated through a humanistic working style of supporting and coaching people.

3. Reciprocal relationships

Birthdays

The Fisher Team 1 Program Manager 1 Residential Coordinator 6 Rehabilitation Workers

1 Recreologist 1 Occupational Therapist 1 Social Worker 1 Psychoeducator 1/5 Psychiatrist

 Feedback from graduates has highlighted the top 3 qualities for staff:  sense of humour  demonstrated hope and belief in people  non-judgmental approach

The Team

Fisher Mission Statement: A supportive living environment that promotes mental health recovery through: Rehabilitation activities, peer support and wellness plans tailored to individual needs

Principles of Recovery  Person involvement- each person participates actively in all aspects of their recovery  Self-determination/choice- each person determines their own unique recovery plan  Growth Potential- everyone has the potential to change and to continually improve  Hope- this main ingredient of Recovery is the belief that it is possible for each person  Education- being knowledgeable about one’s illness and how to maintain wellness & coping is necessary to empower the person to say what they want and need  The need of a supportive environment to thrive- each person is helped by the presence of others who believe in them.

The Fisher Program: 3 components 1.Individual work with a key worker 2.Group work with mandatory and optional groups (3 modules) 3.Living and learning in a group setting Structure and Routine

1. Individual Work (Reciprocal relationship & Rehabilitation activities) We must connect and develop a caring, trusting, nurturing relationship between client and worker - going beyond therapeutic alliance (in vivo). We walk beside the person in their recovery journey. In order to give support in setting and attaining goals we use a personalized recovery plan. Some examples are:

Examples of goals or support  Mastering activities of daily living (cooking, banking, etc)  Liaising and advocacy  Improving physical health  (Re)discovering meaningful activities  Gaining confidence and independence  Improving self-esteem/ helping to find one’s voice  Learning about illness, coping and medication management  Helping to find housing and providing follow up support  Reconnecting with family and friends as well as developing new relationships  Finding meaningful roles

2. Group Work (Rehabiliation Activities)  4 semesters (12 weeks each) : Fall, winter, spring summer  Mandatory groups are from 10:30 to 4:00, weekdays People are encouraged to take optional groups as well  Groups are in house  There are 3 modules, clients graduate from one to the next (people come at different times during the year)

Summer Semester Summer curriculum is focused on leisure activities and social interactions. For example, residents are offered different outings and activities and must register for 2 activities on a daily basis (fitness, gardening, discussion groups, outings, or independent community activities).

Module 1  Direct Skills Teaching  Social Interactions  Recovery Group  Money 101  Dinner Planning

Module 2  Direct Skills Teaching  Recovery Group  Exploring Housing  Assertiveness  Discovering Meaningful Activities

Module 3  What’s out there (community resources)  Financial literacy  Selecting Housing  Participants are encouraged to develop activities in the community in order to integrate successfully and have meaningful roles. For example, someone could do paid or volunteer work, go to an art group, an educational group (St-Paul University) or have regular outings with family or friends.

Optional Groups  Gardening  Board games  Relaxation, Yoga  Health & Wellness  WRAP (run by graduate)  Discussion group (run by graduate)  Artz n’ Kraftz (run by graduate)  Improv  Movies  Walking  Photography  Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Fitness (volleyball, floor hockey, swimming, gym)  Fitness (volleyball, floor hockey, swimming, gym)  ….or/and what ever the need or interest may be

Teaching Apartment Participants in the Fisher program have a chance to experience one of our two teaching apartments. Goals:  Opportunity to assess readiness for independent community living; identify barriers; increase problem-solving  Increase skills and ensure the transfer of skills to alternative settings  Opportunities to put into practice your learned skills for a maximum of two weeks  Build and solidify confidence

Teaching Apartment

3.Living & Learning in a Group  Living with 14 other people creates the opportunity to develop many skills such as social interactions, conflict resolution, problem solving, assertiveness, tolerance and acceptance, friendship, mutual sharing and learning, and supportive relationships.  It also implies sharing responsibilities such as cleaning and maintaining common spaces and cooking for the group.  Graduates have reported that living and learning together can be a powerful catalyst for personal change. (Residential Milieu & Reciprocal Relationship)

Graduation

After Fisher  Follow up - overlap with community support (example case manager)  Sharing one’s experience (writing your story)  Salus activities (WIF, BBQ, Coffee house)  Fisher Alumni Association (FAA)

June’s experience

Nat’s experience

Quotes « The concept of Recovery was new for me, I had never heard anyone talk about it before » « At Fisher I was considered a competent adult capable of making my own decisions » « I have a reason to get up in the morning » « The fact that the staff believed in me, helped me a lot »

Questions?