Building a Culture of Recovery: In Central East Ontario

Our society’s self congratulatory belief that we are free thinking and fair people, who hold all citizens equal and worthy, must be challenged. Our society considers people with mental health problems and substance abuse as defective, disabled, or disordered, despite that these labels perpetuate Discrimination and are a barrier to recovery.

. Building a Culture of Recovery is a project that proposes values and principles consistent with recovery: autonomy and empowerment building hope learning to think and live from a position of wellness, not illness.

Our Vision for A Culture of Recovery: Recovery Education for Mainstream Allies Introduction to WRAP & WRAP Facilitator Certification Recovery Oriented Public Education : Extra Ordinary People Leadership Network for Consumers A Culture of Recovery Pathways to Recovery Conference Presentations &Publications

Principles of Recovery Wellness and hope Real and autonomous choice Anti-oppression and anti-discrimination Leadership and education Social Justice and advocacy Critique and re-balancing power; redefining through language.

Like Minds: Peer Support Education Peer Designed Peer Delivered Peer Evaluated 4 day curriculum revised with consultation with Shery Mead!

Participants report: Like Minds: Peer Support Education is an effective educational strategy that raised awareness and provided a framework to debate and prepare to advocate a shift in the balance of power. They report an increase in their experience of capacity and engagement.

AND….. Participants not only identified the need for radical change to beliefs and attitude, as well as radical change to the mental health and addiction infrastructure and system… They also wanted to do it!

Recovery Education for Allies: Building & Supporting Recovery Orientation for Clinical Services The Culture of Recovery (www,cultureofrecovery.org) project advances an agenda for change to systems as well as for people experiencing mental health problems and substance abuse. The Culture of Recovery project intends to form a new set of values and principles consistent with a recovery perspective: autonomy and empowerment; building hope and living from a position of wellness not illness. Recovery Education for Allies builds on investments in education for people in recovery and public education. Autonomy; choice; hope; wellness; empowerment Please plan to attend this one day education session for Allies who plan for, lead/manage and deliver clinical services!

Available at the Resource Table!!!!

WRAP stands for: Wellness Recovery Action Plan. WRAP is a self-help program that supports people, ideally in a group setting to reflect and become more aware of their strengths, abilities and resources to be “well”. Our project adopted WRAP as a cornerstone to building recovery awareness and capacity.

Wellness Recovery Action Plan: Participant Evaluation: 44 reflected about their experience during and following the program including anecdotal reflections regarding the program delivery as well as the personal impact experienced as a result of participation in the program.

The five key areas for consideration were: 1.Are you more aware of your strengths 2.Do you feel better able to manage your distress and you risk 3.Do you experience more hope 4.Do you experience more social comfort 5.Do you understand more about recovery

WRAP Evaluation. An overwhelming number of participants assessed excellence in program peer leadership (91%) and program materials (86%). Overall, participants reported a collective 21% improvement on all measures. The most substantial improvements are noted in the areas of realizing hope (26%) and understanding the recovery perspective (31.4%).

The significant increase in the participants understanding of recovery and realization of hope suggests a cumulative learning effect.

Participants describe that increased awareness of stressors and signs of distress led to proactive and preventive alternative behaviours and thinking. They indicate that these changes have in turn raised tolerance of distress as well as confidence levels in recognizing and responding to distress.Participants describe that increased awareness of stressors and signs of distress led to proactive and preventive alternative behaviours and thinking. They indicate that these changes have in turn raised tolerance of distress as well as confidence levels in recognizing and responding to distress.

Finally, WRAP education has shifted the perspective of most participants to accept recovery as a journey toward wellness. Adjusting how they define their experiences using recovery language has shifted understandings about personal comfort and responsibility and has resulted in more confidence in being well.

The “Journal of Ethics in Mental Health” is an international, peer-reviewed, web-based journal, available free on-line worldwide. Building a Culture of Recovery – April of%20Ethics%20and%20Mental%20Health OR google: JEMH