Training Materials and Educational Resources

• University of British Columbia Department of Psychiatry's Continuing Medical Education and Professional Development Program and Pacific Cinémathèque. This monthly mental health film series, designed to promote professional and community education issues pertaining to mental health, was awarded the "Most Outstanding Continuing Education Activity in Psychiatry" by the Canadian Psychiatric Association and the Council of Psychiatric Continuing Education.

  (2004)

• This report describes two changes in services provided by the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Addicitive Diseases. The first change refers to the way providers bill for and receive compensation for providing mental health services. The second change relates to how services are delivered. This report will study the impact of these changes as well as new programs initiated as a result of these changes.

  (2003) Division of Mental health, Developmental Disabilities and Addictive Diseases Office of Consumer Relations.

• This document is a Technical Assistance Guide for mental health consumers interested in using the Internet to help themselves and other consumers and explains how the Internet can be a powerful tool for recovery, advocacy, fighting stigma, and organizing self-help groups.

  (2001) Philadelphia, PA: National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse.

• The curriculum package includes: specific instructions on all aspects of facilitating Mental Health Recovery including Wellness Recovery Action Planning groups and workshops, thumbnail sketches of each transparency included on the CD-ROM, supporting activities, handouts and discussion topics, and an extensive list of related resources for the facilitator.

  Mary Ellen Copeland, Teta Hilsdon, & Gene Deegan.

• This interactive multimedia educational program is designed for people who have severe and persistent mental illness. It includes a series of 14 lessons that progressively build knowledge acquisition. Pre and Post Knowledge Assessments measure progress lesson by lesson, provide feedback to students, and automatically record data for review by staff.

  Patricia L. Scheifler, Partnership for Recovery.

Training, Consultation, and Technical Assistance

• Advocacy Unlimited, Inc. is dedicated to educating individuals with psychiatric disabilities in areas of self, systems, and legislative advocacy skills. This organization is directed and controlled by persons with psychiatric disabilities or people who are in recovery.
  
  

  Training Program: Advocacy Education Program educates consumer leaders on advocacy and public speaking skills through an intensive 14 week semester, consisting of a seven hour class each week. Following graduation, the advocates attend bimonthly continuing education classes in support of their efforts. Participate make a commitment to volunteer six hours of their time each week for six months at an agency or clubhouse of their choice.

• Contac serves as a resource center for consumers/survivors/ex-patients and consumer-run organizations across the United States, promoting self-help, recovery, and empowerment. Contac was developed utilizing research on ideal consumer self-help programs, successful consumer-run programs, community support service philosophy about service delivery, descriptions of mature mental health systems, and management and leadership skills.
  
  

  Training Program: The Leadership Academy is conducted in two intense three or four-day training sessions each year and is designed to train consumers to have an integral role in the development and shaping of policy, programs, financing, and direction of services for people with serious mental illnesses.

• This organization is led by Mary Ellen Copeland, a mental health recovery educator and author who focuses on self-help. She has learned the concepts, skills and strategies she teaches from her own personal experiences and from her ongoing studies with people who experience psychiatric symptoms.
  
  

  Training Program: Using WRAP and Peer Support Training. Using peer support skills with Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) offers people the opportunity to try out new ways of thinking, acting, and redefining who they can become. This training is specifically designed for people who are currently working with peer run programs or groups in combination with other mental health services.

• This organization strives to help people deal with the often devastating effects of serious mental illness through the use of video-based educational programs and related materials produced by such leaders in the field as Mary Ellen Copeland and Patrica E. Deegan. The videotapes are often used by institutions, professionals, consumers and family members and are used extensively for training by hospitals, mental health centers, universities, and advocacy organizations.

• Through their Office of Consumer Affairs, NAMI provides support to consumers through a variety of programs that include topics on relapse and prevention planning, sharing experiences and coping strategies, learning about healthy and affordable lifestyle changes, and consumer leadership development. NAMI also provides targeted technical assistance to state and local affiliates.

• This organization is a consumer technical assistance center that contains a national directory of mutual support groups, drop-in centers, and statewide organizations; information on networking and coalition building; and workshops, public speaking, and training to providers.

• This organization is a consumer-run national technical assistance center that helps connect individuals to self-help and advocacy resources, and offers expertise to self-help groups and other peer-run services for mental health consumers. This site also contains statewide consumer-run organizations across the U.S.

• NYAPRS is a statewide coalition of people who use and/or provide recovery-oriented community based mental services. NYAPRS works to improve services and social conditions for people with psychiatric disabilities or diagnoses, and those with trauma-related conditions by promoting their recovery, rehabilitation and rights.
  
  

  Training Program: The NYAPRS Training Collective offers provider organizations the opportunity for collaborative training opportunities and resources with the aim of increasing attention and reflection on the principles of recovery and rehabilitation in mental health services. NYAPRS training programs are available to mental health providers, employment services, educational institutions, peer operated services, trainers, and all those seeking to transform services.

• Recovery, Inc., founded by by Abraham A. Low, M.D., is a self-help mental health organization that is completely member operated. This program offers its members a free method to regain and maintain their mental health and is designed to work in conjunction with professional mental health services. Program support groups meet every week around the world and teach techniques to help patients prevent relapses and reduce chronic suffering from mental illness, nervous, and emotional difficulties. All meetings are structured the same way, so any member can attend a meeting anywhere in the world and feel at home.

• Drawing on her personal experiences with the mental health system, Sherry Mead started this peer organization whose focus is specifically "unlearning the mental patient role." She offers a broad range of training both locally and throughout the U.S. based on individual needs. These may include training in trauma-informed peer support, warmline skills, peer run crisis alternatives, evaluation and research training, and training for professionals in recovery-based practice. All training is interactive using role-play to demonstrate "values in action." Training time ranges from 1 - 5 days.

• The Village Integrated Service Agency provides training on the principles and practice of the recovery model and psychosocial rehabilitation. Training topics include whole-person approaches to intensive case management, dual diagnosis, employment, housing, community integration and medication collaboration. Consultations are also provided on outcomes and recovery-oriented leadership. This organization has trained individuals from around the United States and throughout the world.