Mental Health Recovery Newsletter

Introduction

Welcome to Mental Health Recovery Newsletter, published quarterly from the office of Mary Ellen Copeland, for people who experience psychiatric symptoms, for family members and health care professionals, and for anyone who wants to learn more about recovering from uncomfortable, often disabling psychiatric symptoms. It can be sent to you by mail or e-mail. It will be letting you know about books, seminars, and news, and will feature a recovery topic and a wellness tool in each issue.

If you would like a copy of the previous issues of this newsletter, contact the office of Mary Ellen Copeland by phone or e-mail or click here.

Seminar Schedule

Mental Health Recovery Seminar II: Facilitator Training

Mary Ellen Copeland will be presenting a Recovery Educator Seminar, November 13-17, 2000 at Norwich University's Vermont College in Brattleboro, VT. This seminar is designed to train people with leadership qualities to teach and network Mental Health Recovery information, including how to develop a Wellness Recovery Action PlanT. Candidates for this training include people who have experienced psychiatric symptoms, family members, and health care professionals. The Seminar is based on the findings of Mary Ellen Copeland's studies on how people relieve psychiatric symptoms on a daily basis and how they get well and stay well.

People attending this seminar either need to have prior experience with Mary Ellen's work or take a four-lesson correspondence course which she offers. Please contact Mary Ellen's office if you are interested in coming to this training or taking the correspondence course.

Continuing Education Units to meet professional development requirements are available for these seminars at no extra charge. Master's level course credit is also available from Vermont College for participants who are willing to do the additional assignments necessary to meet the course requirements. There is a very reasonable per credit fee.

The following issues will be addressed through presentations, demonstrations, interactive discussion and related activities:

• the importance of sharing and networking Recovery information
• effective ways of teaching Recovery information to people who experience psychiatric symptoms, to their supporters, and to health care professionals; the discussion includes the special issues that need to be addressed in teaching each of these groups
• special considerations that need to be addressed in sharing Recovery information
• supporting and motivating people in learning and using Recovery/Self-Management skills
• Recovery skills and strategies review
• developing personal and agency goals
• effective information networking strategies
• administration of Recovery-based programs
• Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP)

As a result of this and other similar trainings, it is expected that, over time, we will see:

• a significant reduction in the need for mental health and emergency services as people with psychiatric symptoms effectively take responsibility for their own wellness and stability, manage and reduce their symptoms using a variety of self-help techniques, and effectively use the support of a network of family members, friends and health care professionals; and
• an increased ability of people with psychiatric symptoms to meet life and vocational goals, enhance their lives, and feel good about themselves.

Mental Health Recovery Seminar I: Learning Mental Health Recovery including Wellness Recovery Action Planning

In this training participants work with Mary Ellen Copeland and her staff for five days, learning key recovery concepts, skills and tools, and developing their own Wellness Recovery Action Plans. A training will be set up as soon as there are enough people expressing an interest in attending. If you are interested, please contact the office of Mary Ellen Copeland. This seminar is open to people who experience psychiatric symptoms, to their families and supporters, to mental health professionals and to anyone interested in learning more about mental health recovery.

Upcoming Speaking Engagements

• October 13, 2000. Clubhouse of Suffolk's Mental Illness Awareness Day in Long Island, NY. For more information phone (516) 654-7848.
• October 14, 2000. Alternatives 2000 Conference in Nashville, TN. Presentation: "Relieving the Effects of Trauma." For information call (877) 408-2401.
• October 20, 2000. NAMI PA Conference in Harrisburg, PA. Presentation: "Recovery Strategies." For information email: foxcreek2037@worldnet.att.net.
• October 27, 2000. Hampton, NH. Mental Health Leadership Series
• Nov. 1-3, 2000. Fergus Falls, MN. Recovery Workshop Series. For information contact sebuff@pop5.ibm.net.
• Nov. 13-17, 2000. Mental Health Recovery Seminar II: Facilitator Training. Vermont College of Norwich University, Brattleboro, Vermont. For information call Mary Ellen's office at 802-254-2092, or e-mail: copeland@mentalhealthrecovery.com
• Dec. 4-8, 2000. Charleston, WV. Mental Health Recovery Seminar II: Facilitator Training.
• May 3-6, 2001. ISOM 30th Annual Conference, (International Society of Orthomolecular Medicine). Concert Hall, Royal York Hotel, Toronto, Ontario. Mary Ellen's presentation is Friday, 7-9:30 p.m. Open to the public, $20 at the door. (The word "orthomolecular" means "correct the molecules," and is a "restorative medicine" approach.) For more information contact Steven Carter, Journal Of Orthomolecular Medicine, 416-733-2117.

Revised Manual

Mental Health Recovery including Wellness Recovery Action Planning CURRICULUM: Facilitator Training Manual

The new Mental Health Recovery including Wellness Recovery Action Planning CURRICULUM: Facilitator Training Manual is now available. This program is based on years of research experience by Mary Ellen Copeland. Mary Ellen's associate, Teta Hilsdon, has been working tirelessly on compiling this manual for many months. Gene Deegan, a Recovery Educator from Lawrence, Kansas, developed the transparencies into a PowerPoint presentation with graphics, included on a CD-rom in the curriculum package. In addition to the CD-rom, the curriculum package includes:

• a complete manual of 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.

While not specifically intended for use in working with individuals, it can certainly be used in that way, and there are some notes addressing this possibility.

This curriculum is the training format that Mary Ellen uses to accompany her five-day Mental Health Recovery Seminar II: Facilitator Training. But it can also be used by anyone who is familiar with the Recovery work of Mary Ellen Copeland, including her focus on Wellness Recovery Action Planning. The curriculum is specific to facilitating Mary Ellen's WRAP workshop, Mental Health Recovery Seminar I: Mental Health Recovery including Wellness Recovery Action Planning, and is not necessarily a resource to be used in developing other kinds of programs. However, some facilitators are using this Recovery/WRAP focus in combination with other programs.

This educational curriculum presents an approach which is complementary to, but not a replacement for, other mental health treatment protocols. Due to the wide differences in the amount of time and other resources available to individuals, agencies, organizations and sponsors, this is not a scripted curriculum. A wide variety of options are offered in formats, timelines and activities.

Facilitators will have at their disposal a thorough framework that will allow enough flexibility to design a program that best meets their needs.

WELLNESS TOOLBOX

The first issue of this newsletter described how to develop your own personal Wellness Recovery Action PlanT. Part of this planning process includes developing a list of wellness tools. These tools are the things you can do to keep yourself well and to relieve uncomfortable and distressing symptoms when they come up. The second issue described the wellness tool of peer counseling. This third issue will describe using various aspects of diet and art as wellness tools.

Diet
by Mary Ellen Copeland

In my studies it has been confirmed again and again that diet definitely affects all aspects of how you feel. The curious thing about diet is that the effects of what is eaten vary widely from person to person. For instance, you may find that dairy foods make you feel calm and help you to sleep. However, they cause me so much gastrointestinal distress that I get uncomfortable, irritable and even depressed. You may find that tomatoes make you feel agitated while they don't seem to affect someone else at all.

It's a good idea to figure out which foods make you feel better or don't bother you and those you may want to avoid because they make you feel worse. Do this by

1. noticing how you feel right after you eat certain foods and how you feel several hours later;
2. eliminating from your diet for a week a food that you think might be making you feel badly, then noticing how you feel when you don't eat that food and how you feel after you begin eating that food again;
3. studying various self-help resources on how foods can affect the way you feel, then making changes accordingly;
4. addressing diet issues with a nutritionist or naturopathic physician (many general practitioners have little training in diet or nutrition, and in the worst cases may disregard their importance). A nutritionist or naturopathic physician could also advise you on the use of food supplements and herbs.

You will find that work on your diet is through trial and error. As you continue to work on this issue, you will customize a diet for yourself that works best for you.

What is a healthy diet? You can use the Food Guide Pyramid developed by the United States Department of Agriculture, (Home & Garden Bulletin Number 252), which follows, as a guide to what you should eat each day. Adapt it according to what you have learned about your own special needs and issues.

• 3-5 servings of vegetables
• 2-4 servings of fruit
• 6-11 servings of grain based foods
• 2-3 servings of milk, yogurt and cheese
• 2-3 servings of meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs and nuts
• use sparingly: fats, oils and sweets

Focus on foods that are wholesome, natural and fresh. Many people complain that these foods are more costly than highly processed and junk foods. However, they are very high in nutritive value while most junk foods have little or no nutritive value and are not worth what they cost. You can stretch your food budget by spending little or nothing on unhealthy or junk foods and buying healthy foods instead. An added bonus, if extra weight is an issue for you, is that a diet focused on wholesome, natural and fresh foods is a good weight-reduction diet. Loss of weight often correlates with feeling better about yourself and your appearance, and a lessening of symptoms.

Some people do well when they eat three good meals a day. Other people find that they do better if they eat five or six small meals throughout the day. Experiment with what works best for you.

If you have medical problems like diabetes, hypoglycemia or heart disease, adhere strictly to the diet prescribed by your doctor. You will be the beneficiary.

Many people find that an excess of protein in their diets makes them feel agitated and irritated. An excess of carbohydrates can make you feel tired and sleepy. There will be some differences from person to person.

Most people find that the following foods worsen symptoms significantly and choose to limit their use of these foods, or eliminate them from their diet entirely:

• sugar
• highly processed foods like white bread, donuts, cakes, cookies, TV dinners, canned spaghetti and sugared breakfast cereals
• anything that contains caffeine, like coffee, tea, cola drinks and chocolate
• foods that contain a lot of artificial colors, flavors, preservatives and other additives (you can tell if this is the case if there are lots of words you can't pronounce in the list of ingredients)

I include those foods I know I need to eat every day in my Daily Maintenance Plan - like suggestions from the Food Guide Pyramid, and a listing of those foods I need to avoid - like sugar and caffeine. In my plan for responding to Early Warning Signs, my tool is to look back over my diet in the last few days to see if I have been eating poorly and make a diet correction if necessary. In my crisis plan I have a list of healthy foods I really enjoy that others can easily prepare for me when I am having a very hard time. You may come up with other ways you can include diet issues in your WRAP.

Using the Arts to Recover Mental Health
by Gayle Bluebird

Recovery has become an acceptable term in the mental health field. Persons who previously had been given diagnoses which amounted to life-long sentences in psychiatric institutions now have a much brighter prediction for their futures. Research has shown that many people can and do recover - some with a lot of effort, including the use of therapy, medication, hospitalization, etc. Some recover with varying degrees of effort, still others recover spontaneously, to lead "normal" lives.

Many consumers are reporting the importance of art and creativity as integral components of their recovery. Writing, music, painting, dance, and other arts are pleasurable activities but can also be a conduit for expression of those parts of the self which may not have been expressed in any other way. Art can be used as a powerful healing tool to explore deep emotions - the sorrows, the struggles, and joys. It has the ability to transform us by awakening parts of ourselves to recover and heal from earlier traumatic memories. Through artwork, people can develop their own personal vocabularies for a fuller identity.

Persons who are creating with the arts have things in common to talk about; they can meet over a cup of coffee, critique each other's work, discuss reviews of professional artists and writers, and attend performances together. The inspiration that can be derived from other people's performances and works can lead to the development of their own art. For example, performances by local musicians who are sensitive and expressive may serve as inspiration for their own song or poem.

Networking between artists has led to the formation of consumer arts organizations and programs, including creative arts drop-in centers. These programs offer opportunities for artists' work to be showcased and sold, which provides some artists with extra income. Such organizations attract artists working in a variety of media, including photography, painting, crafts, poetry and performance art. Some cities have theater groups that meet regularly under the guidance of a professional teacher who, with a group of consumers, develop skits that are both informative and hilariously funny. The material is designed for presentation to a wide audience to provoke thought and understanding and to reduce stigma.

Art and creativity can be used by anyone - that is what is so exciting. It does not require being taught or require a therapist to help one be creative. Some may want to be observers or dabble in a "fun" experience. Art for some may be writing a journal, creating a garden, or making a recipe. Others may take photographs of something that is particularly inspiring to them, or draw cartoons. Some artists may want to perfect their art - to "plumb the depths" so to speak - which takes practice and "doing." There is a place for everyone.

Here are some of the ways to get started:

• Have a private place and time to work.
• Write or draw in a journal.
• Set up a time to write each day.
• Got to cafes and write and draw.
• Get tickets to performances.
• Set up a talent show or "open mike."
• Use the library as a resource.
• Read favorite authors.
• Go to art exhibits.
• Go to a disco to dance. Go early.

Sharing of your art, whether poem, painting or song, can be used to create a new understanding of a culture. Art shows can be developed around a theme such as recovery, with each person's art being valued as an expression of their path. What you have is a "tossed salad" or a "stew". The result is not a standard prescription but a sharing: interpretations of personal beliefs and experiences creating a message of recovery.

Gayle Bluebird is coordinator of Altered States of the Arts, a national network of artists, writers and performers, located in Florida Planned for 2001 is a Mad Arts Festival. Contact her at bluebird54@mindspring.com

Peter Sparrow has been writing poetry and music since the early '60s. He is a trained performer, teaches woodwinds and repairs musical instruments in Georgia. Peter can be reached at musicmatters@mindspring.com

RECOVERY TOPICS

Personal Responsibility and Empowerment
by Mary Ellen Copeland

In my studies I have found that many people who experience psychiatric symptoms or have experienced trauma have lost their sense of responsibility for themselves and feel that they have no power or control over any part of their lives. Regaining your sense of personal responsibility and feeling empowered to take back control over your life will help you to feel better about yourself and may even help you to relieve some of the symptoms that have been troubling to you.

One timely way to begin the process of feeling better about your sense of personal responsibility and empowerment is to get involved in the upcoming election. The best way to do that is to think about the issues that are most important to you. They may include things like mental and physical health care, the cost of medications, disability benefits, housing, human services, social justice, the environment, education and employment. Make a list of these things. Jot down some notes about action you would like to see your community, state or the federal government take in regard to these issues. Then study the candidates. Find out which candidates most closely support your view on these issues and will best be able to create favorable change. Then vote for that person or those people.

In addition, if you feel ready, you could become further involved by:

• talking to family members, friends, neighbors and co-workers about your views and the candidates you support - encouraging them to vote for the candidates you prefer.
• letting others know about your preferences through bumper stickers, campaign buttons and lawn signs.
• writing a letter to the editor of your newspaper to share your views or calling in on radio talk shows.
• volunteering to work at the polls, or to work for a particular candidate.

Whether your candidates win or lose, you will know you did the best you could and that through your efforts more people are now informed about the issues.

No Limits on Recovery!
Recovery Education in Washington County, Vermont
by Marty Roberts, Montpelier, VT

If you see people wearing pink buttons that say "No Limits on Recovery!" around Washington County, chances are that these people have been to a Recovery Education workshop. Recovery Education is thriving here. We have had five 40-hour workshops, sponsored by Washington County Mental Health, Vermont Psychiatric Survivors, and the Vermont Department of Mental Health, and began our sixth workshop on September 13.

We offered our first Recovery Education workshop in September 1998. The workshops are open to anyone, including:

• clients of Community Rehabilitation and Treatment (CRT, serving people with severe and persistent mental illness),
• clients of the outpatient program,
• people in the community (with or without psychiatric symptoms),
• family members of people who experience symptoms,
• staff of mental health programs.

To date, nearly all of the staff of the CRT program have attended a workshop, including case managers, rehabilitation workers, staff of the day program, community development and work programs, and most of the managers. We believe that this is part of what makes the program successful, that knowledgeable staff can support consumers in their recovery process after the workshop. We now have interest in the program by staff of Developmental Services, who hope to use the tools of recovery to help their clients.

We have five educators at Washington County Mental Health. Two are consumers, three are direct service providers. At least one consumer has taught in each workshop offered. I coordinate the program at the agency. We all recruit people for the workshops and share the teaching duties. The people who are staff members also make much use of principles and techniques of Recovery in their jobs.

Each time we plan a workshop, we evaluate the previous one - what did and did not work, what we might need to change. We work from Mary Ellen Copeland's curriculum. But as individuals, we may give our own "spin" to the curriculum. Some of the pieces we have added because of requests or need are "Coping with Intrusive Thoughts and Voices" (one of our most popular pieces), presentations by holistic health practitioners (on naturopathy, yoga, meditation, Reiki and acupressure), and a presentation on our community resources and opportunities. This time we are adding pieces on "Substance Abuse" and "Spirituality." Personal recovery stories are very popular, and we use videos, dramatization and guest speakers when appropriate.

We have educators interested in music and art, and we often work these into other presentations. This year we are trying four half-hour sessions combining movement, art, music and writing. We have found most participants prefer the art and music sessions.

We try to make our sessions as interactive as possible, including large and small group discussion, role playing and group feedback. We invite group members to share information, books and tapes, help in presentations, and to contribute ideas for openings and closings, for example.

We have people in our workshops who don't read well, so we try to make the presentations not so dependent on reading. We do largely oral presentations, with notes on flip charts which are typed up for the next week. We try to help people individually with the written parts of the WRAP, and we hope to hire someone this fall to provide extra help. The agency has purchased tape recorders and blank audio tapes so that we can tape reviews of presentations, and have people put their WRAPs on tape when needed. We also work with a collection of relaxation, visualization, and affirmation tapes.

We have a number of people who come to more than one workshop, and who may make steady progress from one workshop to the next. One person who has come to all five workshops says, "I don't know what I would do without Recovery. Each time I understand a little bit more."

All of us can heal and recover, each in our own way. The people who come to the workshops build a Recovery-based, inclusive and caring community where consumers and staff can learn and grow together. We feel that having staff in the workshop helps to break down barriers. A number of staff have told us that the workshop has meant a lot to them personally, whether they had some psychiatric symptoms or were dealing with stresses in their lives. A person who attended last summer's workshop says, "Recovery has changed my life. I have learned skills to make my life better and to help me get through a crisis without having to go to a hospital. It has helped me to see that even though I still have symptoms, I can have a life worth living right now."

The Loneliness Workbook

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Available for $14.95.

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