Taking Action for Youth Wellness

As a young person myself when I learned to take action for my wellness and whole health it was through Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery's action planning workshops. What I learned in that workshop was a self-management system that equipped me for lifelong wellness. However, more than just a personal self-managing guide, the evidenced-based practice of their training is about the GROUP PROCESS and environment that is created within the group. Youth being able to be with other youth in a way that creates understanding, mutual learning, and self-identified tools for wellness.  In Youth Specific wellness groups, one of the key components the Copeland Center did was they empowered the groups to be led by youth for youth. The theory behind this is that youth have much greater likelihood of connecting with other youth because they can relate better, rather than adults connecting with Youth.  Not to say that youth who are introduced to a wellness group co-facilitated by adults won't benefit, because they likely will. They just might get more out of it when other youth model and example Wellness for them.  In my opinion, a worker might want to consider learning about the Copeland Center's approach to taking action for wellness and becoming a certified co-facilitator to be able to create a wellness peer-group environment for Youth wanting to get well and stay well through self-identifying steps for wellness, and proactive planning for when a person becomes unwell.  Copeland Center wellness peer-groups are about mutual learning, which promotes self-care for the facilitators and participants alike. The process of training looks like this: 1. Attend a Taking Action for Whole Health and Wellbeing course (time frame can vary depending on who hosts the training, usually either 2 or 3 days or a weekly group model) to learn about how to take action for your wellness and recovery and experience the group process. 2. Attend a Copland Center  Co-Facilitator Training (5 days) to learn how to enhance facilitator skills and uphold the fidelity and values and ethics of Taking Action for Whole Health and Wellbeing along with guidance on how to co-facilitate a group. There is also a Certified Wellbeing Mentor training that someone can take after those steps and experience of co-facilitating wellness groups. Keep in mind that this Co-Facilitation approach always needs at least two facilitators, therefore if an agency wants to start a Taking Action Youth Wellness Program, they might benefit from covering the costs of training at least 2 people, to make it easier to get the groups started.  Amey Dettmer is Program Manager for the Copeland Center's National Consumer Technical Assistance Center, Doors to Wellbeing.