Peer Specialists/Peer Supporters
Consumers as Providers
Mental Health Consumers/Survivors as Providers of Mental Health Services
Presented
by Pat Risser
Mental health
consumers/survivors were not always valued for their experience and expertise
in helping others. However, their contributions today cannot be denied. Their
contributions are invaluable both in terms of helping others as well as how the
consumer/survivor providers have helped themselves.
INDEX (contents of
this page)
Below you will find:
An overview of the
program for consumers/survivors to work as Peer Specialists, Peer Supporters or
as part of a transformed mental health workforce.
Personal testimonies
from students who experienced the training; testimony from a family member;
testimony from a provider
The complete
CURRICULUM
The history of
consumers/survivors as providers of service
How to contact Pat
Risser for more information or training
________
Pat Risser has been
involved with training of this sort since the beginning over twenty years ago.
Recently, when he taught another class in Oregon, several students said that in
over ten or more years with the mental health system, they hadn't been helped
as much as they had in just a couple of weeks with this training. (Read Student Comments/Testimony Below) Pat asked,
"What is it that makes such a difference?"
The students responded that
it was two primary things. First, that the class was being taught by Pat. Pat
is a consumer/survivor himself and his inspirational journey of recovery
provided hope for the students. He provided a role model of peer support and
proved that recovery is possible. The second thing that made a major difference
to the students was that Pat told them from the very beginning of class,
"You are NOT your diagnosis!"
We all have many roles in life. We are husband, wife, brother, sister, worker,
student, teacher, etc. However, many times people who come to the mental health
system for help end up allowing the role of "mental patient" to
become their primary role. Tragically, this may mean that if we have therapy
and at the same time our wife, husband, children or others need us, we will
choose to attend therapy because all of our other roles have become so
diminished.
In this first illustration, we see the typical "mental patient." This
person has become primarily a "mental patient." There is no sense of
balance and all other roles are strictly secondary. Often, this person has no
life outside of "mental health."
In this second illustration, we see a person who has been through the
consumer/survivor training. They have a restored sense of self. They have
"recovered" their sense of self-worth, self-esteem and self-value.
There is a more balanced perspective with the "mental patient" aspect
of their "self" minimized.
Email received October 26,
2008 of Graduation Speech:
SPIRIT
4th Class
April 2007
I am Paige Moles, and when I came
into the Spirit Program I was scared, withdrawn and lonely. I am not without
friends, family, or support, yet the deep dark hole I had climbed into could
not be reach by those around me that loved me enough to try. Being stubborn as
I am, I chose to believe I was safe, but the whole world passed me. My little
girl, who I live my whole life to raise, was growing up right before me eyes
through a window I couldn’Äôt open. I was missing it all.
Spirit Came around and showed me a
way I could open that window and take part of life again. In rushed the fresh
air and butterflies, the wonderful sent of the flowers and pine trees. The
Mountain was alive for me again. The air was filled with fresh new ideas and
bright out looks on new experiences. Suddenly I had wings to fly into a great
new life where I had peer support and guidance to make positive choices to be
in control of my daughters and mine life.
There have been many ups and many
more downs in the last 10 weeks but in all life lessons learned experience in
nothing more or less then what you do with it.
It is with that in mind that I would
like to thank all the good old friends that have made it through with me always
giving that support even when I couldn’Äôt see it. Thanks also to all the new
friends who have helped me to find my newly sprouted wings, awaken one and all
of us to a new and brighter future with a stronger happier spirit, that we once
had lost sight of.
This is a program like no other. My
wish is to see it added to every High School curriculum, as that is where I
think it would do the world the most good. Every person who Attends the class
takes away something different but very important, to grow into beautiful
productive person.
Thank you to all who have put your
efforts forth to change my life and all our lives for a drastically better
world we will all make for all the time and energy and devotion you have given
us.
And most of all thank you
Pat Risser for seeing a need in your own treatment, and finding a lack in
direction out of his own hell, researched, and found his way, then chose to
share the answer and end the many needs of many others, were quite the same so
began leading us out of the hell of the labels of mental illness, and false
treatments they force upon us not giving choice or freedoms.
________________________
About half way through the
class in the Summer of 2005, several of the students wrote letters to the
county mental health director (Melinda Mowrey) to thank her for supporting the
training. Some also thanked the Director of Adult Services (Jessica Leitner)
and the Director of State Vocational Rehabilitation Services (Stephanie
Parrish-Taylor) for their support. These letters provide a powerful testimonial
for the recovery potential that is built into this training. Here are some of
their letters (as well as some from subsequent classes):
Student
Comments/Testimony
SUMMER
2005
"Class is a living
learning recovery machine..."
"...confidence is better"
"...doing for me
what Prozac could never do"
"...four
weeks did more than years and years of therapy"
"...four
years of counseling to four weeks of class"
"...growth people have
experienced"
"I hold my head nice and
high..."
"I'm getting some self
respect back..."
"...if the
Consumer has a voice they can recover"
"...learned how to deal
with problems"
"...new meaning and a
new passion for life"
"Nine
years of therapy can not amount to the five weeks of education
"...opened my mind"
"...training
has created a fire or passion for life within me"
SPRING 2006
"...a
Window Into Recovery"
"all that valuable
information..."
"At Last A Program That
Works..."
"...back
with a Support Network first time in years"
"Before SPIRIT I was
without Hope..."
"I was Homeless and in a
Deep Depression but Now I have Hope"
"My life has been
enriched..."
"Over 20 Years and Now
SPIRIT..."
"SPIRIT saved my life!"
"...truly AWESOME!"
SUMMER
2006
"...gained friends, support,
knowledge, tools, acceptance"
"...gave me so much hope"
"...helped
me a lot"
"...hope for a better future"
"I
LOVE SPIRIT!!!"
"...miracle elixir of ho pe and
fellowship"
"...most awesome support system"
"...strength is the people"
"You're
the bomb!"
RECOMMENDATION/TESTIMONY FROM A
FAMILY MEMBER!
"August 11,
2005
To: Melinda Mowery, Director
Clackamas County Mental Health
Oregon City, OR 97045
Subject: S.P.I.R.I.T. Training
Dear Melinda Mowery,
I want to thank
you for providing this opportunity to my daughter-in-law, xxxxxxx xxxxxxx. She
has grown so much since beginning your class. Her life now has meaning and
purpose. Her depression and mental issues have always seemed uppermost in her
thoughts. Prior to beginning these classes her main answer to conflict and
problems in her life was suicide and/or preoccupation with suicidal ideology.
As a result of this class, she has been changing for the better.
It is only the
halfway point in the training and she now has learned the confidence to handle
most of her problems. After four weeks I can hardly believe the change, our
little mouse has become a lioness. She has been able to get up in front of
various groups and make announcements or facilitate the class and has made
speeches without fear. I was concerned about her outlook on life in the midst
of such major issues, but she has used the coping skills she has learned and
connected to her peers for support. She now demonstrates an internal calmness
and seems to be able to handle most issues as the family anchor and support.
The application
process alone brought her light at the end of the tunnel. It arrived while her
husband was in the hospital, her sister was scheduled for heart surgery, and
her mother discovered she had colon cancer. Normally, that information alone
would have brought her to her knees. Although religion is not a classroom
focus, her spiritual strength has increased right along with her improved
strength of character.
I am very
impressed with her ability to handle her new marriage, larger family, and
financial issues. Although her husband's job was the only family income, they
were able to discuss the two-month class as an opportunity she could not pass
up. The lack of income has created some intense financial difficulties but the
calmness and resourcefulness have proven to assure that the family's needs were
cared for. This would have been too much for her to handle before, she is
actually learning how to handle life and is a joy to be around.
I feel a lot of
this is due to what she has learned in this class, she has learned so many
great coping skills and has begun to use them in the community to help others.
The church has asked her to consider working in their emergency services
department to help find options for those in need and to give some
presentations about mental health. She has been offered other positions as well,
and I am looking forward to watching her continue to grow through the remainder
of the training.
Please, do
anything you can to continue this training program for others. I have never
seen her so full of life. I think you are doing great work, keep it up!
Best wishes,
Mother-In-Law of xxxxxxxx"
RECOMMENDATION/TESTIMONY
FROM A PROVIDER!
"Here's
a great SPIRIT story. Today (April) I saw xxxxxxx for a counseling appointment.
He graduated from SPIRIT yesterday. I could not believe the difference in him.
"When I
first met him in December his hygiene was casual and his attitude was negative.
He has both physical and mental limitations (he's in a chair) and he told me
that he only has one kidney and it is starting to slow down. He said that he
was only at VR to "exercise my options" and that there was not much
use in committing to a rehab. program because he was going to die soon. He
really said that. I suggested he take one class in January at XXXXXXXXX
Community College, but he didn't want to commit to the responsibility.
"I gave his
file to our medical consultant and asked her, "is he really going to die
soon? He's young and looks so robust." She did her medical review and
listed his many physical issues. But she also said that although his main
medical risk was kidney deterioration, it might not cause significant problems
and his psychological issues seemed to be his biggest barrier.
"Today,
after completing SPIRIT, he came back for another counseling session. He is a
different person. He has plans and he is serious. He is talking about getting
his GED, volunteering at Free Geek for a better computer, and training for a
computer repair or computer support job. He is clear eyed and clean shaven.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE.
"Thanks,
SPIRIT staffers, now I can work with him!
"It will be
a while until we see a "rehab." I would say a couple of years because
SPIRIT is just the start of the journey. This makes me wonder how we are going
to measure the rehabs from SPIRIT when many of them will be this way."
xxxxxxx, M.Ed.
Rehabilitation Counselor/MH Specialist Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
A
FORMER STUDENT (Summer 2005) RECENTLY WROTE (April 2007):
I got out
my SPIRIT handbook last night and was going through it and remembering all the
things you presented. Good memories. I also went to the 4th graduation last
week. It warms my heart that SPIRIT continues to touch students lives in such a
powerful way, and the message of recovery continues to grow strong within me.
Thank you. Love, xxxxxxxxx
In
the History below, there is an explanation of how and why this training is
different from all others. It is more flexible to meet the needs of individual
students. It is also based upon a "Job Task Analysis" of people who
actually provide services to help others.
Why
Pat is an Advocate for this Training
Pat's Qualifications/Resume (Short Summary)(Detailed Resume)
More on Training/Teaching Mental
Health Clients to Help Themselves
Additional
Training and Consultation in Mental Health Available!
To E-mail Pat send to parisser@att.net
Note there isn't a link to my email
address. With no link, the spam bots that search the web are less likely to
fill my e-mail with their garbage.
LAST UPDATED December 2010