The Peer Partnership–May 2008

A publication of the DBSA Peer-to-Peer Resource Center

The Peer Partnership e-newsletter supplies information and tools to assist peer specialists and other peer service providers. We welcome your suggestions for information on resources for peer specialists for possible publication in future newsletters. Please send your information to Pe*********@DB*********.org" href="mailto:Pe*********@DB*********.org" data-original-string="/lfrBkpSl20DxTOVWZ9IpJI28HTvelhnbgnz6XZ0nL0=" title="This contact has been encoded by CleanTalk. Click to decode. To finish the decoding make sure that JavaScript is enabled in your browser." target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">Pe*********@DB*********.org.

Training Opportunities

Next Peer Specialist CE Webinar: Tuesday, June 10 “Not a Pity Party: Effective Peer Support Groups”
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
2:00-3:30 p.m. (CDT)
Register Now Have you ever attended a support group where everyone sat around trading stories about how terrible their lives are? Did participants end up feeling worse when they left than they did when they arrived? In this session, we’ll explore ways peer specialists can take the lead in facilitating support groups focused on hope and recovery. Our speakers will:

• Review support group guidelines/comfort contracts and the process of adopting and enforcing group guidelines.
• Explore the use of person-first language in support groups.
• Present methods for beginning and ending group discussions with an emphasis on wellness and hope.
• Help you learn how to apply your peer support knowledge and skills to handle typical challenges of group facilitation.

1.5 Continuing Education (CE) credits are available to all course participants who successfully complete the post-course examination. (IAODAPCA/Illinois Certification Board approval pending) Learn from the leaders at DBSA, with 1,000 peer-directed support groups nationwide! Webinar Presenters:
Ingrid Deetz, DBSA Chapter Relations Director
Elizabeth Siegel, DBSA Chapter Recruitment Manager Ingrid Deetz is DBSA’s Chapter Relations Director where she is responsible for all national association activities relating to chapter and state organization development, leadership and support for the organization’s network of chapters and peer-run support groups. Ingrid brings a wide range of experience to her work with DBSA including a background in program and event management, learning resource development and student assistance programming. Elizabeth Siegel, Chapter Recruitment Manager at DBSA, works directly with individuals to start new chapters and support groups in communities across the United States and creates resources and learning opportunities for DBSA’s extensive chapter network. In addition to face-to-face support groups, Elizabeth also created, and continues to oversee, DBSA’s online support groups, serving regularly as one of the peer facilitators. To register for this CE webinar, click here. REGISTRATION DEADLINE
11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, June 4, 2008 Cost: $75 per individual registrant
Please note that only individuals registered and logged into
separate computers will be eligible to receive course CE credits. Future DBSA Peer Specialist training courses include:

• “The Complementary Roles of Peer Specialist and Professional Staff”
  August 12, 2008
• “Moving from Peer to Peer Provider”
  October 14, 2008

Applications Now Available–September DBSA Peer Specialist Training Course

DBSA is pleased to announce that our next peer specialist training course for individuals will be September 15-19, 2008, in Norfolk, Virginia, immediately following the DBSA 2008 National Conference. Facilitated by nationally-recognized trainers, this comprehensive course delivers a foundation in recovery principles, intervention techniques and ethical practice. Curriculum focuses on the use of peer-delivered services to support the recovery of others. DBSA peer specialist training is delivered in affiliation with Appalachian Consulting Group, innovators of the Georgia Certified Peer Specialist Project which pioneered Medicaid-billable peer support services.

Course fee is $950 per person which includes the cost of training, materials, daily continental breakfast and beverage breaks and post-training certification testing. Participants are responsible for their own hotel accommodations, travel and other meals.

Enrollment is limited! The deadline to complete and return your application is no later than Tuesday, June 10, 2008. (To download the application, click here.) All candidates will be notified of their application status by July 15.

Interested in sponsoring peer specialist training in your area?

We at the Peer-to-Peer Resource Center are always happy to talk with organizations and groups interested in collaborating with DBSA to offer peer specialist training and certification in their local communities. Because this training is most often offered free of charge to its participants, there is a fee to underwrite training costs. Past training collaborators have included state and county mental health departments, Veterans Administration facilities, clinics, hospitals and more. For more detailed information, e-mail us at Pe*********@DB*********.org" href="mailto:Pe*********@DB*********.org" data-original-string="/lfrBkpSl20DxTOVWZ9IpJI28HTvelhnbgnz6XZ0nL0=" title="This contact has been encoded by CleanTalk. Click to decode. To finish the decoding make sure that JavaScript is enabled in your browser." target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">Pe*********@DB*********.org.

Here’s the Latest …

Second Annual National Peer Specialist Conference Coming to Philadelphia The National Association of Peer Specialists (NAPS) will sponsor its second annual national conference August 20-22, 2008, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The theme is “Peer Specialists on the Front Line.” Plan now to participate in this educational and fun event that will offer solid opportunities for education and networking with your peers across the country. To view conference details and access both a registration and workshop proposal form, visit http://www.naops.org/. Founded in 2004, NAPS is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to peer support in mental health systems. NAPS seeks to bring together peer specialists and supporters of the peer specialist movement to share ideas, strategies and information about innovative programs that work.

Words to Live By

“So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable,
and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable.”
— Christopher Reeve

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