Promoting Community Inclusion in Rural America: The Role of Peer Specialists

1. Promoting Community Inclusion in Rural America:The Role of Peer Specialists Results of a Survey from the National Mental Health Consumers Self-Help Clearinghouse and the Temple Collaborative on Community Inclusion of Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities January 24, 2013 Webinar

2. Richard Baron, MA, Director, Knowledge Translation / Temple Collaborative on Community Inclusion of Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities / rcbaron@temple.edu / tucollaborative.org • Eddie Perhonitch / Founder and COO • Jessica Matern / Certified Peer Specialist Recovery Edge / Pottsville, Pennsylvania / eddie@recoveryedge.org / 570.516.9094 Presenters

3. Introductions • Community Inclusion and Peer Specialists • The Survey: Origins and Methods • Key Issues • Core Findings • Great Examples • Questions and Answers Agenda

4. The Temple Collaborative - research and training on community inclusion / NIDRR • The National Leadership Committee of the Temple Collaborative – focus: peer specialists • Other Peer Surveys - Into the Thick of Things / Peer-Run Programs - Inclusion in Religious and Spiritual Groups - Promoting Competitive Employment Studying the Roles of Peer Specialists

5. Salzer - the opportunity to live like everyone else Baron - what recovery is for Centre for Community Inclusion - creating pathways from segregated services into mainstream services Defining Community Inclusion

6. 85% of people with serious mental health conditions are unemployed • 70% of people with serious mental health conditions reliant on SSA live in poor areas • People with serious mental health conditions report only 50% of the number of people in their ‘social networks’ as those without • Similar problems in parenting, religion, recreation, education The Metrics of Isolation

7. The Collaborative believes there are important roles for peer specialists to play in promoting community inclusion – limiting the isolation of individuals with serious mental health conditions • NLC asked us to explore whether these roles were likely to be different in rural communities, and what recommendations would be make to enhance the role that peer specialists could play Peer Specialist andCommunity Inclusion

8. Contacts with national and state organizations focused on: rural America, rural mental health, and peer specialists • Review of the literature on rural America, rural mental health, and peer specialists • Summary of major trends, potential areas for clarification, and recommendations A Survey Approach

9. Rural mental health care is fragile, and the medical model prevails. • Individuals with mental health conditions in rural America are disenfranchised and isolated. • Stigma and discrimination about those with mental health conditions remains a problem. • Transportation problems are particularly severe for individuals without cars. • Individuals from minority communities with mental health conditions are underserved. Key Issues

10. Peer specialist roles need to be better defined in order to focus on community inclusion • Peer specialists have to be more engaged in community life themselves to serve as models • Opportunities for inclusion have to be explored and exploited with lots of energy • Developing transportation networks and individual capacities is essential Peer Specialists Told Us:

11. Peer specialists must be willing to be ‘the public face of mental illness’ in the community • Building trust with mainstream organizations is a key role for rural peer specialists • Advocacy in rural communities is best achieved with a less confrontation style • Peer specialists in rural communities need to network for effectively with one another Peer Specialists Told Us:

12. One-to-one linkages in a church setting • Expanding knitting groups to a local yarn shop • Organizing volunteer clean-up programs • Working on voter registration • Linking to ‘wheels to work’ for transportation • Community awards for connections A Few Fine Examples

13. From the Field

14. Are there other ‘key issues’ in rural America that should be on the radar? • Is community inclusion a feasible role for peer specialists in rural America? • Are there other examples of rural initiatives to promote engagement in the mainstream? • What supports to rural peer specialists require to do this work well? Questions and Answer Session