2011 WORLD MENTAL HEALTH CONGRESS OF THE WORLD FEDERATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA 19 October, 2011 Promoting Recovery: Effective interventions for prevention and promotion Presented by: Janet Paleo and Anna H. Gray Track: Mental Health Promotion and Prevention

RESILIENCY TRAINING WORKS Over the last decade there has been a rise in resiliency training  In business and corporate settings  With children in schools  With military personnel

RESILIENCY TRAINING WORKS What works for corporations, youth and military actually works for all people. Resiliency training serves to lessen the effects of early adversity… Resiliency training empowers people reducing relapse… Resiliency training empowers recovery…

FOCUS FOR LIFE®  Builds resiliency for anyone who takes it.  At some point in time everyone has life slap them in the face, the question is: “are you going to fall down or are you going to remain standing, and better yet, thrive?”  All of what we do and all of our philosophies are captured in Focus for Life.

STRESSORS MAY BE EITHER POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE Eustress: positive experiences that promote well- being Distress: those experiences that cause some type of harm Stressors are always present; Focus for Life works by refocusing on the type, amount, and coping resources of the individual

Everyone should be able to love life and laugh again!

FOCUS FOR LIFE ® DEVELOPS SALUTOGENESIS

CREATOR OF SALUTOGENESIS Aaron Antonovsky (1923 – 1994)  Medical Sociologist  Coined term in 1968 to capture an emerging concept  Why did some manage to avoid illness and do well even when subjected to extreme stressors?

IN TIMES OF EXTREME STRESS OR TRAUMA, WHY DO SOME SURVIVE AND OTHERS BECOME VICTIMS?  Ghetto children  Work environments that seem unbearable  Poor family dynamics  Stresses of combat  Stresses of long term separation  Mental Illness

SALUTOGENESIS VS. PATHOGENESIS Illness Disease Sickness Health Well Being Recovery Resiliency Salutogenesis Pathogenesis The difference is where the focus is placed. Focus on the illness, you become the illness. Focus on your well-being, it encompasses all of life. Here the illness is another part of life.

COMPONENTS OF RESILIENCY  Your world has meaning (Purpose)  Your world is manageable (Challenge)  Your world is understandable (Control)

FOCUSING OUTSIDE OF YOU

PURPOSE Focus for Life emphasizes focusing outside of yourself and doing something for others. Volunteering fulfills our curiosity and provides a sense of meaningfulness for life.

CHALLENGES Focus for Life has people understand that social networks give you a source of resources to meet the challenges of life.

CONTROL Understanding your world by refocusing on life events and changing the story that we attach to them.

THROUGH FOCUS YOU CAN ATTAIN SALUTOGENESIS

WHAT DO YOU SEE? HOW DO YOU RESPOND?

WE DEFINE WHAT WE SEE But, what causes us to see things? Physiology (What our eyes do) Cognition (What our minds tell us) Bias/world view (What experience tells us)

FOCUS FOR LIFE ® We can change cognition We can change reality (experiences) Being responsible for ourselves and our life Doing all three maximizes growth, recovery, and resiliency!

FOCUS FOR LIFE ® TO UNDERSTAND LIFE IS SUBJECTIVE

FOCUSING ON RESOURCES

FOCUS FOR LIFE ® HELPS YOU TO SEE WHAT YOU HAVEN’T SEEN BEFORE

Graphic courtesy of: David Gobble, PhD, CHES, Director and Professor, Fisher Institute for Wellness and Gerontology, Ball State University, Muncie, IN 47306

ACTIONS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE There is hope in action! The more action you take, the more hope you will have

YOU DETERMINE YOUR OWN DESTINY Taking what you focus on, what that means to you and putting yourself in action, will determine your destiny

FOCUS IN ACTION By choosing our focus, we can affect our lives. By creating meaning in our lives, we can affect our place in the world. By understanding that the power of recovery resides in each of us, we can make it happen, because RECOVERY IS POSSIBLE!!

WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH SAY? RESEARCH HAS SHOWN STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE OVER ALL AND ON ALL SUBSCALES OF THE SENSE OF COHERENCE SCALE, A TOOL THAT MEASURES RESILIENCY, AND ON 11 OUT OF 13 SUBSCALES AND OVERALL STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN THE QUALITY OF LIFE SCALE.

SENSE OF COHERENCE (SOC) The heart of Salutogenesis “Global construct that expresses the extent to which one has a pervasive, enduring though dynamic feeling of confidence that one’s internal and external environments are predictable and that there is a high probability that things will work out as well as can be expected” (Antonovsky, 1979)

WHAT IS THE PHILOSOPHY BEHIND ALL OF THESE PROGRAMS? Taking responsibility for all of your life Moving toward wellness rather than moving away from illness (motivation to live being the key component, full of hopes and dreams.) Beginning to realize that you have everything you need to live life and/or that you can find it.

PEER SERVICES WORK

EXAMPLE PROGRAMS Prosumer Action Center Recovery 101

CRISIS PEER NAVIGATORS IN HOUSTON Provides a symbol of hope when people come into the crisis center. Each Peer was asked, “How do I get a job like yours?” People in crisis see people who have been where they are who are working now. People begin to focus ahead and on what is possible.

PROSUMER ACTION CENTER JOB READINESS PROGRAM A safe environment to try on what it takes to go back to work. People build pride as they tell their community that they are going to work each morning. The look on their faces when they get their business cards speak volumes.

RECOVERY 101 Introducing people from the very beginning of interaction with the mental health system that recovery is possible and the expected outcome of treatment. They get that they are responsible for their lives. The system takes on a paradigm shift in which the people they serve are powerful wellness agents.

PROSUMER PROGRAM IN SAN ANTONIO/HOUSTON/FT. WORTH/LUBBOCK A place for people to get and practice tools to live life, a place to learn about events that affect their life. The focus is not on illness but on living a life you love. People take responsibility for their behaviors and needs. When in crisis they seek help prior to having to show up at the crisis unit.

THE PROSUMER NEWS Many people’s first introduction to recovery, the articles are inspiring, thought provoking, and geared to providing information for living life. The circulation encompasses several states and is mailed out internationally each month. Can be a one stop reference guide to resources in the community, elected officials and how to contact them, and events that are available for recovery.

PROSUMERS INTERNATIONAL OFFICE FAX