2010 National Conference
Pre-Conference Institutes

DBSA is pleased to offer several pre-conference educational institutes. These 2-hour, in-depth workshops will be held the morning of Friday, April 30, and will focus, one each, on consumers, families, and community.

Community Pre-Conference Institute
Friday, April 30, 2010
9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

“Steps to Wellness” Introduction:
Building Community Supports
Presenter: Jane Winterling This introductory course focuses on the journey of personal recovery back into the community. For many of us, when we first started experiencing difficulties, we found them life-consuming. This course talks about skills and techniques to help bridge this sometimes precarious and difficult phase by developing participant-structured support groups that allow us to explore relationships in a safe, respectful peer environment…and that give us a way to give back and mentor others as we become more and more well. The registration fee includes a copy of “Steps to Wellness—A Manual for Building Community Supports.”

Jane Winterling, a consumer/survivor, is the Recovery Education Coordinator for Vermont Psychiatric Survivors. Responsible for the idea of WRAP, she worked with Mary Ellen Copeland on the initial writing of the first Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP©) book. A master facilitator for the Copeland Center, she's also a board member of Vermont Vet-to-Vet; an active consultant with peer support groups throughout her state; and author of “Steps to Wellness: A Manual For Building Community Supports.”

Family Pre-Conference Institute
Friday, April 30, 2010
9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

"What Really Helps: Practical Steps
You Can Take to Assist Others”
Presenters: Larry Fricks and Lisa Goodale, ASCW, LSW
1.75 CEU Credits for Certified Peer Specialist available through IAODAPCA, Inc.

Sponsored by Rebecca's Dream

It can be difficult to know what to do when someone you care about seems to be developing a mental health problem or experiencing a crisis. Delivered from the perspective of those living with mood disorders, this course instructs participants how to respond to such situations in productive and practical ways. Participants learn risk factors and warning signs of mood disorders and other mental illnesses; engage in experiential activities that build understanding of the impact of illness; learn about evidence-based treatment and support; and improve their mental health literacy.

		Larry Fricks is DBSA's vice president of peer services, director of the Appalachian Consulting Group, Inc., and founder of Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network, Inc., and of the Georgia Peer Support Institute. He is internationally known for his work designing the first Medicaid-billable certified peer specialist program in the country. Larry is also a 2007 recipient of the SAMHSA Voice Awards' Lifetime Achievement Award.
		Lisa Goodale, ACSW, LSW, is DBSA's vice president of training. She has worked with and trained hundreds of people living with mental illness to work as peer specialists and has been integral in creating the Peer Specialist Alliance of America (PSAA) to promote this emerging profession. She represents DBSA on the Consumer Liaisons Council to the Department of Veterans Affairs Committee on Care of Veterans with Serious Mental Illness (SMI Committee).

Consumer Pre-Conference Institute
Friday, April 30, 2010
9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Getting Well in a Crazy System:
Recovery Still Remains a Reality!
Presenter: Steve Propst

All too often people who live with a mood disorder are called "crazy," when, in reality, that term more appropriately describes the "mental health" system they encounter when they seek recovery. At a very vulnerable time in life, a person has to negotiate a system that's confusing, challenging, disconnected, and demeaning. But there’s good news! Even in the midst of a broken system, recovery is still fully possible! Using pictures that illustrate and principles that instruct, this session will help you rethink, retool, and recharge your recovery. Despite perceived obstacles to getting well, you can change your perspective for the better and move forward toward a more full, meaningful life.

Steve Propst is president of DBSA Metro Atlanta, immediate past chair of the DBSA board of directors, and an active voice on radio, television, and in print. His "Mind Over Mood" column appears regularly in bp Magazine. He is also a conference speaker and consultant to families and patients who seek to successfully confront mental illness and have meaningful lives. Steve holds an MBA from Michigan State University and previously worked in the hotel/restaurant field.