Transcript Mental Health Recovery

Using WRAP to Develop a Strong
System of Support
Mary Ellen Copeland PhD
The Copeland Center for
Wellness and Recovery
Sponsored in partnership with
Essential Learning
December 16, 2009
Continuing Education Credits
Continuing Education credit is provided through the Mary
Ellen Copeland’s partnership with Essential Learning, an
approved CE provider.
Essential Learning, LLC is approved by the American
Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education
for psychologists. Essential Learning, LLC maintains
responsibility for this program and its content.
Available Accredited CEUs:
APA, ANCC, ASWB, NBCC, NAADAC
This information in this webinar will be useful to
people who:
 have developed and use their own WRAP
 lead WRAP groups
 work with people who use WRAP as their guide to
recovery
 want to develop and keep a strong system of
support
It will be helpful if you need to answer
questions from:
 people you are working with and
supporting
 WRAP group participants
 people attending follow up support groups
and recovery groups
Earliest studies (1988-1994) showed
the importance of support in working
toward Wellness and Recovery.
Later studies provided more
data on how to develop and
keep a strong support system.
They also addressed the importance
of enjoying time alone.
People who had strong support
systems and enjoyed being alone
had few issues with loneliness and
seemed to have greater success as
they worked on their recovery.
As you work through the WRAP process
for developing and keeping a strong
support system, add in tools and
strategies that help you enjoy and even
crave time alone.
Before we begin working on specifically on
developing a WRAP for building and
keeping support, I want to share with you
some key points I have learned about
support through my studies.
Support from family, friends, and care providers
promotes wellness and recovery. Being effectively
supported helps people feel better and enriches
their lives.
People in recovery benefit from having at least
five good friends or supporters.
 Someone to talk and share with
 Companionship/to have a good time
 Help in figuring things out and making
decisions
 Someone to take over and keep you safe when
you can’t take care of yourself
These are people who:
 Care about you
 Empathize with you
 Affirm and validate you and your experience
 Accept you as you are
 Listen to you and share with you
 Advocate for you
 Enjoy sharing fun and interesting activities
with you
 Make decisions for you when you can’t do
this for yourself
 Are willing to follow your predetermined plans
Good Supporters
Listen, listen, listen
Empathize, empathize,
empathize
They know that unasked for advice,
criticism and judgments won’t help
and will make the other person feel
worse.
You may have to educate your supporters
about what you want and need.
And ask them what they want and need
from you in return.
Relationship Enhancers
 Positive Self Esteem
 Taking good care of yourself
 Mutuality
 Respecting boundaries
 Keeping in touch
 Treating others with unconditional high
regard
 Avoiding people who treat you badly
 Using "I" statements
 Listening well, sometimes to the same
story over and over
 Being clear about what you can listen to
and what you can't
 Accepting the other person's view of
reality
 Staying with someone when they are
having a hard time
Relationship Spoilers
 Feeling that others won't like you
 Not taking good care of yourself
 Treating others badly
 Acting in ways that may be embarrassing to
others
 Being needy and draining
 Interrupting
 Sharing "I can top that stories"
 Giving advice
 Criticism, judgment, sarcasm, Put Downs
 Dragging Up the Past
 Labels
 Negative Comparisons, Badmouthing Others
 Threats, Taunting, Ridicule
 Judgmental “you” messages
 Rudeness
 Breaking confidentiality
 One Person Doing All the Talking
 “Know It All” Behavior
 Wanting You to be only Their Friend
 Flirting with Your Partner
 Controlling Behavior
 Not Wanting to be Seen with You in Public
Places
 Clinging or Very Needy Behavior
 Inappropriate Sexual Talk
Supportive Statements
 I am here for you.
 I care.
 What happened?
 I am sorry that happened to you.
 That sounds really hard.
 I'm here to listen
 How can we work together so you can feel better.
Begin by taking very small steps, gradually
expanding your circle of supporters:
1. Start by sharing more openly with one
person you know very well.
2. Invite that person to share an activity with
you.
3. When you feel ready, choose another person
with whom you are willing to share
4. A next step might be going to a peer center or
support group.
5. Gradually share more openly with people in
the group.
6. If you become uncomfortable with a person
or a group, choose others to be supporters.
WRAP
 Wellness Toolbox
 Daily Maintenance Plan
 Triggers and an action plan
 Early warning signs and an action plan
 When things are breaking down and an action
plan
 Crisis Planning
 Post Crisis Planning
Using WRAP You Decide
When you develop it
How long you take
What you put in it
When you revise it
How you use it in your life
Wellness Toolbox
 Who can be your supporters
 Connecting with supporters
 Beginning and maintaining relationships
 Being with supporters
 Activities with supporters
 Things to do alone
Who can be your supporters
Family members
Friends
Colleagues
Peers
Health care providers
In choosing supporters:
Avoid limiting your options.
Supporters can be any age, shape, size,
sex, sexual orientation, and from any
religious, cultural, ethnic, educational or
economic background.
Support groups and peer support centers
are great places to meet potential
supporters.
Connecting with Supporters
Where did you meet people who are now your
friends?
 Community activities
 Support groups
 Volunteering
 Work
 Special interest groups
 Religious and spiritual activities
 Educational activities
 Neighbors
Beginning and Maintaining
Relationships
 Reaching out
 Introducing yourself
 Chatting
 Arranging to get together
 Phone call check-ins
 Staying connected
 Respecting boundaries
Being with Supporters
 Listening
 Sharing
 Empathizing
 Peer counseling/exchange listening
 Check-ins
 Problem solving
 Supporting through hard times
 Using "I" Statements
 Respecting boundaries
Activities with Supporters
 Cooking
 Sports
 Exercise
 Movies, plays, concerts
 Talking
 Eating
Things to Do Alone
 Creative arts
 Writing
 Music
 Exercise
 Reading
 Decorating your living space
 Gardening
 Fixing things
 Meditation
Add new tools that have to do with support
whenever you notice or discover them
 Loneliness Book
 Winning Against Relapse
 Self help books
 The internet and social networking sites
 Friends and supporters
 Care providers
 Classes, workshops, seminars, groups
What I am like When I am Well
Think about times in your life when you felt
connected with another person or other people
and when you didn’t feel lonely.
Make a list, write a story, draw a picture, make a
collage that describes what that felt like. If you
can’t think of such a time, write how you would
like it to be.
Refer to this page whenever you need to be
reminded of what you are working toward, of
what you want to feel like when you have a
strong support system, are using it well or when
you are enjoying spending time alone.
Daily Maintenance
Which Wellness Tools do you need to use every
day to assure that your support system is strong?
Check-in/reality check
Call at least one friend or family member
Avoid people who treat me badly
Have a meal with a family member
Have a 5 minute exchange listening session with
a supporter
Spend at least 1/2 hour doing something fun
alone
Things I Might Need to Do
 Spend more time with supporters
 Make an appointment with a care provider
 Spend extra time alone
 Plan a special activity with a supporter
 Arrange a meeting for my supporters
 Discuss my Advance Directive with supporters
 Listen and empathize with a friend
Triggers
 A disagreement with a friend
 Someone treating you badly
 No friends being available
 A Friend cancelled time together
 Being judged or criticized
 Ending a relationship
 A difficult phone call
 Not enough time alone
Triggers Action Plan
 Use "I" statements
 Respect boundaries
 Do a reality check
 Talk to a supporter
 Exchange listening
 1 hour doing something alone I enjoy
 Go to a support group meeting
Early Warning Signs
 You have less than 5 people on your list of
supporters
 You don't want to answer the phone or door
 You are feeling needy and desperate
 You are impatient with others
 You feel hurt someone can't pay attention to you
 You feel like others don't like you
Early Warning Signs Action Plan
 2 peer counseling sessions
 Call a friend and tell them how you are feeling--ask
for their ideas
 Ask a friend to go for a walk with you
 Go to a movie by yourself
 Do something you do well
 Do something nice for someone else
When Things are Breaking Down
 You haven't reached out to a supporter in 3 days
 You feel like no one likes you
 You can't remember who your supporters are
 You are rude to a family member
 You are very irritable and impatient
When Things are Breaking Down
Action Plan
 Have a 5 minute check-in with each of my
supporters
 Problem solve with supporters
 Have a meal with family
 Use "I" statements
 Treat others with unconditional high regard
 Spend at least 2 hours doing something I enjoy
alone
Advance Directive
Supporters are key to the success of the Advance
Directive.
Include them in the development of the directive.
Discuss it with them and give them a copy when
it is complete.
Give them revised copies as needed.
Choose supporters who are willing to
follow your directive.
Do the best you possibly can
to be cooperative.
Describe signs that others need to help you clearly
so they can be easily understood
Washing my hands for two hours and won't stop
Saying words for 2 hours that others can't
understand
Not recognizing family members
Purposefully breaking furniture
Threatening the safety of others
List your supporters, how to be in touch with them
and what you want them to do.
List people you do not want to be involved.
Describe clearly:
What others can do that helps and what does not
help
Chores they need to take care of
Specific plans for "staying-at-home"
Indicators that others no longer need to follow the
plan
Post Crisis Plan
Your support team is also key in your post crisis
plan. You may want to review that with them as
well.
List clearly the people you want to assist and
support you through the Post Crisis phase.
Be clear about people you need to avoid.
Your support team will be crucial as you gradually
work toward "Resuming Responsibilities".
Begin using this WRAP for Developing and
Keeping a Strong Support Systems whenever you
want to.
At first you may want to review your plan
everyday, following your Daily Maintenance Plan,
and taking other action as needed.
After a while you will notice that you remember
your plan and only need to refer to it from time
to time, unless you are having a difficult time.
At some point, you may want to incorporate this
WRAP into your basic WRAP.
Revise your plan when you discover new Wellness
Tools and find that some things work better for
you than others and as the circumstances of your
life change .
Keep lists of your supporters in convenient places
Bedside
Hanging on your refrigerator or bulletin board
Near your phone
Update your list of supporters as it changes.
Work on Developing and Keeping a Strong
Support System is on-going over time.
It is well worth the effort.
Get more ideas on Developing and Keeping
a Strong Support System
Talk to others who have had similar experiences
Join a support group
Websites:
mentalhealthrecovery.com,
wraparoundtheworld.com
Sign up for the newsletter
Take an Online Course
Many, many mental health recovery and WRAP
resources including:
 The Loneliness Workbook
 WRAP Stories
 Winning Against Relapse
 The Depression Workbook
 WRAP books
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mentalhealthrecovery.com/store
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 Mental Health Recovery & WRAP Group
 Copeland Center for Wellness & Recovery
 WRAP Facilitators Group
 Build Your Own Wrap Online
 Creating a Wellness Toolbox, WRAP One on One and
other online mental health recovery and WRAP courses
 WRAP resources and information
http://.mentalhealthrecovery.com
Your agency or organization can make "Build Your Own
WRAP Online" and other mental health recovery online
courses more readily available to its staff and the people
it serves.
For more information, go to our partner:
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For information on becoming a Certified WRAP
Facilitator or having a WRAP training in your
area, go to:
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Upcoming Training
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April 12-16, 2010
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