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- Iowa Peer Support Training Academy Brings Message of Hope and Recovery
- New and Noteworthy Materials . . . in the Disability Resource Library
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Iowa Peer Support Training Academy Brings Message of Hope and Recovery
The concept of peer support is certainly not new. For individuals who experience mental illness, however, a clinical approach to wellness has been the norm.
Now in its fourth year, the Iowa Peer Support Training Academy is challenging the status quo. The Academy has trained over 70 individuals with mental illness to serve as peer Support Specialists. These Specialists are reaching out to individuals with mental illness in communities across Iowa.
"The Academy operates on the principles taught by the Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) model," states Carolyn Ingram, a counselor with Hillcrest Wellness Center in Dubuque. "People learn that they are the only experts on themselves, and that true healing and recovery come from within."
Jessi Perry attended the 2008 Academy. "We were in Cedar Rapids, and had to evacuate because of the flood. When we all got back together, I saw a lot of similarities between flood recovery and the mental health recovery model. We take one day at a time, and we're there to support each other."
"The Academy gave me purpose and meaning," says 2006 graduate Jimmy Yeck. "I'm much less self-absorbed and now have the courage to fight stigma."
Perry and Yeck are now employed as Peer Support Specialists. They facilitate groups, provide one-on-one counseling, and serve as community resource professionals. Both feel that serving as Peer Support Specialists has increased their self-confidence and heightened their credibility among peers and service providers.
"People feel comfortable talking to me because they know that I've walked in their shoes," says Perry.
Yeck agrees. "I appreciate being able to be open with others about the lived experience of mental illness," he said.
The Academy is funded through Mental Health Block Grant dollars. The annual training is sponsored jointly by the Iowa Department of Human Services and Outlooks, an affiliate of State Public Policy Group. Scholarships are available to individuals on a case-by-case basis. To be eligible, an individual must have a mental illness, be actively involved in recovery-based mental health initiatives, and be at a point in their recovery which enables them to reach out to others. To learn more, contact Amelia Colwell at 515-243-2000 or acolwell@sppg.com.
New and Noteworthy Materials in the Disability Resource Library
Adolescent onset schizophrenia: 1 in 100 people
[videorecording on DVD] : produced by Montefiore Medical Center in association with Thirteen/WNET New York ; Rich Sabreen Enterprises. Sherborn, MA : Aquarius Health Care Media [distributor], ©2008.
Unlike schizophrenia that strikes in very early childhood, the adolescent-onset variety is frequently highly treatable, and young people have a greater likelihood of fully regaining their lives. #5023
Childhood onset schizophrenia: a life interrupted
[videorecording on DVD] : produced by Montefiore Medical Center in association with Thirteen/WNET New York ; Rich Sabreen Enterprises ; Tami Yeager, Jim Bunn, Denise Cavanaugh, Amy Eskridge, Gemma Jordan, producers. Sherborn, Mass. : [distributed by] Aquarius Health Care Media, ©2008.
A case study of a nine-year-old boy who began hearing voices and having hallucinations. Includes symptoms leading to the diagnosis, biological causes, impact on the family, available medications, and potential misdiagnoses. #5026
Effective practices for children with autism: educational and behavioral support interventions that work
[book] edited by James K. Luiselli … [et al.]. New York : Oxford University Press, 2008.
A review of methodology currently accepted as standard practice for improving the education, the behavior, and the quality of life for children on the autism spectrum. #4848
Bridges ABA: a school program for autism
[videorecording on DVD] : Saratoga Springs, NY : Educational Models Inc, ©2009.
Applied behavior analysis (ABA) can, for certain children, enhance not only learning, but cognitive, social and behavioral skills. In this 45 minute DVD, you will learn how the Bridges ABA Program at Newmeadow School is organized and how the school utilizes the applied behavior analysis (ABA) teaching system with children on the autism spectrum. #5131
Dr. Thompson’s straight talk on autism
[book] by Travis Thompson. Baltimore : Paul H. Brookes Pub. Co., ©2008.
The big picture on evidence-based remediation in autism spectrum disorder by a psychologist and gifted communicator who also happens to be a grandfather of a child with autism. #4706
Autism spectrum disorders and AAC
[book] edited by Pat Mirenda and Teresa Iacono ; with invited contributors. Baltimore : Paul H. Brookes Pub., ©2009.
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is a means by which people with significant speech, language, or written impairment use a tool or a device to assist them in conveying their thoughts, needs and wishes to another person. This book is a series of essays on the latest array of techniques available to break the communication barrier with those on the autism spectrum who cannot use everyday language. #5096
Speech and language development and intervention in Down syndrome and fragile X syndrome
[book] edited by Joanne E. Roberts, Robin S. Chapman, and Steven F. Warren. Baltimore : Paul H. Brookes Pub., ©2008.
Children who present with early language delays due to a genetic predisposition are the subject of this book, which explores the clinical treatment of young children with Down syndrome and fragile X by speech-language pathologists. A book for both practitioners and parents. #4267
Late, lost, and unprepared: A parents’ guide to helping children with executive functioning
[book] by Joyce Cooper-Kahn and Laurie Dietzel. Bethesda, MD : Woodbine House, ©2008.
Deficits in the brain’s frontal lobe, the locus for executive functioning, result in chronic difficulty with memory, initiating tasks, and organization. This book offers parents strategies for helping a child to shift gears – to manage homework, to hone planning and memory skills, to control impulses, and to monitor his or her own behavior -- whether that child has AD/HD, autism, learning disabilities or no specific diagnosis. # 5008
All Disability Resource Library services are free to people with disabilities in the Center for Disabilities and Development service area and to members of their families. Other individuals and community service providers are asked to pay a per item fee to borrow materials, or they may purchase an annual subscription. There is no charge to anyone for assistance with finding information. To contact the Disability Resource Library at the Center for Disabilities and Development, phone (800) 272-7713; (319) 356-1345: email disability-library@uiowa.edu, or visit on the web at http://www.healthcare.uiowa.edu/cdd/multiple/drl/drl.asp.
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Education & Training Events
Community Circle of Care 2nd Annual Mental Health Conference
May 7-8, 8:30 am - 4:00 pm
NICC Town Clock Center, Dubuque, IA
Day 1 will focus on children’s issues, while adult issues will be discussed on Day 2. Presenters include a self-advocate, family member, psychiatrist, and the director of a statewide peer support organization. Information at: www.communitycircleofcare.orgAutism Society of Wisconsin 2009 Annual Conference
May 7-9
Kalahari Resort & Convention Center, Wisconsin Dells, WI
Three days, three keynotes: May 7 (Pre-Conference), Michelle G. Winner; May 8, Scott Bellini; and May 9, Morton Ann Gernsbacher, Ph.D. Information at: www.asw4autism.org/
Iowa Microboard Basics
May 8-9, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Des Moines Botanical Center, Des Moines, IA
A microboard is a small group of committed family and friends or other community members who join together with a person with a disability to create a non-profit corporation that pays for and manages their support services. There is no charge to attend this training, but you must register by contacting Brandee Toland at 319-353-8869 or brandee-toland@uiowa.edu.
Aging Well EXPO: 30th Annual Iowa Governor's Conference on Aging
May 13-15, 2009 9 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Hy-Vee Hall at the Iowa Events Center, Des Moines,
Older Iowans and professionals interested in issues on aging will be introduced to ways to make their own lives healthier and more independent through a selection of 70 workshops and presentations. Keynote speaker will be actress and advocate Patty duke. CEU’s available. For more information, visit www.iowa.gov/elderaffairs/living/conferences.html
Supporting People on the Job: Working with Employers and Employees Iowa APSE Job Coaching Certification Training
May 20-21, 8:30 am-3:30 pm
Iowa Western Community College, Looft Hall #109, Council Bluffs, IA
This program is for people who directly support workers with disabilities in community employment. SueAnn Morrow, course instructor, is a nationally known speaker in the areas of supported employment, positive employment administration, and quality management. For more information, contact Janet Phelps (319) 293-6276 or vbjo@hotmail.com
."One Community for All" The Arc of Iowa 56th Annual Conference
May 20-21
Mercy Medical Center, Hallagan Education Center, Cedar Rapids, IA
Featured speakers include Colleen Wieck from the Minnesota Governors Council on Developmental Disabilities and Al Condeluci, National Consultant on Community Inclusion for people with disabilities. Wednesday evening, enjoy Theatre From The Passage, an authentic Slovak theatre performance by actors with disabilities. For more information, visit www.arceci.org or call 319-365-0487 and ask for Carey Buresh.
Iowa Advocates for Mental Health Recovery Co-occurring Disorder Recovery Conference
May 20-21
Holiday Inn & Suites, Des Moines, IA
This year's conference will focus on systems change, cultural competency and the ongoing state initiative to promote coordinated co-occurring treatment. Featured guests will be Dr. Dan Fisher, Executive Director of the National Empowerment Center, and Dr. Ken Minkoff, expert of integrated co-occurring treatment. Consumer stipends are available for individuals committed to establishing dual diagnosis recovery meetings in their area. are available for individuals committed to establishing dual diagnosis recovery meetings in their area. For more information, visit www.iarecovery.org/
Parents as Presenters Training
September 25-26
Country Inns and Suites, Clive, IA
This workshop will teach parents of children with disabilities the skills needed to effectively share the family story with college students and community professionals. There will be no cost for attending the workshop; stipends are available. Application deadline is May 26. For more information, contact Deb Samson at 515-242-5295 or deb.samson@iowa.gov
For more conference and training opportunities, see the Disability Training calendar. Top of this page - - Disability Training “The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have.” - John C. Maxwell Top of this page - - Disability Training home page
How to get in touch with Possibilities: POSSIBILITIES is funded in part through a grant from the Iowa Department of Human Services to support the activities of the Iowa Training Consortium. Possibilities is designed by Loretta Popp. Top of this page - - Disability Training home page
MAIL: Center for Disabilities and Development
100 Hawkins Dr. Rm. S376
Iowa City IA 52242-1011
PHONE: 319-353-6448
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