Peer Support and Wellness Center

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-26T07:24:00.000-05:00

Grand Opening - Peer Support Wellness and Respite Center of White County

2011-07-24T21:09:00.002-04:00

Bartow County PSWRC Grand Opening!

2011-07-21T00:39:00.001-04:00

Memorial Day 2011

2011-05-29T11:30:00.000-04:00

Social Role Valorization 2011

2011-05-14T16:08:00.004-04:00

Summary of the Introduction to Role Valorization Workshop April 11-14, 2011

By: Jen Banathy

On April 11-14th, I had the pleasure of attending the Social Role Valorization (SRV) workshop organized by the Georgia Advocacy Office and presented by Darcy Elks and additional faculty. The workshop was attended by about fifty people, including people with physical and mental disabilities, family members of people with disabilities, people who work in human services, and advocates. This was my second year in attendance and I was again reminded how useful this information is in helping myself and others clarify what actually tends to happen to people in our society who are given a label that others as a whole don’t positively value. As a person who was diagnosed with a mental illness, I experienced the devastation that resulted from being labeled as mentally ill, including such things as complete dependency on other people and the mental health system, institutionalization, segregation, and disenfranchisement. Fortunately today I embrace my recovery and I live a full and meaningful life, including significant personal relationships, a challenging and rewarding job, recreation and leisure, and spiritual growth.

As a Certified Peer Specialist, one of my priorities is supporting others who are recovering from mental illness. I’ve found that the combination of my experiences living with a mental illness combined with the knowledge I gain by attending workshops such as the Introduction to Social Role Valorization add to my own personal growth and enhance my abilities to assist my peers. I strongly encourage others to attend this workshop so that they, too, can reflect on the reality of life for people who are devalued, and in doing so raise their level of consciousness and the consciousness of others. This workshop also presents well documented strategies for lessening the negative effects of devaluation.

Social Role Valorization (SRV) is the name given to a concept for transacting human relationships and human service, formulated in 1983 by Wolf Wolfensberger, Ph.D. SRV is defined as the enablement, establishment, enhancement, maintenance, and/or defense of valued social roles for people-particularly those at value-risk-by using, as much as possible, culturally valued means. In other words, SRV is a means to enhance a person’s or group’s competencies and image so that they enter social roles that are positively valued in the eyes of the perceivers. In both French and English, the term valorization has its root in the Latin word valere, which means to value or accord worth.

Devaluation can be defined as the attribution of low, or even no, value to a person or group. It is a process of negative social judgment of one person or group to another on the basis of some characteristic (that is usually a difference) and occurs on both the individual and societal level. Devaluation is universal-even the devalued will devalue others-and it is unconscious. A person who is devalued experiences life defining wounds when his identity is reduced to a label, such as “amputee,” “cripple,” “neurotic,” or “addict.” By using such labels, a person is reduced to a deficit. Life becomes extremely small and limited as a person’s life is defined by his deficit and its limitations. There are multiple impacts of devaluation, including relegation to a low or “deviant” status, rejection by others, symbolic stigmatizing or “deviancy-imaging,” distantiation, usually via segregation and also congregation, and loss of control, perhaps even autonomy and freedom, to name only a few. Roughly one-third of our population is in a devalued status.

When we are discussing SRV It is important for us to consider what our society today places high value on. Wealth, health and beauty of body, youth, competence, productivity, and adult individualism and unrestrained choice are among the highest valued attributes. Over the long run, most people or groups who are devalued experience a quality of life that is much below that of those who are not devalued and are excluded from obtaining or even experiencing any of the above attributes.

There are typical response patterns that are engendered by the wounds a devalued person experiences. For example, a person may become preoccupied with his own condition. He may also feel, be or act like an alien in the world. One may experience sorrow over all the good things he missed and the bad things he has suffered. It is also likely for a wounded person to experience a sense of worthlessness as well as a dislike of self and despair, which might lead to insecurity and failure sets and avoidance mentalities. Additionally, a wounded person may test the genuineness of personal and social relationships, withdraw from human contact and perhaps even from reality and turn the hurt into resentment and hatred. All of the above involves a sapping of energy, both physically and mentally.

There are two thrusts of SRV. First is to change perceptions of the perceiver so that positive social judgments will be made. Second is to assist people with a devalued status to have a full and meaningful life, or “the good life.” A social role is defined as a socially expected pattern of behaviors, responsibilities, expectations, and privileges. Valued social roles are important for a number of reasons, including giving a person “a place” in society, increasing the likelihood that the “good things of life” will come to a person, compensating for and even overcoming stigma, and providing restoration and healing. Some of what constitutes the “good things in life” include good health, a home, friends, family and loved ones, acceptance and welcoming, freedom of movement, opportunities to discover and develop talents, and fair and just treatment.

Three concepts are important when discussing SRV, including Culturally Valued Analogue (CVA), Culture-Appropriateness and Age-Appropriateness. One way of understanding Culturally Valued Analog is asking ourselves the question, “What happens for people who have a societally valued status?” In addition to considering what happens for people in more highly valued roles, it is important for us to consider a person’s culture and age in relevance to his social roles.

There are major recurring themes in the multitude of implications of SRV. First is the theme of Unconsciousness, which involves understanding why so much devaluation is unconscious and fuels so much unconscious expression. We experience a systemic unconsciousness in our society and those who are devalued pay a high price for our unconsciousness. It is crucial that we place ourselves and others in positions of being powerful consciousness raising agents of change.

Next is offering positive compensation for disadvantage, or the theme of “Conservatism Corollary.” Devalued people and their families exist in a state of heightened vulnerability and many experience long-standing wounding and degradation. The Conservatism Corollary states that the more vulnerable a person/family is the greater is the need for the positive impact of preventing additional wounds, reducing existing devaluation and providing positive compensation to balance off the vulnerability or devaluation. This is a conscious, intentional strategy for addressing heightened vulnerability.

Another theme highlights the importance of Interpersonal Identification. It states that people who identify with others will generally want good things for the others, want to be with the others, communicate good things about the others, want to please the others, and possibly want to be like the others. There are strategies for fostering interpersonal identification, including improving the approachability of each party by the other, finding and emphasizing commonalities shared by the parties, engaging each party in experiences that will help them see the world through one another’s eyes, and fostering each party’s sense of responsibility for one another.

The Power of Mindsets and Expectancies is an additional SRV theme. A mindset is the frame of mind or belief that things are one way or another. Mindsets enable us to perceive things we might not otherwise see and can prevent us from seeing things we might otherwise see. Expectancies are what we believe will likely happen in any given situation. Some relevant mindsets for us to consider are the nature of human nature, how people perceive and value each other, what the “good life” consists of and what people should do to attain the “good life,” what people need and how needs should be addressed, and what good supports consist of and how those supports should be rendered.

A further theme is the Power of Role Expectancies and Role Circularity. There are four requirements regarding the use of the dynamic of role expectancy and role circularity. We must assist people at risk of devaluation to avoid becoming entrapped in negative role circularities, or feedback loops, embed persons at risk into positive role circularities, assist people who are entrapped in negative role feedback loops to break out of these loops, and assist such people to enter positive role circularities. Using the concept of valued social roles, it is important to choose and support roles that confirm a person’s identity, talents and gifts and to think in terms of as many valued roles as possible, even if the person being supported only has the ability to partially fill the roles.

Imagery is an additional SRV theme. When we think of various images associated with a person, those images convey messages about a person’s social status, social roles, age identity, similarity to others and place in society, competence, and miscellaneous personal attributes or characteristics. There is a subculture of deviancy experienced by people who are devalued that is partly conveyed through the images attached to them, including their appearance, autonomy and rights, personal names and labels, types of activities and services, and even symbols and logos. There are numerous consequences of deviancy-imaging, including confirming the devalued status of victim(s) in their own eyes and those of society, legitimizing distantiation and segregation and freezing devalued people into negatively valued and competency-diminishing roles. Therefore, we must think about what we are conveying to a devalued person and society at large through the personal images, language and activities that we include in the supports and services we provide.

One more theme is Model Coherency, which poses the question, “Does the model make sense?” There are main questions to consider in any human services model, including identifying who the people are that are receiving services, what their needs consist of and how those needs should be delivered and how all of the above should be talked about. When considering services, it is necessary to think about both the relevance or precise matching of service content to the recipient’s needs, and potency, or utilizing the most effective processes. In implementation of services, we must be mindful that program components fit together harmoniously and that no avoidable harm is inflicted on a person by the contents and processes of the services we offer.
There are broad areas of personal competency that a person experiences over a lifetime, including the capacity to protect and maintain bodily integrity and health, self-help skills, the capacity to project a positive personal appearance, communication, intellectual ability, skills, habits, and disciplines, motivation, initiative, and drive, competent and responsible exercise of personal autonomy and control, social and relationship competency, and unfolding and expression of self. Personal competency enhancement of devalued people is important for many reasons, which brings me to the next SRV theme, Personal Competency Enhancement in a Developmental Model. Personal competency is highly culturally valued and the more competent an individual is the more accepting society will be of any negatively valued differences he may have. Points to consider in competency enhancement are life as change (life is constantly changing), sequence of development (stages of development) and flexibility of development (development varies according to the individual).

The next theme is the Power of Imitation. There are many ways to use imitation for achieving Social Role Valorization in human services and elsewhere. It is important to understand the power of imitation and be mindful of the contributions and inspiration received from great models. We need to surround others, especially vulnerable persons, with good models and as much as possible, protect devalued or vulnerable persons from exposure to bad models. Lastly, we must be positive role models ourselves not only to the people we serve, but to fellow service workers, advocates, families, and the public.

Personal Social Integration and Valued Social and Societal Participation is the final SRV theme. Personal social integration and valued social participation consists of adaptive participation by a (devalued) person in a culturally normative quantity of contacts, interactions, and positive relationships with normal citizens. The participation is in normative shared activities that are part of recognizable roles, and are carried out in valued (or at least ordinary) physical and social settings. In other words, we ask ourselves the question, “How can we expect a difference when we are kept apart?” Inclusion and integration of vulnerable and devalued people into normal activities and settings experienced by valued people in society is vital in overcoming devaluation. There are numerous rationales in support of social integration of devalued persons, including the benefits to the integrated (devalued) person, the benefits to other interested parties (families and friends, for example) and the benefits to society. Settings, groupings and images (messages) can be either facilitators or barriers to social integration, so it is necessary to consider if the above help or hinder integration by inviting acceptance or rejection by other people.

To conclude, there are six distinct potential goals of SRV. The first goal is the valorization of the positive roles already held by a person. Second is averting a person’s entry into (additional) devalued roles. Third is assisting a person’s entry into new valued roles or to regain previously valued roles. Fourth is helping a person to escape devalued roles. Fifth is reducing the negative roles already held by the person. Sixth is exchanging devalued roles already held by the person for less devalued new roles.

SRV is a social science concept and rests on a solid foundation of well-established social science theory, research and empiricism within fields such as sociology and psychology. SRV is not a value system or ideology, nor does it prescribe or dictate value decisions. What people do in their relationships and services, or in response to the people they serve, demands greatly on their values, assumptions, and beliefs. However, SRV makes a compelling argument of how positive personal and cultural values can be powerfully brought to bear if one wishes to pursue valued social roles for people. Now that I have a basic understanding of SRV, I am able to utilize the concepts and principles of SRV to better understand my experiences as a person living with a mental illness and augment the work I do as a Certified Peer Specialist. I am hoping that others will learn about SRV and discover its significance in our lives. In the words of Johnetta B. Cole, “We are for difference: for respecting difference, for allowing difference, for encouraging difference, until difference no longer makes a difference.”

(My gratitude and appreciation to Dr. Wolf Wolfensberger, Darcy T. Elks and faculty for the use of their material in my summary.)

New Years Eve 2010

2011-01-08T16:07:00.000-05:00

Christmas Eve 2010

2010-12-26T21:29:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-27T19:44:00.001-05:00

Award Presentation to our attorneys in the NIMBY case

2010-09-13T15:52:00.003-04:00

NIMBY = "Not in My Backyard" = Discrimination. This is our story and recognition of our supporters. The opposing neighbors can speak for themselves... and they do ...

Peer Support and Wellness Center Documentary

2010-08-14T16:03:00.001-04:00

A NEW LEASE ON LIFE by Linda Pendley

2010-07-22T11:00:00.000-04:00

At age 68 I retired from my job and fell into a case of the blahs—a state of depression. When I asked my internist to refer me to a psychiatrist he told me that there were no psychiatrists who would take Medicare. I lingered in this depressive state feeling totally useless after having worked for over 50 years of my life. I felt that I no longer had a purpose.

Finally, my husband, God bless him, found a geriatric psychiatrist on the internet who did take Medicare. I made an appointment and enjoyed a very relaxed discussion with a laid back non clinical guy who referred me to the Wesley Woods Senior Transitions Group. He told me to try it for one day and if I didn’t like it we would try another approach. He sized me up and realized that I am a “people person” and do well when interacting in a group.

I fell in love with the participants in the group, many of whom were a good bit older than I was. Their wisdom, incite and humor were a delight. The counselors who led the group were wonderful. After several weeks of this therapy I felt rejuvenated and joined the Senior Depression Group that meets on Tuesdays at the Fuqua Center and is free of charge. I found that all of the participants in the group had similar issues and feelings. It was easy to connect with the group and achieve mutuality. Trust me, we don’t have pity parties. Listen in at the door when our group is meeting and you will hear laughter. We have a wonderful time together and we are a source of support to one another.

One day Cathy Rambach came to our group and asked for volunteers to take the Certified Peer Specialist training being held at Simpsonwood in Norcross, GA. The Fuqua Center would sponsor me to take the course. I volunteered. Certified Peer Specialists have a mental health diagnosis and can relate to the problems people have coping with mental health issues and the stigma that goes along with the diagnosis. The focus of the Certified Peer Specialist is on growth and recovery, not the illness.

After being certified as a Peer Specialist I saw an ad on the internet for a CPS to work at the Peer Support and Wellness Center in Decatur, GA. I began working there in October of 2009. Working with peers both one on one and on our warm line phone has been rewarding. I also facilitate a group on a weekly basis that focuses on whole health and smart shopping. The Fuqua Center at Wesley Woods and my work at the the Peer Support and Wellness Center have given me a new lease on life.

Linda Pendley

Tell Big Pharma…”Gone Fishing”

2010-06-02T14:03:00.002-04:00

By Linda Neiheisel, CPS

“No time for a chill pill now,
Linda the luna is having lunch
With Charlie the tuna”

I couldn’t forget that little boy’s matter-of-fact observation, ”What’s wrong with Miss Linda?” It was 1980 and my first year of teaching. I had just experienced the famous carbohydrate/caffeine crash right in the middle of our Montessori morning work period. At that moment I decided never to be “cranky with the kids” again and committed to a high protein breakfast every day. I did not suspect that thirty years later I would be writing about the benefits of a diet high in protein as essential for our brain health.

What is brain health? Brain health is achieved by understanding how our food choices affect our brain chemistry and particularly, our mood. This is good news for people diagnosed with any mood disorder because it offers a happy alternative to the pharmacological imperative called antidepressants. Three choices present themselves to those of us who seek to improve our mood. We can take medications, fish oil supplements, or choose a third (delicious) option.

We can eat fish. Any way you slice it, eating fish three times a week significantly increases your health. It also improves your chances of fighting depression, according to recent research studies. Psychotherapy cannot be effective if the brain isn’t nourished properly, says Susan Lord, director of nutrition programs for the Center for Mind-Body Medicine.

The Omega 3 essential fatty acids found in most cold water fish are a part of every single cell membrane that make up our brain cells. When a person’s diet is not rich in magnesium, zinc, and omega 3 fatty acids, our neurotransmitters (which form the basic “wiring” of our brains) are not getting what they need to function.

The 1999 Harvard University pilot study dramatically showcased that Americans eat a lot more damaging fats than good fats and that a healthy diet consisted of five grams daily of Omega 3 and Omega 6 essential fatty acids.

Did you know that other published studies show that countries with a higher fish consumption experienced less cases of depression among its population? Even further, the American Journal of Psychiatry gathered cross-national data correlating seafood consumption with a reduction in bipolar disorder.

Maybe Grandma was right when she said, “you are what you eat”. If you nourish your brain, you strengthen your ability to cope and who couldn’t use that in our stressful lifestyle. Here is a delicious way to make your brain food more delectable. ENJOY!

Spicy Fish Tacos
Ingredients:
Whiting or Cod fillets, Olive oil, Lime juice, Favorite herbs, Cornmeal
Multigrain tortillas, Pre-packaged slaw mix, Reduced fat sour cream
Lime zest and lime juice, Adobo paste

Cooking directions:
Marinate fish in lime juice, olive oil, and herbs no longer than 30 minutes.
Stir in one cup of corn meal and bake on a baking sheet for 7 minutes.
Make a Crema sauce out of sour cream, lime zest, lime juice and adobe paste.
Assemble fish taco by putting a crispy fillet in a tortilla. Add slaw on top and and end with spicy crema on top.

SOCIAL ROLE VALORIZATION WORKSHOP SUMMARY

2010-05-19T14:47:00.000-04:00

Jen Banathy
May 12, 2010

As an individual who has experienced the stigma attached to mental illness, I was eager to attend the Social Role Valorization (SRV) workshop organized by the Georgia Advocacy Office. The basic premise of SRV is that people are much more likely to experience the “good things in life” (Wolfensberger, Thomas, & Caruso, 1996) if they hold valued social roles than if they do not. Therefore, the major goal of SRV is to create or support socially valued roles for people in their society, because the resources and norms of society that leads to the good things in life are more available to a person holding societally valued roles.

The content of the workshop clarified what tends to happen to people in our society who are labeled with something that others as a whole don’t positively value. The label could refer to any physical, mental, or social condition. In my case, being diagnosed with a mental illness profoundly impacted my life in that I truly began to believe that there was something horribly wrong with me because of the negative assumptions and judgments society as a whole makes about the mentally ill. I found that my life was being defined by my impairment and because of that narrow focus my wounds were growing in number and severity rather than healing.

My abilities were constantly marginalized and I found myself being excluded from numerous opportunities, such as a productive school and work life, that people in more valued social roles have access to in order to live meaningful lives. I was subjected to low expectations and put on a different path from my peers. It didn’t take long before I was buying into those imposed limits and began to see myself as disabled. I became consumed by personal insecurity and began to see myself as a liability and a burden instead of a contributor to society and began to believe that there was no value to my life and that I did not deserve to live.

Years passed as I continued to spiral downward and I became overly familiar with the revolving doors of the mental health system. Hospitalizations, day treatment programs, medications, and therapy filled my life with an emptiness that I could see no end to. After nearly fifteen years of struggling to live day by day, I came to the conclusion that some drastic changes must occur in order for me to find any happiness. I was forced to change my perceptions and render more positive judgments about myself and my future. My road to recovery was extremely perilous and painful; however, my perseverance and desire to live a good life led me along the right paths.

I am fortunate now to be working as a Certified Peer Specialist at the Peer Support and Wellness Center in Decatur, GA. I am able to share my recovery story with peers who are experiencing many of the same wounds I experienced as a person with a mental illness diagnosis. Many of my peers have experienced being distanced from the regular and normative pathways of life and have experienced the social exclusion common to the mentally ill, both of which can relate to a total loss of freedom and can lead to disastrous consequences.

Having shared these experiences, I am able to understand and identify with my peers and help them articulate what their vision of a good life is and assist them in their recoveries. The SRV workshop presented well documented strategies for lessening the negative effects of the labels attached to those in devalued societal roles and increasing the likelihood that the devalued will have access to the means essential for experiencing the good things in life. To quote Johnetta B. Cole, “We are for difference: for respecting difference, for allowing difference, for encouraging difference, until difference no longer makes a difference.” I no longer deny or hate my difference; I see it as a vocation and a gift I have been given to share.

Busted Biscuits Belly Laugh

2010-05-10T16:14:00.001-04:00

By Linda Neiheisel, CPS

“Look here Mister Pillsbury Doughboy, before you act a fool
Gonna fly past the refrigerated section
Get me some Sweet and Low”

I stood in front of the mirror. I couldn’t forget the little boy in the grocery store who drawled that cruel, cold observation, “Mama, that lady looks like a can of busted biscuits.” I burst out laughing at the visual.

Remembering my Intentional Peer Support training, I embraced my crisis as an opportunity. I knew that May 1 was National Laugh Day and I decided to investigate the possibility that, indeed, laughter was good medicine…and even could help with my belly fat.

How can laughing reduce belly fat? Dr. Lee Berk and Dr. Stanley Tan, researchers from Loma Linda University in California, have studied the effects of laughter on the immune system. Their study, published in the 1996 issue of The Humor and Health Journal shows that belly laughing reduces the release of the hormones cortisol, norepinephrine, dopamine, growth hormone and triggers the release of endorphins, the bodies natural pain killers, which adds up to a general feeling of well being.

This is good news for those of us who have stress related dense fat in the midsection from the secretion of cortisol and dopamine which leads to high blood pressure, heart attacks, and diabetes, as well as obesity in general.

So put the deep breathing aside, and try on a good belly laugh for no reason. It is a workout in itself and could help you live longer and even more happily. To make it even easier, I leave you with a few pokes at those of us who need to take ourselves a little less seriously.

How many Certified Peer Specialists does it take to change a light bulb?
Ten—one to hold the bulb and nine to support turning the ladder.

How many Intentional Peer Support Facilitators does it take to change a light bulb?
Ten—one to hold the bulb and nine to negotiate turning the ladder.

Trading My Jelly Roll for a Six Pack

2010-04-03T18:44:00.001-04:00

by Linda Neiheisel, CPS

“Keep your mean old jelly roll Mister King of the Blues
I’m riding my bike to the Lighter Side Dealership
And trading my jelly roll for a six pack of abs”

I stood in front of the mirror. It wasn’t long before my critical voice brutally commented,” You look like a busted can of biscuits in that shirt.”

I drew a deep breath and cut short the negative self talk. Remembering my Intentional Peer Support Training, I realized that when I dwell on what I want to move away from it is like driving a car forward while looking in the rear view mirror. It doesn’t exactly work.

What does work is picturing in my mind what I do want. I knew I could see myself at 140 pounds again so I started playing with that thought.

“Just for today I will exercise my way toward a 140 pound body weight.” Suddenly a little wave of hope swept over me and I smiled. That simple statement gave me the courage to go even further and believe that not only could I restructure my thinking but reshape my body too.

In light of this realization…I offer you some affirmations to help move toward a better size and shape.

Just For Today…

I exercise my way toward my ideal body size.
I choose to take a walk instead of a nap to move toward a better weight.
I visualize myself lifting 20 pounds to gain my perfect weight.
I empower myself by consistently exercising every day.
I congratulate myself for sticking to my food plan.
I allow myself to feel satisfied with a smaller portion.
I free myself with a clean diet and consistent exercise.
I move toward progress and not perfection.
I embrace my effort to eat well and exercise every day.
I grow closer to loving myself as I move toward a healthy weight.

2nd Anniversary!

2010-02-10T20:10:00.002-05:00

Building a Gingerbread House

2010-01-01T20:17:00.002-05:00

Christmas 2009 "A Christmas Rose"

2009-12-27T22:59:00.001-05:00

Decatur eLife Holiday Video Card

2009-12-18T13:31:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-01T01:33:00.002-05:00

Mariam's Baby Shower

2009-05-13T19:41:00.004-04:00

May 12, 2009

1st Anniversary!

2009-02-07T20:32:00.003-05:00

We are a year old. Woo Hoo!!!

Empanada Christmas

2009-01-09T21:50:00.000-05:00

Empanada's first Christmas. I guess she's having fun. I know we are!

First Christmas

2008-12-25T22:23:00.002-05:00

Christmas Eve at the Peer Support and Wellness Center

2008-12-24T22:14:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-28T23:11:00.003-05:00

This was definitely a joint effort. It was a wonderful first Thanksgiving at the Center.

Run for Wellness and Recovery

2008-11-28T23:06:00.002-05:00

We're in the community getting fresh air and exercise at a very cool fundraiser for the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network.

Governor's Advisory Council

2008-11-28T22:53:00.002-05:00

Voices to the Governor's Advisory Council about the Peer Support and Wellness Center.

Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network Summer Conference

August 20, 2008

St Simons Island, GA

Promotional Video

2008-11-28T22:08:00.005-05:00

We show this 20-minute video at conferences, workshops, and general presentations.

Grand Opening

2008-11-28T21:50:00.003-05:00

Welcome!

2008-11-28T16:51:00.004-05:00

Welcome to the official web blog for the Peer Support and Wellness Center in Decatur, GA! If this is your first introduction to alternative approaches to mental health recovery, our website is linked from the title of this post.

This blog is written by the peer staff at the Wellness Center. We post stories and videos and technical information about the day-to-day operations of a Center that offers respite, wellness activities, and a 24/7 warm line.

Our vision is to be a working model for organizations who plan to develop a center in their area. We hope you enjoy this blog as much as we enjoy the Wellness Center!