Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP): An Overview

1. Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP): An Overview Consumer Education and Support Statewide Call-In: February 28, 2008

2. Welcome! • Thank you to all who have joined in for today’s call! • Instructions for CEU’s for today’s call • Fax Sign-In Sheets to: • Josephine Brodbeck, FAX (309) 693-5101 • Schedule for future calls • March – to be announced by the Collaborative • April 24th - Recovery Strategies for Combined Mental Illness & Substance Use Disorders • May – to be announced by the Collaborative • June 26th - How to Develop Inclusive Agency-Based Advisory Councils

3. Objectives for Today’s Call • Participants will have a basic understanding of the values, ethics, and principles of Wellness Recovery Action Planning • Participants will recognize the basic components of a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) • Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions and offer suggestions regarding these topics

4. Guidelines for Today’s Call • All Speakers Will Use Person-First Language • All Acronyms Will Be Spelled Out and Defined • Diverse Experiences Will Be Heard and Validated

5. WRAP: A Self-Directed Service • By definition, the recovery process must be self-directed by the individual • The individual defines his or her own life goals and designs a unique path towards those goals • The individual designs, directs and owns the WRAP plan

6. WRAP Values & Ethics: Top Ten List 1. Facilitators are to always offer hope 2. Strive to treat others as equals, with dignity, compassion, respect and unconditional high regard 3. Validate the experiences of others 4. All participation is voluntary 5. Give choices and options, not final answers

7. WRAP Values & Ethics: Top Ten List 6. Adaptable to anyone’s personal philosophy 7. Unconditionally accept each person 8. Focus on simple, safe and common sense options 9. Remain focused on strengths and away from deficits 10. Help others understand that there are “no limits” to recovery

8. Foundational Principles of Recovery • Hope • Personal Responsibility • Support • Education • Self-Advocacy • Spirituality

9. Foundational Principles: Hope • Expect the future can somehow be better, no matter what the present condition is • Identify yourown goals and believe you can achieve them • Refrain from negative predictions • Actively fight hopelessness

10. Foundational Principles: Personal Responsibility & Support • Personal Responsibility • Making Good Choices • Developing Action Steps Based on Your Goals • Support • Encouragement • Openness • Accountability

11. Foundational Principles: Education & Self-Advocacy • Education • Getting Good Information • Facilitates Good Choices • Self-Advocacy • Remaining Focused on the Goal • Using Effective Communication • Requires Good Situational Judgment • Supporters can be helpful participants in the process

12. Foundational Principles: Spirituality • Finding Meaning & Purpose • “What matters to you the most?” • “What keeps you going?” • Contributes to Hope & Motivation • Provides a Sense of Community

13. WRAP: for What? • I can write a WRAP for anything! • First I must decide what it is that I want to write my WRAP for • Each part of my plan will be relevant to that particular thing that I am planning for

14. WRAP: the Plan • Wellness Toolbox • Many, many things I can do to be well and stay well • At My Best / Daily Maintenance • A clear description of me when things are really going well which will give me a vision of what I am working toward • A distinct list of items I do every day to help me live at my best • Triggers / Action Plan • Events or circumstances that may compromise my wellness if I don’t respond to them • Action: I respond to triggers by using my Action Plan!

15. WRAP: the Plan (continued) • Early Warning Signs / Action Plan • Signs of change that only I notice that indicate to me that I may need to take some further action • Action: Taking ‘action against emotion’ is a key in this stage • Things Breaking Down / Action Plan • In this stage, things are getting even worse, and other people are beginning to notice, but I am still able to take action on my own behalf • Action: Support that is empowering is the key in this stage

16. WRAP: the Plan (continued) • Crisis Planning • A situation in which I can no longer take care of myself, and others will need to take over responsibility for my care • Action: With my crisis plan, I participate in the decision-making process, even when I am not capable of being the person making the decisions • Post-Crisis Planning • Planning for life after a crisis is the first step to ensuring successful recovery • Action: My post-crisis plan identifies small steps on the road to recovery, to help me transition back to wellness

17. WRAP is a Lifestyle • Writing a WRAP plan is more than a one-time occurrence • It is ever-changing to fit my personal needs and experiences • WRAP is always based on personal choice • The pursuit of good information in order to make good choices is one of the keys to the process

18. How Can I Get More Information? • Resources Online: www.mentalhealthrecovery.com • Order free Mental Health Recovery and WRAP Newsletter by • Website: www.mentalhealthrecovery.com • E-Mail: info@mentalhealthrecovery.com • Phone: 1-802-425-3660

19. Guidelines for Q & A • All Speakers Will Use Person-First Language • All Acronyms Will Be Spelled Out and Defined • Diverse Experiences Will Be Heard and Validated • Limit to One Question per Person, then Pass to the Next Person • Saying “Thank You” Indicates You Are Finished With Your Question

20. Thank You! • Written Questions Can Be Sent To: • Nanette.Larson@illinois.gov • (fax: 309-693-5101) • Mary.Jensen@illinois.gov • Rhonda.Keck@illinois.gov