Taos Institute http://www.taosinstitute.net/
Houston Galveston Institute http://www.talkhgi.com/
Communities in Recovery
An Innovative and Holistic Recovery Model
A Pre-Conference to the AAMFT 2009
Wednesday, September 30th
Presenting:
Susan Swim, PhD-USA—Now I See a Person Institute,
Houston Galveston Institute, Associate Taos Institute
and
Rocio Chaveste ,MFT-Mérida,
México—Kanankil
Institute Associate Taos Intstitute
Communities in Recovery
The purpose of this preconference
is to provide an alternative recovery model to traditional
MFT theoretical philosophies on community and recovery oriented approaches. Our
goal is to focus on the needs of mental health care by providing a panel from
two countries to present our experiences of providing services to all mental
health populations. Discussions will focus on parity to non-parity diagnoses, substance
abuse, homelessness, education, wrap around services, work options, and
enriched community support and involvement.
In our recovery model of community
based work, we work within the entire client system. It is a “down/top” type of venue where the client is the
expert in their treatment and aides in directing the type of needs for
community involvement. In all of our work we embrace the idea that severe
mental illness and addictions are often symptoms that make a person be seen as deficit.
Often, all that is seen are symptoms and not the person, the context, nor the
relationships in—or potential relationships within—the community. We think that most of the “people” we work
with have the possibility of recovering their own agency, deciding for
themselves the best “solutions of their own situation”, and have the
opportunity to empower themselves
to design their possibilities to live in a better way.
We hope to offer mental health
workers, social workers, clinicians, and university educators to have the
opportunity to witness this model where we include all present in the client’s
“problem system” to be active participants at all times in the community
engagement. Therapist, psychiatrist, social workers, client, and community
support are all team players on the client’s team. These ideas are evidenced
based and reflect the works of the Houston Galveston Institute, Kanankil
Institute, Institute of Now I See a Person, Miller, Duncan & Hubble (1997),
Jaakko Seikula in Finland and the Rhizome Way of Christopher Kinman and Lynn
Hoffman.
It is our desire to invite each
participant at this pre-conference to discuss working within communities and to
discuss how successful outcomes can occur. The pre-conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency
Sacramento September 30, 2009 from 9 am-3pm. Please contact Dr. Susan Swim: Swiminc@aol.com for more information and to
register. This is a free event. Donations are accepted.
Susan Swim, PhD: Now I See
a Person Institute, Houston Galveston Institute, Associate Taos Institute, www.nowiseeaperson.com,
www.drsusanswim.com
·
Recovery Focused Care: In our experience, any participation
with clients must derive from authentic collaboration. Our clients see
themselves as the directors of their services, for if services are not self
tailored to the needs of the individual in community, then these plans are for
services that only serve ourselves! Clients wish and need to be in charge of
their treatment and lives.
·
Collaborative Practice: All services are self-tailored to the
client in community. We try to bring in all who are part of the
client’s system. This could include schools, mandated operations
(CPS, Probation), potential employers, social workers, caseworkers,
psychiatrists, specific friends or relatives, or anyone that can support the
system. It is important to know
their needs and have their collaboration.
·
Connection, Collaboration, and Change: We wish to
create an environment where no one feels judged but, rather, is allowed a
conversational space where the client leads “the team” to what is important to
talk about. Clients need the freedom to express their thoughts in a manner that
respects and hears their ideas for change. We talk in the client’s language. We
work with Severe and Chronic Mental Health Illness in this manner on the
premise that no one wishes to be talked to, but talked with.
·
Connect: Through establishing a connection
of full presence with the clients and the community, where communication,
relationships, and problem solving skills can be improved.
·
Relational Collaboration: Refers to the completely shared
and egalitarian experience of defining the focus and direction of therapy and
community services.
·
Being Fully Present to Listen:
Full
presence refers to a therapist’s posture of genuinely honouring and valuing the
client’s and community’s narratives by speaking honestly and caringly, as well as
co-creating genuine trust and humility, enabling the strengths of the client to
abound.
·
In community based work we work within the entire system. There are continuous conversations
between all involved. We hope within clinics to have the opportunity for all
present in the problem system to be participating at all times. Therefore
therapist, psychiatrist, social workers, client, and community support are all
team players, empowering the client to gain self agency engages self
responsibility in the client-led direction. This enables meaningful change
to occur.
Rocio Chaveste, M.S.: Kanankil Institute, Associate
Taos Institute:
· Community
in Conversation: We invite the community and the clients to construct a
dialogue beginning from the relationships that we are creating. We take the necessary
time to know, walk and talk with the people and know how we can be useful. We
agree to listen and show absolute respect for what they express about
themselves and of the community.
· We think that most of the people we work
with have the possibility to recover their own agency (capacity for hope and
change), to decide for themselves the solutions of their own situation, and to
have the opportunity to empower themselves to design their possibilities to
live in a better way in this moment even though any symptom may have re-occurred.
This is why we decide to work hand
by hand with the individuals and with the community to construct a new relation
to their psychiatric problem. We aim to make recovery achievable with those
persons who cannot currently control the way they consume alcohol or drug
substances. These communities have been marginalized because of their
situation, whatever it is, and we are clear that together we can construct a
history of hope and wellness, making the changes we need to, based on the idea
of human diversity as multiple possibilities.
· We will
provide examples how a small village in the Yucatan was able to transform using
the above concepts to where now it is a flourishing town.
Now I See a Person Institute – California, USA--- with Susan
Swim
· My passion in this field was influenced
by my colleagues at the Houston Galveston Institute. My 26 year journey has
been to provide in my clinical work, supervision, teaching, research, and
publications ways to deconstruct the deficiency language and treatment of those
marginalized in our society by parity diagnosis and subsequent traditional
treatment. This journey has led me to see people and not the labeled
"symptoms" or deficit narratives that often imprison one seeking
mental health services for life's hardships. It is my opinion that these types
of venues of diagnosis and the historically corrective ways to treat people leads to no escape
from marginalization, revolving institutionalizing, and loss of self identity
and self worth. In my opinion these communities have lost self dignity, hope,
and the ability to create change. Thus, I feel a never ending challenge to
create communities where those who suffer can collaboratively take charge of
their lives and be seen by their strengths and where weakness is not the
dominant reality. Change can occur through genuine embracement, collaborative
and relational connection and direction of what these communities of people
wish to occur, for they are heroes and heroines within their burdens and their
thoughts, ideas, emotions, and voices are sacred. I will share my
experiences of community mental health work where people with severe psychosis,
depression, and other parity diagnoses of multiple age groups regained loss of
self and were able to participate in the community often symptom free.
Kanankil Institute– Mérida, Mexico ---with
Rocio Chaveste
· Rocio is responsible for two masters programs within
Kanankil Institute: One in psychotherapy and the other in addictions. In both
of these programs, Rocio, along with her colleagues and students, explores ways
of working which bring people together in conversation, and which enable the
abundant productivity in community engagement. In Rocio’s work, and the work at Kanankil, communities
discover their own wisdom and experience, and they create their own avenues for
addressing the various concerns of life. Rocio and Kanankil address numerous
community interests, including questions of violence and substance abuse, and
the creation of public policy.