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Save the Date! Friday, April 20th: VOCAL Recovery Education Open House!
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Have questions about mental health recovery? Want to learn more about recovery education opportunities in Virginia? Want to know what great things VOCAL's REACH Program is up to? Interested in serving on the REACH Advisory Council? If you answered yes to any of these questions we hope you'll stop by the VOCAL Charlottesville Office from 3-5pm on Friday, April 20^th for the first annual REACH Open House. Stay tuned to the VOCAL Digest for more information!

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"Living the Dimensions of Recovery" Conference in NOVA
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Regional Community Support Center will offer this year's conference on Thursday, June 7th, at the Ernst Community Center on Little River Turnpike in Annandale, VA from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.  Dr. Dan Fischer will be the keynote speaker.

We will have music during lunch, and some great, info on system transformation as well as updates from the consumer-operated programs.  Good things are happening and this promises to be another important event in celebrating positive changes.

Please email Lauren Davis, with "RCSC Registration Form Request" in the subject area of your email.  (lauren.davis@dbhds.virginia.org) for a registration form, they will be available a little later on this month.  If you don't have an email, call Violet Taylor at 703.207.7147. 

Register early, these conferences get filled quickly!

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VACSB Conference: "Celebrating Strengths That Increase
Community Dividends"
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May 1^st Pre-Conference Institutes

May 2^nd - 4^th Conference

Crowne Plaza at Fort Magruder Hotel and Conference Center in Williamsburg Virginia

Online Registration at www.vacsb.org

Click on VACSB events and May 2012 Development and Training Conference to enter registration information for each attendee. A confirmation email will be sent to the email address provided. Upon receipt of confirmation, please send payment to VACSB.

A limited number of registration-only conference scholarships are available for people receiving CSB services and family members.

The scholarship does not provide for transportation, lodging or food.

Please contact the VACSB office for a scholarship application:

Phone: (804) 330-3141

Email:kspringfield@vacsb.org

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"Recovery Connections" Starting in Charlottesville
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"Recovery Connections" is a social club (for individuals in their 20's and 30's) who are in recovery from a mental illness.  The social club provides many bi-weekly/monthly social and recreational activities for members in Charlottesville.  

Membership provides access to evening and weekend programs which may include dinner, movies, bowling, speakers, and other events. "Recovery Connections" mission is to provide the opportunity for members (especially those who feel isolated) to socialize in the community and develop friendships with peers.  This is not a support group, it is a social club! 

For more information or meeting times/location in Charlottesville contact Myra Anderson at (434) 242-0211 or liberatedchick09@yahoo.com

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June 25^th -29^th from 9:00 am-4:30 pm  Presented in partnership with The Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery

The Fairfax-Falls Church WRAP® Team's Advanced Facilitators will partner with a Copeland Center trainer to provide the program's first Mental Health Recovery Educator and WRAP® Group facilitator training.  For those interested in becoming a WRAP® facilitator this training will help you gain a deeper understanding of the recovery process and learn to:

·     work with people to help them  uncover their personal strengths and discover how they can use these strengths to support their recovery and wellness

·     effectively share the key concepts to recovery: hope, personal responsibility, education, self-advocacy, and support

·     work with individuals and groups to develop a Wellness Recovery Action Plan,

·     teach about wellness tools and strategies

·     empower and motivate people to work toward recovery - feeling the way they want to feel, making their lives the way they want them to be, and moving toward meeting their life goals

·     use interaction and presentation styles and strategies that enhance recovery

This course models the behavior of a facilitator in a WRAP® class and stresses authenticity and unconditional high regard, as well as a strong set of values and ethics to guide your work.

The training is available to peers who have completed of one of the following; A Copeland Center Correspondence Course, a 2 or 3 day WRAP® Course/Workshop, an 8 or 12 week WRAP® Workshop/Group.

(Scholarships are available for a limited number of individuals living in Fairfax County or the Cities of Falls Church or Fairfax) Individuals from other areas are encouraged to apply. The COST of the training is $900 and does not include your travel, lodging or expenses.

Plan for five full-days (9 am - 4:30 pm) of training from June 24, 2012 through June 29, 2012 in Fairfax, VA. Applications are available on the Team's website HERE.

You can also access an application by going to the following web address: http://fairfaxfallschurchwrap.com

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Eighth Annual "The Art of Recovery" Exhibit Opens May 4^th
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The Rappahannock Area Community Services Board (RACSB) is pleased to announce the Eighth Annual "The Art of Recovery" art show opens Friday, May 4th from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at The PONSHOP Studio and Gallery located at 712 Caroline Street in downtown Fredericksburg.  

The exhibit features original artwork of adults with mental illness. The show is organized by members of Kenmore Club, a psychosocial rehabilitation program operated by RACSB. The exhibit coincides with National Mental Health Month and will be on display through May 27, 2012. The PONSHOP Studio and Gallery is open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5:00 p.m.

A small traveling exhibit will be on display at the Walkerton Tavern from June 2-20. Walkerton Tavern is located at 2892 Mountain Road, Glen Allen, Virginia 23060. There hours of operation are Monday through Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Sunday 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The traveling exhibit is being coordinated with the Henrico Area Mental Health and Developmental Services Board.

"The Art of Recovery" show will feature approximately 50 pieces representing several art mediums. Artwork includes original drawings, paintings, three-dimensional artwork (sculpture), textiles, and mixed media.  A number of the pieces will be available for purchase. The deadline for submissions is Friday, April 13^th.  

To learn more, contact Helen Conley at 540-373-7737.

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Free Third Thursdays Gathering in Charlottesville

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Thursday, April 19th, from 7-8:30 p.m.

The topic will be "Compassionate Honesty: Speaking from the Heart". Invite a friend for an informal evening of discussion and interactive activities.

For registration and/or further information: 434-977-6918 or

Workshop@CareerWithHeart.com

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From Ruth-Anne Walker, Director, Legislative Affairs, DBHDS
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The next meeting of the State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services will be
at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 19, 2012, at DBHDS Catawba Hospital, Marsh-Thomas Building
(Building 73), 5525 Catawba Hospital Drive, Catawba, VA 24070-2006.

The 29-page packet will be available online at this link:  http://www.dbhds.virginia.gov/adm-StateBoardDefault.htm#sb1  Directions and a schedule are on pages 14-17 of the main packet.   

Ø  A tour and a business dinner are planned for the Board's visit the evening of April 18^th at Blue Ridge Behavioral Health's Rita J. Gliniecki Recovery Center.  There will be a program of presentations about community services in the area.  Prior to dinner at 6 p.m., there will be a tour at the center beginning at 5:15 p.m. 

Ø  During the Board meeting on Thursday, at 10:15 there will be a 45 minute break for members to go on a guided tour of Catawba Hospital. 

Ø  At every regular Board meeting, there is a period for Public Comment.

If you plan to participate in either of these tours or the dinner program, please let me know by calling the number listed below, or emailing me by Friday, April 13^th.  This is not required, but would be very helpful.  Thank you.

804.786.1332 or Ruthanne.Walker@dbhds.virginia.gov

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Participants Sought for Teleconference on Connecting
Peers with Communities of Faith
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The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion is seeking peer specialists and peer-operated programs to participate in a teleconference focus group in order to understand the roles each might play in helping peers connect with religious communities. The Collaborative is hoping to determine if a demand exists among peers to connect with these communities, as well as understanding what peer specialists and peer-run organizations might do in order to help peers connect. In addition, a Collaborative spokesperson says, "understanding obstacles and/or support for integration into religious communities would help us to provide others with valuable information about what they might encounter. Obstacles and support could include training and other resources that might be helpful to peer specialists and peer-operated programs."

If you are interested in participating in such a conversation, please e-mail Susan Rogers at srogers@mhasp.org with "Spirituality Focus Group" in the subject line.

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1:30-3:00 p.m. at the Augusta County Library, 1759 Jefferson Highway
Fishersville, VA 22939

The meeting will be held in the downstairs meeting room.

All peers in the Northwest Region are encouraged to attend.

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Mindfulness Class at Friends 4 Recovery Whole Health Center
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April 11^th, 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Jon-Kabat Zinn's "Guided Mindfulness Meditation" series of CD's and learn to apply principles from his book "Full Catastrophe Living" to our daily lives to help learn new ways of coping with depression and anxiety. 

Call for Details! 804-308-1366

Exciting News from the Firewalkers Project!
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Spiritual breakthroughs. Mad gifts. Visionary meltdowns. Do these themes resonate with you? We are publishing an anthology of creative non-fiction about what is called mental illness and mystical experiences, shifts in consciousness and unexpected blessings. Deadline is June 21, 2012. Please see full details at www.thefirebook.org

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National Empowerment Center Presents: "Expanding Our Vision:  Positive Outcomes from around the World"

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Friday, April 27^th,  9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in Denver, Colorado

For complete details and to register, click here.