DMH Connections

A publication of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health

December 2013  

 

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The DMH Office of Communications and Community Engagement would like to extend to each of you our warmest wishes for a wonderful holiday season.  
We hope you enjoy this edition of
DMH Connections and we look forward to your contributions in 2014! 

In This Issue

DMH YouTube Spotlight - Stephanie Moulton Symposium
DMH Employment Corner
Transitions RTC News
Conferences and Events
Spirit of Giving Touches All DMH Staff During the Holidays
Peers Develop their Strengths in Employment Training Class
The 12th Annual MassPRA Conference Highlights Employment and Recovery
December Wellness Tips
New Online Trainings for Certified Peer Specialists
News from Tunefoolery
Photo of the Month

DMH Office of Communications and Community Engagement

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Spread the word: DMH is on Twitter!  We're sharing great information, resources, links, happenings and content with you in live time. Follow DMH on Twitter @MassDMH or just click the button at the bottom of this block and we'll follow you back!

 

If you have news items of interest to the mental health community to Tweet, send it to Anna Chinappi or Michelle Cormier Tallman. Remember, Tweets are 140 characters. (Not words!)

 

DMH joins the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) and several of its agencies on Twitter -- please follow them too. Here's a list:
  • EOHHS - @Mass_HHS
  • Department of Public Health - @MassDPH, @MassinMotion
  • Division of Health Care Finance and Policy - @MassHealthCare
  • Department of Veterans Services (DVS) - @MASSDVS
  • DVS Save Team  - @MassVeterans
  • DVS Women Veteran Network - @WomenVeterans
Thank you for supporting DMH communications efforts. As always, any questions or suggestions, please don't hesitate to contact Anna Chinappi. 

 

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 This social media platform provides news, updates and serve as a forum for open dialogue about issues related to all 16 EOHHS agencies.

 Click here to read blog posts by Secretary Polanowicz, Commissioner Fowler and others

 

  

Department of Public Health Blog 

Click here to view the DPH blog which features expert tips on nutrition and physical activity as well as a roundup of health and wellness events 
  

Contribute to the next DMH Connections

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Submission Deadline for the next Issue
 
Friday December 20

 

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YouTube logo icon DMH YouTube Spotlight

 

Stephanie Moulton Symposium  

The 2nd Annual Stephanie Moulton Symposium held at the John F. Kennedy Library on Dec. 10 drew more than 400 human services direct care workers, consumers and friends in the mental health community for a day of training and sharing best practices around staff and client safety, promoting recovery from mental illness and person-centered services. The annual training event honors the life of Stephanie Moulton, a direct care worker who was dedicated to and passionate about human service work. The day-long training ended with an inspiring and uplifting closing ceremony which can be viewed below.

2013 Stephanie Moulton Symposium Closing Ceremonies
2013 Stephanie Moulton Symposium Closing Ceremonies



DMH Employment  Corner
 
By Michael Stepansky 
DMH Director of Employment 
  

The DMH Metro Boston and Southeast Areas hosted the 11th annual Jonathan Schiff Awards in Boston recently, sponsored by the Schiff Family, Boston University's Department of Psychiatry, the Friends of Metro Boston, and Bay Cove Human Services.  

 

This year's recipients were chosen from a field of 24 individuals and received a certificate of recognition and a $300 stipend from Bay Cove Human Services' Jonathan Schiff Memorial Fund. They are:  

  • Crystal Weidner -- Metro Southeast Area
  • David Zundell -- Erich Lindemann Site
  • Eric Dias -- Plymouth Site
  • Razak Muballe -- Solomon Carter Fuller-Bay Cove Site
  • Michael Montagano -- New Bedford Site
  • Sandra Barros -- Fall River Site
  • Christopher Blake-Denham -- Cape & Islands Site
  • Mohamed Abdulrhaman -- Massachusetts Mental Health Center Site
  • Richard DePina -- Brockton Multi-Services Site
  • Donald Coombs -- Taunton/Attleboro Site 

The annual award ceremony honors the memory of Jonathan Schiff and celebrates the employment successes of DMH clients. Individuals served by the Metro Boston and Southeast Areas and its contracted service providers can be nominated to receive a Jonathan Schiff Award for the following criteria:

  

  • Nominees must have a history of paid work  
  • Work must be an integral part of their rehabilitation and recovery  
  • Employment and independence must be a part of the nominee's future orientation  
  • Work must have a positive effect on the nominee's self-esteem, sense of accomplishment and have assisted them with their recovery  
  • The nominee's employer and co-workers must value the nominee's job performance  


The Schiff Awards were established in 2002 after Jonathan's untimely passing from a heart attack in 2001. Jonathan graduated from Newton High School and continued his education at Bowdoin College and Columbia University. He was attending an additional graduate program at Suffolk University when he was hospitalized in 1981. By 1988 Jonathan had obtained competitive employment as a part of his recovery from serious mental illness and worked as a member of the Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center administrative and core services staff. By 1988 Jonathan worked and lived independently despite his inpatient care between 1981 and 1988.    

 

In memory of Jonathan and his accomplishments, the Schiff Family with DMH established the Jonathan Schiff Memorial Fund to help other individuals with serious mental illness experience the recovery that Jonathan so dearly enjoyed. To that end, the Schiff Family, DMH and BayCove Human Services developed the Jonathan Schiff Memorial Fund. The Schiff Awards and have been accepting nominations for these awards since 2002.  

    

Congratulations to all that were nominated for a Schiff Award and kudos to each of the 2013 award recipients!

 

Transitions RTC 

Transitions IRC logo 

Introduces: 

Video Montage of the Mission and Work of Transitions RTC 

 

Through presentations of research, music videos, and first person testimonials, view the work and mission of the Transitions RTC  -- young adults with mental health conditions and the challenges they face as students and workers during the transition to adulthood.  

 
The video was directed and edited by Tania Duperoy, a Project Assistant at the Transitions RTC. 

Check out the video below:
A View into Young Adults with Psychiatric Disabilities: The Mission and Work of the Transitions RTC
A View into Young Adults with Psychiatric Disabilities: The Mission and Work of the Transitions RTC
 

Conferences and Events

 

Now Available 

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health Suicide Prevention Training Calendar

Please click on the link below to register.

Suicide Prevention Events Calendar

When registering for a workshop, please note that each event has tabs titled with information regarding the workshop, available CEs and cost.   

Space is very limited for each workshop and fills up quickly, so please register early.

 

 

 Upcoming Trainings from The Bridge Training Institute

Click here for the complete 2013-2014 training calendar.

Training Institute events are held at the DoubleTree Hotel which is wheelchair accessible to people with mobility limitations. If accommodations such as ASL interpreters or visual aids are needed, please contact Stephen Murphy at:

[email protected] 

or 508-755-0333 three weeks in advance of the training date.

 

 

Upcoming Workshops at the Center for Professional Innovation 

(formerly Community Program Innovations) 

 CPI offers continuing education for mental health and healthcare professionals and educators, holding day-long workshops throughout Massachusetts on clinical and management topics. Trainings are held in Billerica, Foxborough and Springfield. To view the complete schedule and to register visit  

 http://bridgewellcpi.org   

All facilities are wheelchair accessible. If accommodations such as ASL interpreters or visual aids are needed, email:[email protected] 

 or call  339-883-2118.

   

 Click here for the Transformation Center website and all the latest information and events happening throughout the mental health community.   

 

Please send your event information to

  Michelle Cormier Tallman

by the 15th of each month for publication in DMH Connections

 

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 We will be posting DMH Connections on DMH's archives page of the DMH Internet.  
View issues from 2008 to the Present.

DMH Connections

  

Thank you for your readership as DMH Connections proudly celebrates 5 years of continuous publication!

Spirit of Giving Touches All DMH Staff

During the Holidays

 

DMH is filled with the giving spirit this holiday season as staff in Area and Site offices and facilities across the state work hard to make sure that adults children, adolescents and families in our services and their communities have something special to celebrate. Here are some highlights:

 

Central Office is holding its 3rdAnnual "Warm for the Winter" coat and clothing drive during the month of December. Gently used coats vests, scarves, hats, gloves and mittens and new socks will be given to the DMH Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) who will distribute them to men and women at the Erich Lindemann Mental Health Center shelter programs in Boston as well as those they encounter in their outreach. Balls of yarn are also being collected for guests in the Lindemann homeless shelter knitting group who make their own winter items.

 

Metro Boston Area

Nearly 500 DMH consumers from Boston and surrounding communities were treated to turkey and all the fixings as Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry (D-Boston); the Boston Fire Department led by Local 718; MassPort; and The Friends of Metro Boston hosted the 9th Annual DMH Thanksgiving Feast at Florian Hall in Dorchester. Commissioner Fowler and EOHHS Secretary John Polanowicz joined the more than 150 volunteers. Former Senator Jack Hart who previously sponsored the event also joined the festivities and was given an award for his commitment to DMH and the mental health community.

 

For at least five years now, the Fuller Site has supported a domestic violence shelter in Chelsea called HarborCOV. Spearheaded by case manager Eneida Rodriguez, the site staff buys and giftwraps clothing and small gifts, mostly for the children, but also for their mothers. The agency staff are most appreciative of our ongoing assistance at the holidays.

 

Central-West Area

The Giving Tree at the Worcester Site Office holiday party

On December 6 the Worcester Site Office hosted their annual DMH Holiday Party and luncheon for more than 100 individuals in DMH services. It's a great chance to enjoy a warm home cooked meal surrounded by peers and case managers. The Worcester Site Office staff purchased warm hats, gloves, scarves and slippers which were given out at the luncheon.  

 

The Worcester Site Office also continues the Charitable Holiday Tradition of working with the Worcester Telegram & Gazette Santa along with the Salvation Army of Worcester Massachusetts. The T&G Santa program provides gifts to our Worcester County DMH families with young children. 

 

The Central-West Western Division Area Office collected items for a drawing at the annual holiday luncheon on Dec. 11. All proceeds benefit to the American Red Cross to help victimes of the devastating storms over the past couple of months. 

 

At the Holyoke/Springfield Site Offices, staff have organized a holiday food drive for the Springfield Rescue Mission with a donation of more than $1,000 in food, clothing and funds to the Mission.

 

 

Northeast-Suburban Area  

Every year the West Site Office staff observes their Thanksgiving tradition of donating food and money to "A Place to Turn" food pantry. This year 25 individuals receiving services through DMH's West Site case management program received a full Thanksgiving meal including a 12-pound turkey and all the fixings. 

 

The Area Office/Hadley Building staff gathers for Holiday Luncheon on Dec. 16 and will donate proceeds to Worcester County Food Bank. Hadley Building/South Suburban Site Office staff donated more than 20 cell phones to the Cells for Soldiers campaign. South Suburban Site Office staff decorated an "Atlantic Clubhouse Angel Tree." The names of clubhouse member's children were placed on the tree for staff to select and purchase a gift. Southwest Suburban Site/state operated program staff held a clothing drive benefitting a local church.  

 

The Lowell Site Office staff will have a gift card drive through Lend-A-Hand program which fills the over capacity of Toys for Tots program. The Lowell Site Office staff and Area Board members will sponsoring their annual holiday party for individuals receiving DMH services on Dec. 19. A great meal, entertainment and door prizes are planned for the 300 consumers who attend every year.  The Essex North Site Office staff are collecting non-perishables for a donation to Lazarus House Food Pantry in Lawrence.  

 

The Northeast Area Office staff will gather to donate a holiday money tree to a community charity in the region. Proceeds from an annual drawing benefit the Tewskbury State Hospital Hathorne Unit Canteen Fund. Hathorne Unit clients will have presents to open on Christmas morning. Coordinated annually by Hathorne Unit staff in collaboration with many civic, religious and charitable organizations, they strive to ensure that all persons served have happy holidays during their stay.

 

Southeast Area

Taunton State Hospital staff will be collecting food and toys for the United Way and Citizens for Taunton.

 

 

Peers Develop their Strengths in Employment Training Class


By Rob Walker, CPS

DMH External Consumer Engagement Liaison

 

Recovery is remembering who you are and using your strengths to become all you were meant to be - Recovery Innovations.

 

In two recent unique peer trainings at both ends of the state, individuals with lived experience attended a 76-hour Peer Employment Training Class, using their strengths to become all they were meant to be.

 

The classes were presented by the Recovery Opportunity Center/Recovery Innovations. Recovery Innovations says it has one of the largest peer workforces in the world, with over 63% of their employees working as peer support specialists. Their Peer Employment Training class has been adopted by 27 states as well as Scotland, England, New Zealand and Canada as one option for certifying peer support specialists. It is also approved by the Veterans Administration as a peer support certification organization for VA-employed peer specialists.

 

The participants in the Massachusetts trainings learned tools and skills to help support people receiving services in their own recovery, in highly interactive, skills based, two-week workshops. Participants learned about the power of peer support, managing self-talk and finding meaning and purpose. Other modules covered emotional intelligence, telling your personal story, conflict resolution, recovery from trauma and recovery from substance use. To be certified, individuals needed a score of 80% or higher on the mid-term and comprehensive final exams and pass an evaluation of their skills during role play scenarios.

 

Some comments from the participants were:

 

"The class was outstanding. It is the best learning experience about recovery."

     

"Taking the Peer Employment Training class was life altering for me both personally and professionally. I learned how to open up a conversation with people in an empowering way so that they discover their own strengths to use in making their own decisions. People are their own experts in their lives and with support they can realize their own hopes and dreams by making their own choices."


"What an inspiring and empowering two weeks!"

    

"I have been working at my job since April and after taking the class I feel like I finally know what my job is. I had the lived experience but I lack the knowledge on how I was supposed to speak to my peers."

   

"Thee class was a life-changing experience. We learned many skills that I was able to put into practice daily in and out of class." 

 

DMH fully supports the inclusion of peers in the mental health workforce and for the past several years has made this a priority. Peer Specialists bring the recovery model to new heights as skilled advocates mainly because of their own lived experience of mental illness. Peers serve as role models and in many ways are pioneers in the workplace. Hundreds of individuals have been trained as Peer Specialists, forwarding the Department's vision of recovery and inclusion across all disciplines.

 

12th Annual MassPRA Conference Highlights Employment and Recovery

 

Russell D. Pierce, Director

DMH Office of Recovery and Empowerment

 

The Massachusetts Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (MassPRA) recently held its 12th annual conference, focusing on two of the most important aspects of good mental health: recovery and community partnerships. The two-day gathering was packed with presentations and discussions on integrating employment and recovery, understanding the "rehab" in Medicaid Rehab Option, treating co-occurring disorders, person centered and trauma informed approaches, the certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner Credential, and a very stimulating discussion on Building Community Connections, which sought to explain how peers and consumers could be more effectively integrated into community life through exercises in bonding and connecting with others.

 

Building Community Connections that Enhance Recovery was presented by Dennis H. Rice, executive director, and Michael Seibold both of Alternatives Inc, a central Massachusetts-based DMH provider. The takeaway message was to learn how to collaborate with community organizations as "equal partners," creating opportunities for individuals to develop real relationship and valued roles and to develop program initiatives that will make meaningful contributions to the community. Rice noted that even though we preach inclusion, our organizations do little to actively counter the decline and loss of community spirit. He noted that everyone needs a sense of "belonging" to something that gives him or her definition and support.  He talked about social capital and civic engagement as imperative to community life and betterment within our social environment. We must face the fact many have been excluded and marginalized from the community and the loss of the population results in unbalanced lives and disconnected relationships. Rice expanded on these views in a keynote address on day two of the conference. 

 

Commissioner Marcia Fowler, in her welcome, noted that DMH is committed to recovery and reinforced this by creating the DMH Office of Recovery and Empowerment, an achievement that has moved the Commonwealth forward in this area. Commissioner Fowler also told the audience that she loved being at the MassPRA conference because the attendees strive to keep the rights and dignity of those who use mental health services in the forefront. She ended her talk noting that people are not only asking to be made a part of their community or simply being placed in a facility; people are asking to be fully integrated in communities of their choice.

 

Quoting from Robert D. Putnam's book, Bowling Alone, Dennis Rice emphasized that "trustworthiness lubricates social life" and that frequent social interaction produces a norm of reciprocity. Civic engagement and social capital entail mutual obligation and responsibility for action.

 

Attendees had a wide range of workshops from which to choose including employment; allies in recovery; predictors of medical and physical illness among individuals in recovery; stages of change and team based approaches to supporting recovery and whole health action management presented by Michael Stepansky, DMH director of employment, and Robert Walker, external liaison in the DMH Office of Recovery and Empowerment.

 

Overall the conference was a success and brought to mind a quote from anthropologist Margaret Mead who said: ""Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

 

December Wellness Tips 

  

December is a month filled with both joyous and stressful times. It is surrounded by holiday events and family gatherings that you may or may not want to attend. The goal here is to try a few tips to help you relax, stay calm, and enjoy the magical time of year that it can be.

 

Learn to recognize your triggers. Be aware of how you feel throughout each day. If you notice your heart racing, stomach cramping, or muscles tightening, your body may be responding to stress. Take a moment to stop and assess what is causing the stress and make a note of it. The more you are aware of the things that trigger a reaction, the better you will be able to handle them. Often stress and depression go hand-in-hand. If you are susceptible to seasonal depression, have been diagnosed or have a family history of depression, make sure you are taking time to focus on you and get the help you need from a health professional. 

 

When you keep your body mentally alert by eating right, getting enough rest and exercising, you are able to handle stressful situations more calmly and rationally. Unmanaged stress could make you more susceptible to colds; the flu; headaches; and skin, muscle, and digestive problems. 

 

Set aside a few minutes each day to write down things that mean the most to you in a journal. Are they friends, family, a roof over your head, a favorite hobby, or a passed-down treasure from long ago? Whatever you are thankful for, keep it as a reminder when you are in a stressful situation and focus on the positives in your life. 

 

In stressful situations, change what you can. If the stressor isn't important, or if it's out of your control, why worry about it? Many of the things that bother us in life are beyond our control. Learning to do the best that you can and knowing that is all that is expected of you, is important.

 

For just a few moments, pause, take a breath and relax. Do something that helps you relax. Whatever it is that helps you slow down and focus should be your goal. You can try yoga, a walk, or meditation. Deep breathing exercises are also very helpful when trying to reassess a situation and calm down. When things seem to be spinning out of control, take a deep breath and slowly breathe out as you count to 10. This will help clear your mind so you can respond with an open mind. Challenge yourself to try this at least once each day and assess if it makes a difference when you don't automatically react to a situation. It's never too late to start feeling good again!

 

Click here for a delicious recipe for hearty tomato soup and to take the December Wellness Challenge!

 

New Online Trainings for Certified Peer Specialists

 

 

The Transformation Center, through DMH, has developed two new different training programs. Both are now available, free and online! 

 

Preparing for CPS: This course provides people with lived experience an opportunity to prepare to become a certified peer specialist (CPS). People in a CPS position are required to participate in a CPS training program and pass a written exam. This on-line course provides opportunities for individuals to get a better understanding of the position and develop the necessary skills. Certified peer specialists do many things in their work, including one-to-one peer support, sharing their stories to inspire hope for people using and providing services, and being a change agent. They have strong foundations in peer practice as well as systems change. This online CPS Prep Course can help you check out the foundations you've built as you think about and prepare to come to the CPS training course. It is self-paced and can be done with a group or on one's own. It has many interactive exercises and real life stories. Even if you are not thinking about becoming a peer specialist, it can be useful in exploring your own recovery. 

 

Non-CPS Supervisor Training: Are you a certified peer specialist working with a supervisor who's not?  Are you a supervisor who's been asked to take on the supervision of the certified peer specialist staff?  Now there's an online training meant to support both the supervisor and employee in this new role. 

 

This training explains the certified peer specialist role, training and competencies of certified peer specialists for non-CPS supervisors. It is filled with exercises that can be done with supervisors and employees together to help explore the other's frame of reference, how their training and roles differ and how the supervisory relationship can be a supportive one. It can be generally useful for an agency or organization to explore and best utilize certified peer specialists in their workplace.   

 

The links for both of the courses are on the homepage of the Transformation Center website, in the middle "CPS Updates" box. 

www.transformation-center.org.  There is also a mechanism to provide feedback on the materials. 


News from Tunefoolery


Don't miss the Tunefoolery LilyPad 2013-2014 
Concert Series!

Tunefoolery's musicians and musical friends perform great music on a theme.

Sunday Dec. 15, 2013 2:30 p.m.  Holiday Music
Burning to hear classic holiday songs? Let's hope to hear those sleigh bills ringlin' and see that Dreidel spinning. Come out and support Tunefoolery and our wonderful artists do what they love to do: perform for you all! A festive sing-a-long will wrap up the afternoon! Beverages and snacks for sale. $10 suggested donation Address: Lily Pad 1353 Cambridge St. Cambridge (Inman Square). The concert is sponsored by Eastern Bank and the International Institute of Practical Spirituality.

Sunday March 9, 2014 2:30 p.m. 
Women's Music

All concerts are held at
The LilyPad
Inman Square
1353 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02139

Suggested donation at the door $10

For more information about Tunefoolery, visit their website at: www.tunefoolery.org 

 

Sponsored by the Massachusetts Cultural Council

Photo of the Month
Secretary John Polanowicz joins local firefighters in servingThanksgiving Dinner

  

EOHHS Secretary John Polanowicz, far left, joins firefighters from Boston Fire Department Local 718 as they help serve a terrific sit-down meal to more than 500 guests receiving DMH services at the DMH and Friends of Metro Boston's Annual Thanksgiving Dinner at Florian Hall in Dorchester on Thanksgiving eve.

 

Access photos of all DMH events at the DMH Photo Gallery on Shutterfly

 

If you have photos from a DMH event that you would like featured as photo of the month or on our photo site, please send them to Michelle Cormier Tallman