How Can the VOCAL Web Site Serve You Best?  - Posted 9.18

Please spend a few minutes taking our survey.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/vocalweb  

VOCAL WRAP Facilitator Training - Posted 9.18

VOCAL's next WRAP Facilitator Training will be offered November 17 through 21,at the Shalom House Retreat Center in Montpelier. Teachers will beBonnie Neighbour, VOCAL Executive Director, and Beth Gager, Coordinator of Consumer Empowerment for Region Ten CSB (Charlottesville).

The cost for the training, room and board, and facilitator manual is $1500.

Several scholarships are still available for this training.

To apply for the training, complete the WRAP Facilitator Training Application at www.vocalvirginia.org

Applicants must have completed their own WRAP.

Region Ten Community Services Board Consumer Advisory Council's 9th Annual Recovery Conference - Posted 9.18

"Rainbows of Recovery: Living an Inspired Life"

Friday, October 31st from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Holiday Inn University, Emmet Street, Charlottesville

Featuring Key Note Speaker: Gina Calhoun, Director of Wellness and Recovery Education, from The Copeland Center

Space is limited. Registration is free and is required. No walk-ins admitted. Special accommodations must be made by October 3rd.

Please register by October 24  by contacting Beth Gage at  434-970-1480 or beth.gager@regionten.org

Magellan Health Services, in partnership with Appalachian Consulting Group, DBHDS and DMAS is providing a Peer Support Whole Health and Resiliency Training in Richmond on October 9th - October 10th. 

The PSWH&R training documents are posted o

STAR Center Community of Practice on Collaborative Leadership: Featuring an Interview with Lauren Spiro - Posted 9.18

Tuesday,  October 14th from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.

Join the STAR Center Community of Practice on Collaborative Leadership and Action for a featured interview with Lauren Spiro to hear more about Lauren's view of her own leadership style, her personal standards for leadership and how we can best support and develop leadership with each other.

Register Here

Webinar: Creating Healing Communities: Strengthening Bonds Among Peers, Providers, and Faith Leaders - Posted 9.18

Tuesday, September 23rd from 3:00 - 4:30 p.m.

A sense of belonging, of being part of the fabric of life in a community, is something many of us value and need. And for many people, including those in recovery from mental health and/or addictions, and those who have experienced trauma, being accepted as part of a faith community and nurturing one's spirituality are important sources of meaning and purpose. Faith-based communities can contribute to individuals' recovery by promoting hope, offering solace and comfort during difficult times, and allowing opportunities to celebrate recovery milestones and community connections.

People experiencing a mental health challenge or a substance use disorder, however, can face unique challenges in finding acceptance within their faith community, which leads us to ask the following important questions: 

How do we enhance the capacity of faith leaders to welcome people with mental health and addiction issues? How do we facilitate mutually respectful communication between faith leaders and behavioral health providers, in which each understands and respects the valued role of the other in supporting individuals facing emotional challenges, including mental health and substance use issues, and their families? How do we create congregations where everyone feels welcome and where mental health, addiction issues, and trauma can be openly discussed?

Register here 

Webinar: "What You Really Need to Know about Being a Trauma-Informed Organization" - Posted 9.18

To register:

If it is not trauma-informed, it is not recovery-oriented or person-centered. Trauma-informed is not the new flavor of the month, but a change in culture and way of transforming an organization to live their mission, vision, and values. Learn how to make the case for trauma-informed care and how to lead your organization in joining the hundreds of organizations nationwide working toward this powerful culture change. Start by building understanding of why being trauma-informed is critical, learn the seven domains of trauma-informed care, and learn to set the stage for implementing a trauma-informed culture. This webinar is presented in partnership with Relias Learning.

First Fridays with BRSS TACS: "Health Information Technology Tools to Support Recovery" - Posted 9.18

Register here

This course begins October 13, and will be taught by David Silver, MD. Please contact David at davidfsilver@gmail.com if you have questions about MBCT. 

NAMI Homefront is a free, six-session education program for family, friends and partners of Military Service Members and Veterans with mental health conditions. It focuses on the unique needs of military and veteran communities, such as post-deployment and post-discharge transitions.

The course is designed to help family members understand and support their loved one while maintaining their own well-being. The trained teachers of this course are also family members who have experience with military culture and know what it's like to have a loved one living with a mental health condition.  

Tuesdays, beginning October 7th from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

DAV Chapter 58 Building, 6265 Professional Drive, Gloucester (23061)

Register by September 25th. Call 540-636-6385

STAR Center Webinar: "The Life Changing Power of Self-Directed Care and Peer Support - Posted 9.4

Tuesday, September 30th from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. 

Register here

Trauma-Informed Peer Support Group in Charlottesville (Fee Required) - Posted 8.28

Saturdays at 10:00 a.m., beginning September 6th

198 Spotnap Road

"Building Bridges IV: Embracing Cultural Differences in Community Living" - Posted 8.21

October 16th from 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. 

St. James Episcopal Church

1205 West Franklin Street, Richmond (23220)

This annual event was created though a collaboration among the VCU Partnership For People with Disabilities, Center for Family Involvement, The Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities - Office of Cultural and Linguistic Competence and Office of Developmental Services- Community Resources, Commonwealth Autism Service, Henrico Area Mental Health and Developmental Services, Hampton Newport News Community Services Board, and The Virginia Board for People with Disabilities. 

Register here  

"Together on the Pathway to Wellness: The Good Life - A Vision for Recovery" - Posted 8.14  

Along with the Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board,

Have you or someone you care about experienced mental health and/or substance use challenges? Want to learn more about wellness and recovery? Then this event is for YOU! Explore how to: build and grow good relationships, stay healthy and feel good, and have fun! 

BRSS TACS Webinar: "Why Should You Hire Peer Specialists/Recovery Coaches?" - Posted 8.7

September 18th from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.

Peer workers fill many roles and have many different job titles such as, peer recovery coach, peer specialist, peer wellness coach, peer navigator and more. They work in a variety of settings including, addiction and mental health treatment settings, primary health care, peer-run/recovery community organizations and more.

Working in integrated primary and behavioral health care is a relatively new role for peers. Integrated care is defined as services in which providers consider all of an individual's health conditions in the course of treatment, including physical illness, mental disorders, or substance use, in which these providers coordinate care for the person. There is an emerging body of information suggesting that integrated care programs contribute to a reduction of stigma and discrimination experienced by persons with mental health and substance use problems.

For behavioral health programs, having peers in the workforce strengthens its commitment to person-centered and recovery-oriented approaches. Programs have found that peers can perform many tasks that are helpful to persons served and that peers tend to be more effective with outreach and engagement of people who have been reluctant to participate in behavioral health services.

The purpose of this webinar is to increase participants' understanding of the benefits of peer recovery support workers in a range of settings and roles. Participants will be able to:

• Describe peer recovery support roles in different settings.
• Describe the benefits of peer recovery support services for people in recovery from behavioral health conditions.
• Describe the benefits of hiring peers for behavioral health organizations and systems

Register here

Registration is Open for Alternatives 2014!  - Posted 6.23

To register for the conference, and/or to book a hotel room, go to the Alternatives 2014 website and see the links on the navigation bar at the left. Click on the URL below to go to the Alternatives 2014 website:   

October 24th from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Franklin Park, Rotary Pavilion

Help raise awareness to support recovery and end the stigma of mental illness. No registration required. Snacks will be available. Donations are welcome to support the homeless prevention program, "A Place to Call Home".

Tuesdays and Thursdays at 2:30 p.m.

Wednesdays and Fridays at 2:00 p.m.

October 1 - 3

Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center (Roanoke)

Register here

Every Monday at 1 p.m.