Advocate Support Blog

CPRP Exam Application Deadline Extended!

If you have dedicated your career to providing exceptional psychiatric rehabilitation, now is the time to join the distinguished group of more than 2,600 individuals who have obtained the professional Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner (CPRP) credential. 

 

The CPRP credential is a test-based certification that fosters the growth of a qualified, ethical, and culturally-diverse psychiatric rehabilitation workforce through enforcement of a practitioner code of ethics. Our CPRPs come from a range of backgrounds and practices; some hold GEDs while others PhDs, in careers ranging from occupational therapists to peer specialists, and social workers to case workers. But no matter what, our CPRPs share a commitment to the fundamental principle that recovery from serious mental illness is possible.

Boston University: Recovery Model Through ‘Innovations Institute’ « DISCOVER AND RECOVER: Resources for Mental Wellness

DISCOVER AND RECOVER: Resources for Mental Health Boston University: Recovery Model Through ‘Innovations Institute’ « DISCOVER AND RECOVER: Resources for Mental Wellness.

Introduction to Mobile Psychiatric Rehabilitation

I found the article posted below, several times while researching material for Advocate Support Blog. Each time I see it, I try to find the source, but have not had much luck yet. It's a good description of Mobile Psychiatric Rehabilitation and what we do At Advocate Support Services, Inc. I wish I wrote it.

An Introduction to Mobile Psychiatric Rehabilitation
by Megan Hazel
People who are mentally ill also seem to be chronically afraid of hospitals, or at least seem to want to avoid medical attention in a hospital setting. Looking at it from the perspective of someone who is confused or otherwise mentally unstable, the sterile and instrument-laden halls of a hospital are indeed terrifying, and can even be considered "creepy" by a person who is not suffering from a mental condition.

Mentally ill people do not want to come to a hospital, and they do not want to seek treatment, making it difficult to get that treatment to them. This is why mobile psychiatric rehabilitation units have been established. Mobile psychiatric rehabilitation is designed to help people who are suffering from a mental illness regain or maintain the skills that will help them function in society, allowing them the comfort and security of being treated in an individualized fashion by a caring person in their own homes.

The mobile psychiatric rehabilitation program is individualized to each person, with a specialist conducting an assessment of each person to whom the mobile psychiatric rehabilitation unit is assigned. They work with the mentally ill individual to determine their strengths, and their personal and community resources. From there they work to determine a plan of service to help outline the tasks and goals of the individual. Both the patient and the representative have tasks between each visit to make progress toward thesegoals.

The mobile psychiatric rehabilitation units are tailored to meet the wants as well as the needs of each individual. They can meet an individual in their own home, at their school, their work, or even in their neighborhood. These services are short term and are goal oriented, allowing people, through their own personal choice and at their own speed, to develop the skills and the support that they need to become self-sufficient and to have a more satisfying life.

Mobile psychiatric rehabilitation can help to allow a person to manage their own home through the acquisition of new skills such as budgeting, nutrition, and other self-care skills, as well as skills in areas such as the use of public transportation. Mobile psychiatric rehabilitation can help to teach mentally ill individuals or mentally deficient individuals to use their time more productively, both in the community and at home, and can help them to manage mental health issues like their medications.

Mentally ill people can also benefit from mobile psychiatric rehabilitation to help them use community resources such as employment specialists, advocacy groups, program participant groups, and other community support to their advantage. They will learn how to enjoy and make use of the love and support of their family, friends, and community, even co-workers, and will work on their ability to coordinate their care between their service providers and their support systems at or near home.

Mobile psychiatric rehabilitation focuses not on medicating or treating mentally ill patients, but on helping individuals medicate themselves and assisting them in managing their own diseases so that they can live out their lives as best as they can. A mentally ill individual could make use of mobile psychiatric rehabilitation to learn how to live on their own and how to use the features available to them, from busses and trains to employment specialists.

People working with mobile psychiatric rehabilitation can learn how to utilize their co-workers as a support system, and about how to reach out for the help that they need in managing their everyday life. The mobile psychiatric rehabilitation programs can also help people to learn about their own homes and lives, allowing them to learn about things such as budgets so that they can become even more independent.

It feels good to work with a friendly person to reach a goal that you personally have set. Whether your goal is to learn how to get to work all by yourself or how to buy groceries or clean your own house. Mobile psychiatric rehabilitation is a wonderful service for the mentally ill, and can help people who might otherwise fall apart to get on their feet and learn to move forward, perhaps for the first time in their lives.

Mobile psychiatric rehabilitation is for anyone who is a functional mentally ill person. This program, if it is available in your area, can help you or a loved one learn to make use of their functional capacity to live independently.

www.th-us.net reports the following about the author and source, but I have not been able to verify their information.

About The Author
Megan Hazel is a freelance writer who writes about mental health topics including http://www.CareLink-svs.org Community Support Services | Depression Anxiety Treatment

Article Source: http://www.ArticleCity.com

Psychiatric Rehabilitation: Philosophy & Principle

I am always trying to explain what Psychiatric Rehabilitation is and what I do. Following is an excerpt from the US Psychiatric Rehabilitation's (USPRA) web site which sheds a little more light on the subject.

Advancement of a Recovery-Based Practice
"People can recover from even the most serious and persistent mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, major depression or bi-polar disorder. Studies suggest that individuals recover or significantly improve when provided the appropriate treatments and support systems. Over the last 30 years, an unwavering effort to use more effective and lower cost alternatives to long-term institutionalization led to psychiatric rehabilitation services."

"Psychiatric rehabilitation promotes recovery, full community integration and improved quality of life for persons who have been diagnosed with any mental health condition that seriously impairs functioning. Psychiatric rehabilitation services are collaborative, person directed, and individualized, and an essential element of the human services spectrum. They focus on helping individuals re-discover skills and access resources needed to increase their capacity to be successful and satisfied in the living, working, learning and social environments of their choice."

"It is the principle behind numerous evidenced-based practices, such as assertive community treatment and supported employment services, as well as emerging practices, such as peer support programs. Psychiatric rehabilitation services directly address the high risks that many persons with serious and persistent mental illness experience of repeated hospitalizations, high utilization of emergency room services, low levels of functioning in the community, homelessness, and unemployment"

House Passes Increases for Veterans

Today the House passed a bill (HR 6599), which proposes increases to the Veterans Health Administration and allocates $3.8 billion for specialty mental health care, $584 million for substance abuse programs, and $130 million for the homeless grants and per diem program for veterans.

NAMI reports, "A separate bill funding the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) appropriates an additional $75 million at HUD for rent subsidies, i.e. the housing side of this joint program". "With House action on the VA spending bill, Congress has now adjourned for its summer recess and will not return to Washington until the week of September 8. In September, these will be efforts to complete action on HR 6599 before FY 2009 begins on October 1. However, the other FY 2009 discretionary spending bills - including those covering mental illness research, services and housing programs are unlikely to be passed before October 1. As a result these other programs are expected to be funded after October 1 at current FY 2008 levels - perhaps through March of 2009."

A summary of HR 6599 can be found here.