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.

Annual Maryland Schizophrenia Conference - 2008

Maryland will be holding its' annual Schizophrenia Conference on Thursday, November 6, 2008 at the BWI Airport Marriott.

This event is sponsored by:
• The Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, Mental Hygiene Administration
• Mental Health Services Training Center, University of Maryland
• Spring Grove Hospital Center
• Maryland Psychiatric Research Center
• Department of Psychiatry, University of Maryland
• NAMI Maryland
• Community Behavioral Health Association of Maryland
• VA Capitol Health Care, Network
• Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center
• Sheppard Pratt Health System

The contact for this event is Wendy Baysmore, 410-646-7758

On-Line Registration will begin mid September

Check their web site for updates: http://trainingcenter.umaryland.edu/

Download Schizophrenia.2.pdf

iTunes U

If you have access to iTunes, which you can get for FREE, you have access to a wealth of information which is produced on various topics by colleges and universities. iTunes U is a growing library of video lectures and demonstrations, most of which are completely FREE.

Most of the videos I have watched seem to have been designed as part of a curriculum and the breadth of the material is almost as vast as a semester course list.

To find topics of interest, you can access specific topics, like mental health, anxiety, depression, etc., by conducting a "Power Search" and then entering the topic that interests you.

Below is an introduction to iTunes U from Apple. Feel free to contact me if you need any assistance, and as always, I appreciate any experiences or comments you have.

- Jim Crosson

New CPRP Eligibility Criteria

The US Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association has made changes to eligibility criteria for sitting for the CPRP exam which went into effect July 15, 2008.

At their meeting on September 30, 2007 the Certification Commission for Psychiatric Rehabilitation finalized a review of the CPRP Examination Eligibility Criteria. As a result of that review a number of changes were made to requirements for the CPRP Examination Application. Changes are effective with the March 2009 Examinations and will impact all new applications for 2009 administrations.
 
The Training Requirement was reduced from 60 contact hours to 45.

The list of “Related Mental Health Degrees” has been eliminated and replaced with the following rules:
1. An Associates’ or higher academic degree in Psychiatric Rehabilitation earned in any year will meet the Education Requirement AND the Training Requirement.
2. A post-secondary Diploma or Certificate earned in any year from an accredited Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program will meet the Education Requirement AND the Training Requirement.
3. A Degree, Diploma or Certificate in any other discipline will require 45 contact hours of training in psychiatric rehabilitation.

An academic course taken for an equivalent of 3 or more semester credit-hours, earned at any time, is worth 45 contact hours and will satisfy the Training Requirement.

Training's taken outside of an academic program must be attended within the three years immediately preceding the application deadline for the requested examination.

To view the revised requirements, click here.

Baltimore Food Resource

I wanted to let you know of a food resource one of my clients found.
It's the Salvation Army on 814 Light St. Don't quote me, but from what I've
heard is they even give out chicken and other good stuff. The best times
to go are Monday and Tuesday from 8:30-3, but Wednesday and Thursday you
can try from 8:30-12:30. What you need to bring is Photo ID, Social Security
Card, proof of address, and if a client has kids their s.s. card and birth
certificate. The phone # is 410-783-2920. Hope it's useful!

-Kim Johnson, Psychiatric Rehabilitation Coordinator
Advocate Support Services, Inc.

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.

A Good Time Was Had By All

Today's bowling activity was a great success! I enjoyed seeing everyone having such a good time and can't wait till next month.

- Jim