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Consumer Participation
Initiative
The Consumer Participation Initiative at
CMHA Toronto is working to ensure that we have strong roots in consumer
participation and a recovery philosophy. This
involves four strategic areas:
·
Hiring consumer/survivors at CMHA Toronto in both peer and
non-peer positions
·
Enhancing peer support within the various programs at CMHA Toronto
·
Involving consumer/survivors in program planning and evaluation
activities at CMHA Toronto
·
Building supportive environments for consumer/survivors to be
involved in systemic advocacy
Participation is a demonstration of recovery in action. There are many paths to
recovery but the key components that guide our Consumer Participation Initiative
are:
Hope: There is hope. A vision of hope
that includes no limits.
Individual Responsibility: It’s up to
each individual to take responsibility for their own wellness. There is no one
else who can do this for us.
Education: Education is a process that
must accompany us on this journey. We search for sources of information that
will help us to figure out what will work for us and the steps we need to take
in our own behalf.
Self-Advocacy: Each of us must advocate
for ourselves to get what it is we want, need and deserve.
Mutual Relationship and Support: Mutual
relationship and support is a necessary component of the journey to wellness.
(Key components taken from “What Recovery
Means to Us” by Shery Mead MSW and Mary Ellen Copeland MS, MA.)
SNR
Avenue Of The Arts (Shine N Rise) website is an initiative of the Canadian
Mental Health Association - Toronto Branch. As part of our Consumer
Participation Initiative, the site is designed, developed and managed by a team
of our consumers on behalf of their peers, allowing them to shine by showcasing
their enormous talent in a positive light and to rise above their challenges, in
a manner that celebrates diversity and individuality.
Meaningful Lives Statement
In June 2008, a
meeting was convened with representatives from
Australia, the
USA,
Canada
and the UK interested in vocational intervention in early psychosis from either a
research, clinical or policy point of view. From this meeting a larger
group developed an international consensus statement about vocational recovery
in first episode psychosis, Meaningful Lives.
The Meaningful
Lives statement is a basic statement of the rights of young people with
psychosis to pursue employment, education and training, the evidence which
exists about interventions to help them do this, and ways in which individuals,
organizations and governments can assist the attainment of these ends. The
statement is relevant to practice with young people with first episode and early
psychosis who are seeking to reconnect – or stay connected – with
employment, education or training. It calls for evidence based interventions to
assist them with these goals.
It is hoped that this statement will
increase the focus on the area of functional recovery in early psychosis and
bring it to be seen as being equally important as symptomatic recovery in the
approach to treating early psychosis.
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