An Overview of the
Enhanced Curriculum to
expand Peer Support
Services to Service
Members, Veterans &
Their Families
Liz Woodley
Gina Noel-Brown
Where to begin…
Demonstrating the power of Peer support:
• What is my role in supporting a Veteran Service connected person?
• What impact do I want to make on a
Veteran – Service connected persons’
recovery journey?
• What challenges do I anticipate in making
a connection?
2
Peer Support Principles
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Voluntary
Non-Judgmental
Empathetic
Respectful
Honest and direct communication
Mutual responsibility
Reciprocal
(Shery Mead, Darby Penny and Laura Prescott)
3
Peer Support Activities
What can you think of?
4
Veteran Peer Support
• An important strategy in supporting the
behavioral health needs of service members,
Veterans, and their families
• A bridge to services and help ease transitions
• Peers with military experience and experience
with recovery offer valuable knowledge and
skills to assist others
• Improves the overall quality of life for those
being served
5
Why, Veteran Peer Support Services?
PA’s Veterans population:
• PA has approximately 1 million Veterans. It is the fourth largest
Veterans population in the country
• 70% of PA’s Vets are over the age of 55
• PA has about 19,000 men and women serving in the National
Guard, and the National Guard has deployed over 35,000
individuals during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts
• PA has the 2nd highest suicide rate for Veterans in the country
• Approximately 10% of all adults in U.S. jails and prisons are
Veterans
Source: U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs
6
Certified Peer Specialist – Veterans: Roles
• Provide information
• Act as a referral source to clinicians and other
mental health professionals
• Provide support and understanding to Veterans
they serve
• Partner with Veterans in problem-solving,
decision-making, and setting goals
• Identify resources in the community
• Assist Veterans with attaining full integration
into the community.
7
Responsibilities: General Guidelines
The CPS who supports Veterans and Military
personnel also:
• Maintains confidentiality
• Demonstrates appropriate and respectful language
• Maintains appropriate boundaries
• Demonstrates appropriate personal appearance and
dress code in the workplace
• Works in the interest of supporting those served
• Able to ask for help and receive feedback
8
MILITARY CULTURE : WHY IT MATTERS
9
In this section we will…
•
•
•
•
Describe military structure and processes
Review the demographics of today’s military
Identify stresses by mission and conflict
Discuss ways for CPSs to support
10
Military Operational Organization
• Status:
– Active Duty
– National Guard
– Reserve
• Doctrine and Regulations
Air Force
– Doctrines can change with leadership
– Regulations are federal therefore the same
for Active, Reserve and Guard
11
Today’s Military Demographics
• Specifics vary by
service
• All volunteer force for
since 1974
• 2.2 M total serving in
uniform today
compared to 15 M in
WWII
• Desegregation in 1948
– 39% ethnic diversity
– 15% are women
12
Today’s Military Demographics
in Comparison to the Draft Population
• Average age is older
• Educational backgrounds higher—
percent college graduates, high
school/GED requirement, ASVAB scores
• Marital status higher than civilian
• Heritage: “military brat”
13
The Services
Commonalities
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Recruiting
Testing
Training
Core Values
Fitness
Joint Service
Some Language
Rank is Great Equalizer
Differences
• The Mission
• Individual Service
Cultures
• Uniforms
• Rank Insignias
• Language and Acronyms
14
Values
• Army:
– Loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity
and personal courage
• Navy and Marine Corps:
– Honor, courage and commitment
• Air Force:
– Integrity first, service before self, excellence in all we
do
• Coast Guard:
– Honor, respect , devotion to duty
15
Missions
• Army – fight and win our nation’s wars with sustained
land dominance across full range of military operations
• Navy – power projections, strategic deliverance and
tactical delivery of combat power
• Air Force – to provide strategic air lift and tactical air
combat support
• Marines – rapid deployment force; seizure of or
defense of advanced naval bases for land operations
• Coast Guard - safeguarded our Nation's maritime
interests and environment around the world
16
Considerations, Challenges and
Implications
• Access to services
• Effects (physical, psychological) of life in a war
zone
• Military rank and authority
• Help-seeking and peer-to-peer support
• Family well-being and reintegration
• Civilian reintegration
• Impact on Veterans returning from Iraq & Afghanistan
17
Peer Support in Action:
Making the Connection
• How to use military values and history to drive
the peer process?
– Loyalty
– Respect
– Selfless service
– Honor and integrity
– Excellence and commitment
– Personal courage
– Devotion to duty
18
~ Civilian/Corporate ~
Military ~ Mental Health ~Criminal Justice
WHEN CULTURES MEET
19
Service Systems
Military
Mental Health
Strength, resilience,
courage, personal
sacrifice
Elitism, superiority
Mental toughness
Collectivism, group
identify
Inner strength, selfreliance
Illness, clinical,
deficiency-oriented
Injury, problems,
disorders
Emotional
vulnerability
Individualized, oneon-one
Seek help from
others
Criminal Justice
Crime, criminal,
victim, conditions
Law enforcement
Prosecution
Judiciary
Corrections
(probation and parole community corrections)
20
Veterans,
The Criminal Justice System
and
Peer Support
A Challenge & Implication
of
ReIntegration
Innovation: Veterans Treatment Court
Why:
• To divert those with mental health issues from the
traditional justice system and
• To give them treatment and tools for rehabilitation
and readjustment.
The progress:
– As of February, 2013, there were 168 Veterans
Treatment Courts in the United States.
– Currently 17 in Pennsylvania
Resource: http://www.justiceforvets.org
22
Innovation: Veterans Justice Outreach
• The VJO provides direct services to justice-involved Veterans
• Developed by the Veterans Administration
• Each VA Medical Center has a designated justice outreach
specialist who
– functions as a link between the VA, Veterans, and the local justice
system whether incarcerated or not incarcerated
• The VJO specialist works with the courts to
– help eligible justice-involved Veterans get mental health
assessment, treatment planning, and referrals to VA services
– communicate with officers of the court about Veterans'
compliance with VA treatment programs
– may assist in training law enforcement personnel on issues such as
PTSD or traumatic brain injury.
• For information and a list of VJO contacts, see Justice
Outreach handout
23
Forensic Peer Support and The Sequential Intercept Approach
PA RESPONSE
24
Forensic Peer Support for Vets
• Peer Support offered to Veterans and military
personnel with MH or Co-occurring challenges
involved in the Criminal Justice System from
initial contact with law enforcement through reentry into the community from incarceration
• To effectively offer support by understanding
the Criminal Justice System and the resources
needed for successful Community Re-entry
25
How?
• Jail Diversions
–programs that divert individuals with
mental illness from the criminal justice
system to community based services
26
The Purpose of FPS for Vets
• To support VMPs during their involvement in the
Criminal Justice System
• To promote recovery principles including selfadvocacy
• To advocate for VMPs when they are unable to
advocate for themselves
• To educate stakeholders in VA and CJ systems
about mental health recovery
• To inspire hope
• Ultimately, to keep people in the community
27
What’s the benefit?
• Positive relationship development
• Assistance with understanding and navigating
the Criminal Justice System
• Aids in finding and utilizing resources
• Educates individuals about recovery
• Supports completion of parole/probation
requirements
• Reduces the time in jail/prison re: the lack of
community supports, housing options and
resources
28
An Approach
The Sequential Intercept Model
29
The Sequential Intercept Model
• What is it?
– A conceptual framework for communities to use
when considering the interface between the
criminal justice and mental health systems as they
address concerns about criminalization of people
with mental illness.
– Use of the Sequential Intercept Model as an Approach to Decriminalization of
People With Serious Mental Illness, 2006
30
5 Key Points of Intercept
1. Law Enforcement and Emergency Services
2. Initial Hearings/Initial Detention
3. Jails and Courts
4. Re-entry (from Jails, Prisons, and Hospitals)
5. Community Corrections / Community Support
Services
31
Peer Support in Action
“Dialogue and Development”
Coming Home: Military Veterans involved in the Criminal
Justice System
The Issue:
• "Large numbers of Iraq and Afghanistan war Veterans
are returning home with serious mental and emotional
problems.
Possible Responses:
• What can peers do to support the healing of
psychologically-scarred* troops?
* profound stress and the challenges of adjusting to civilian life when
returning home.
32
Objectives
• Discuss origins and stages of impact of mental
health issues
• Compare and contrast “traditional” medical
model and psychiatric rehabilitation approaches
to understanding assessment and treatment of
mental health issues
• Brief discussion about medication and
adherence issues
• Identify approaches peer specialist can use
when Veterans experience mental health issues
33
Why CPSs Need to Know This
• To understand the common language used in
behavioral and VA healthcare settings where
CPSs work
• To use the information as a bridge between
clinical providers and Veterans receiving
services
34
Approaches and Possibilities
Treatments, Rehabilitation, Reintegration
and Supports
SAMHSA Wellness Project: http://www.promoteacceptance.samhsa.gov
35
CPS with Veterans Suggestions
• Communicate a belief that the Veteran
can and will recover. “I believe you can
have the life you want to have, and I will
support you in your journey to get there. I
have hope for you.”
• Listen. Really listen. Do not judge, dismiss,
or advise. Just listen.
• Engage in conversations about goals,
dreams, and wishes.
• Ask questions like, “What would be a
satisfying life for you? How can you get
there?”
36
CPS with Veterans Suggestions
• Use snippets of personal recovery story to inspire. Also,
encourage the Veteran to tell his/her story. Share
success stories.
• Believe in the potential of each Veteran to recover in
his/her own way.
• Advocate for the Veteran with VA and BHC clinical staff
members and the Veteran’s family as needed and
desired by the Veteran.
• Share resource information and refer the Veteran to
needed available services.
37
Objective
• To identify some specific tools and resources to
guide the CSP Veterans and Service Members
process:
– Personal Recovery Story;
– Motivational Interviewing Skills;
– Shared Decision Making;
– Problem-Solving Skills;
– Positive Self-Talk;
38
Thank You
Liz Woodley CPS
liz921@yahoo.com
(724)331-0417
&
Gina Noel-Brown CPS
gmnoelbrown@gmail.com
(412)277-2526