Fairfax-Falls Church WRAP®
Program
Facilitator Training
April 22-26, 2013
(9:00 am-4:30 pm)
The Fairfax-Falls Church WRAP Program works in
partnership with the Copeland Center for Wellness and
Recovery to provide Copeland Center Certified WRAP
Facilitator training
Spend five days with the Fairfax-Falls Church WRAP® Team's Advanced Facilitators and a Copeland
Center trainer learning to become an effective Mental Health Recovery Educator and WRAP® Group
facilitator. At this training, you will gain a deeper understanding of the recovery process and learn to:
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work with people to help them uncover their personal strengths and discover how they can use
these strengths to support their recovery and wellness
effectively share the key concepts to recovery: hope, personal responsibility, education, selfadvocacy, and support
work with individuals and groups to develop a Wellness Recovery Action Plan,
teach about wellness tools and strategies
empower and motivate people to work toward recovery – feeling the way they want to feel,
making their lives the way they want them to be, and moving toward meeting their life goals
use interaction and presentation styles and strategies that enhance recovery
This course models the behavior of a facilitator in a WRAP® class and stresses authenticity and
unconditional high regard, as well as a strong set of values and ethics to guide your work.
Before attending the facilitator training, it is expected that you have familiarity with the different parts
of WRAP® through completion of one of the following; A Copeland Center Correspondence Course, a 2
or 3 day Seminar WRAP® Course/Workshop, an 8 or 12 week WRAP® Workshop/Group.
What to Expect from the 5 day Training
Some things to consider
Before making a commitment to becoming a WRAP® Facilitator, you may want to know what our hope is for you
as a WRAP® Facilitator.
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Facilitator Training
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Many WRAP® Facilitators have shared again and again with us that one of the best preparation for this course is
to have developed a WRAP® for yourself and to have used it frequently (ideally for at least 6 or more months).
WRAP® was developed from the lived experience of a group of peers and hence the greatest fidelity to WRAP® is
continued through the collection of our experiences. When you accept the certificate that qualifies you as a
WRAP® Facilitator, you will be making an explicit agreement to uphold a clear set of Values and Ethics. Mary
Ellen Copeland has been quite clear that if you don’t want to, or cannot adhere to these Values and Ethics then
you cannot work with her curriculum or even present yourself as a representative of WRAP®. These values and
ethics will be made much clearer when you go through your training, but for now please understand that
WRAP® Facilitators are expected to:
 Facilitate the creation and maintenance of a safe learning environment that encourages people to stretch
and grow—an inspiring hope-filled place of unlimited possibilities.
 Openly share enough of your personal experience with recovery for participants to be able to relate to you
as a peer and equal—someone they can trust who has “been there.”
 Make every effort to accommodate diverse human needs and different learning styles so everyone knows
they are welcome and truly have a place at the table.
 Accept everyone exactly as they are right now, in all their uniqueness, without communicating any
suggestion that there is any perceived need to change.
 Stand shoulder-to-shoulder with participants as true peers, just fellow humans, making sure that everyone
is treated in a manner that shows that we are all equally valued.
 Treat participants with dignity, compassion, respect and unconditional high regard at all times—truly
honors participants.
 Facilitate a mutual learning process that is mostly a highly interactive discussion that supports individual
interpretation and discovery; rather than teach a class.
 Support real self-determination by validating all input concretely, withholding any and all judgment, and
by illuminating options and choices but never giving final answers.
 Absolutely refrain from ever giving advice, counsel or recommendations, even when they are requested,
and especially when you feel compelled to give them.
 Encourage participants to reflect on their own experience and to extract from it valuable lessons about
what works for them and what doesn’t.
 Leave all agendas (political, religious, philosophical, treatment, personal or other) outside of the WRAP®
workshop/group.
 Present Mary Ellen’s material in the clearest, simplest terms (as found in your Facilitator Manual) without
modifying the material by addition or deletion.
 Share illustrative examples of how WRAP® makes a positive difference in your life and share personal
insights into various elements of WRAP®, without letting your story get in the way of the group
interaction or the material’s common sense simplicity.
 Follow the strictest codes of sexual conduct at all times, never behaving in a manner that might be
construed as sexually suggestive, harassing or discriminatory.
 Support personal responsibility and the concept that each person is the expert on his- or herself at all
times, and constantly reinforce WRAP® as voluntary self-determination.
All WRAP® facilitators struggle from time to time in the effort to live up to these practices, and can miss the
mark, but what makes us WRAP® Facilitators is our dedication to the effort.
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Facilitator Training
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Funding your training
How to pay for training
The Fairfax-Falls Church WRAP® Program has a limited number of scholarships which cover the training fee for
individuals living in Northern Virginia.
For individuals not living in Fairfax County, the cities of Falls Church or Fairfax, Arlington County, Alexandria
City, Prince William County or Loudoun County the COST of the training is $950 and does not include travel,
lodging and expenses.
If you are seeking financial assistance to pay for the training it is a good idea to contact others who might be
able to help. To get started it is often useful to write your own statement of why you want to attend the training
and how you would like to use it when you are done. When you are asking for financial assistance having the
statement clearly written out to give to anyone who might be interested along with a description of the course
which you can copy from our website (http://fairfaxfallschurchwrap.org) may help them understand your
interest and commitment. This is a chance to put into practice the key concept of self-advocacy.
Here are some places where others have been successful in getting funding to cover some or all of their
expenses to do the training:
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Ask relatives and friends to contribute to the cost training and travel expenses. Explain to them how
much you can contribute, why you want to go and why they should invest in you. Facilitating WRAP
groups helps others and might be a cause some of those around you would be happy to support. Even
small contributions can help get you there.
Contact your local Community Services Board or Mental Health Center. Call or write the director saying
you are looking for financial assistance to help attend a Mental Health Recovery Seminar. If the director
cannot help you, ask this person where they would suggest you look for funding.
Talk with your local social clubs, like drop-in centers where people meet for support. If you have one in
your area, they may give grants to people who are interested in being trained to teach others.
If you are working with the Department of Rehabilitation Services (DRS), they may provide funding. (DRS
is a state agency.)
Check with groups that serve people with disabilities to see if they have something to offer. Look at both
state and local levels.
If involved with a place of worship, check to see if they may have connections. One person funded her
attendance by connecting with her church that was able to get funds from the Catholic Office of Ministry
for Persons with Disabilities. Your place of worship might have similar resources.
Some people prearrange a trade with agencies or organizations to fund part of their tuition and travel
expenses. They promise to conduct a certain number of presentations or WRAP® groups in exchange for
money to train. Some people approach multiple groups cover more of the costs.
Contact the local branch of NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill)
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Facilitator Training
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Fairfax-Falls Church WRAP®
Program
Facilitator Training
Application
April 22-26, 2012 (9:00 am-4:30 pm)
Name: ____________________________________________________________________________
Address: __________________________________________________________________________
Telephone: __________________________________________________
E-mail: ______________________________________________________
Contact information of a supporter in case of an emergency:
Name: _______________________________________________________
Telephone: ___________________________________________________
1. Have you met the pre-requisite education of completing a Wellness Recovery Action Plan
training Seminar I (2-3 day course or 8-12 weekly sessions) or have you been using your
Personal WRAP® for at least six months? (check one):
YES
NO
2. Do you have proficiency in any languages other than English?
YES
NO
If “yes” to the above please list the language(s):________________________________________
ON A SEPARATE PIECE OF PAPER please answer the following questions:
1. Provide a short definition of what a Wellness Recovery Action Plan is,
2. Describe your experience using your WRAP® and its value to your own wellness,
3. Briefly describe your passion and reasoning for wanting to become a WRAP®
Facilitator,
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Facilitator Training
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4. Describe your experience with public speaking or group facilitation,
5. How you plan to use what you learn in this training?
6. Describe what challenges might you have in participating in an interactive five full
days of training and how will you overcome these challenges to meet the
expectations of the training?
7. Is there anything else that the trainers need to know about you that will help make
this a positive learning experience?
Funding and preparing for your training
I am a resident of Northern Virginia and would like to request a scholarship to cover the cost
of training. I understand I am responsible for my own transportation and daily expenses.
(check one)
YES
NO
Individuals from other areas are encouraged to apply. The COST of the training is $950 and
does not include your travel, lodging or expenses.
Visiting www.copelandcenter.com and www.mentalhealthrecovery.com to familiarize yourself
posted with literature may enhance your ability to meet requirements of this course. Further,
applicants should be prepared to share their experiences using WRAP® with others in this
course in a positive and supported manner.
Follow up assignments may be utilized after becoming a Certified WRAP® Facilitator1, such as
co-facilitating or “shadowing” with an experienced WRAP® facilitator, to achieve greater
success, support the development of your WRAP® facilitation skills and to meet certification
standards.
By signing below, I understand the demands of this training as stated in this application and
supporting documents, answered the above questions honestly and affirm that I use my own
Wellness Recovery Action Plan regularly.
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Signature
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Date
Return this application by no later than 4:30 pm, March 29, 2013
by mail, email or Fax to:
Cici Spencer, WRAP® Coordinator
Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board
12011 Government Center Parkway #836, Fairfax, VA 22035-1100
Cicely.Spencer@fairfaxcounty.gov FAX: 703-324-7092
1
Attendance at the 5 day training is not a guarantee of certification.
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Facilitator Training
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