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Explaining Flow: How “Getting in the Zone” Can Help with Mental Wellness

November 25, 2020 admin

Have you ever been “in the zone” with a project? Or you sat down to do something you love and somehow the ideas just seemed to come to you on their own?

There’s a word for that: “flow.”

There’s been a lot of research about flow and “flow state,” but happiness expert Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi first coined the term 40 years ago and has been doing research on it ever since.

As a provider of behavioral health services, we’re interested in how flow and mental health are related. There are positive effects of flow aside from simply being more productive; because of that, we investigated how you can work on getting to flow state with your passion projects.

What Is Flow?

According to Csikszentmihalyi’s research in 1990, flow is “a state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable that people will continue to do it even at great cost, for the sheer sake of doing it.”

While someone is in this state of flow, “There’s this focus that, once it becomes intense, leads to a sense of ecstasy, a sense of clarity: you know exactly what you want to do from one moment to the other; you get immediate feedback,” Csikszentmihalyi said in a 2004 Ted Talk.

Flow state has been called many things by many people, including artists, creatives, athletes, and musicians. They all report these same feelings of being hyper-focused and having clarity—as if the ideas and actions weren’t from their own thoughts, but some external force.

Positive Psychology succinctly lists eight defining characteristics of flow state:

Complete concentration on the task
Clarity of goals and reward in mind and immediate feedback
Transformation of time (speeding up/slowing down)
The experience is intrinsically rewarding
Effortlessness and ease
There is a balance between challenge and skills
Actions and awareness are merged, losing self-conscious rumination
There is a feeling of control over the task

Someone doesn’t have to experience all eight characteristics to be in flow, but they will experience at least one and probably more.

What Does Flow Have to Do with Mental Health?

When people experience flow state, they are happier and more satisfied with life. The BBC reports that “flow is associated with subjective well-being, satisfaction with life and general happiness.”

People who can achieve flow state are not only more likely to be happy, but also less likely to experience the negative side effects from unmanaged mental health issues: “The thoughts and feelings that generally cloud our minds, such as stress, worry, and self-doubt, take a back seat when we achieve a flow state” (Headspace).

These are certainly encouraging ideas, and recent neuropsychology studies have shown that the brain is actually changing during flow state. Researcher Arne Dietrich notes that the prefrontal cortex, which normally controls our complex cognitive processes like self-reflection and conscious state of mind, seems to work differently during flow state.

His research shows, “In a state of flow, this area is believed to temporarily down-regulate in a process called transient hypofrontality. This temporary inactivation of the prefrontal area may trigger the feelings of distortion of time, loss of self-consciousness, and loss of inner critic. Moreover, the inhibition of the prefrontal lobe may enable the implicit mind to take over, allowing more brain areas to communicate freely and engage in a creative process.”

When someone experiences flow, they might feel like time passes differently, feel less inhibited by their inner critic, and be less self-conscious. Dietrich’s scientific findings line up with Csikszentmihalyi’s eight defining characteristics of flow state. Moreover, some of the problems faced during times of mental health crisis include harsh internal criticism and extreme self-consciousness. Therefore, getting into flow state could help people become better able to handle mental health challenges and ultimately increase mental wellness.

How to Get into Flow State

While flow state seems obviously desirable, it’s not always an “easy” goal to achieve. As artists know well, “there’s a stereotype that writers and creatives can enter the zone at will—that we sit down at our laptops and the world melts away” (BBC).

There are conditions you can create to make flow state more likely, but unlike a light switch, you can’t always turn it on and off. You must know yourself and what your optimal environment is in order to start creating the perfect conditions.

The BBC notes, “We are more likely to access the flow state when engaged in tasks we’ve already practiced.” So it helps if you are doing something you’re already familiar with.

The wellness app Headspace notes four conditions that need to be met to achieve flow state:

You need to care about the task at hand
The activity, job or task cannot be too easy or too difficult
Optimally, the activity should be something that you are good at
Your mindset surrounding the task should be focused on the journey, not the destination

Don’t let the short list deceive you—it’s a near-perfect combination that gets you to flow state. Looking at the conditions, it makes sense why creatives are thought to be able to turn on flow state at will. It also makes sense how athletes can enter flow state even though they’re doing something completely different than creatives.

If this list seems hard to accomplish, don’t be discouraged just yet. There are also some things you can do that will help you get to flow state: “Do something you love, create a ritual, choose your most important task, identify your peak creative and productive times, & eliminate distractions.”

Creating an environment that’s predictable and free of distractions can really help you change your mindset and delve deeper into your passion project.

Ultimately, flow state can greatly benefit your mental wellness through added happiness and lessened stress and anxiety. Not to mention the positive boost you will get from being so productive.

If you’re struggling with mental wellness, we would encourage you to do some self-reflection. Figuring out your passions and how to make daily or weekly time for them can be a great help in making positive mental health changes in your life.

If you need help figuring out how to manage your mental wellness, Cummins Behavioral Health offers many types of therapy and counseling services. From individual therapy to group therapy options, our skilled professionals can help you improve your mental health. They could even help you discover your passion so you can get to flow state and take advantage of the benefits. If you’re interested in getting help, call (888) 714-1927 today. You can lead a happy and balanced life!

Interested in more wellness-related topics? Here are some other blog posts you might enjoy!

How to Spot and Respond to Cyberbullying, a Growing Problem for Children and Teens

November 23, 2020 admin

In a world where technology is a dominant feature in most of our lives, it would seem that bullying would be a thing of the past. Everyone’s on their phones now, especially amidst a global pandemic, so kids are minding their own business…right?

Unfortunately, this is not the case. Cyberbullying runs rampant throughout the maze of technology kids have access to and are using on a daily basis. The bullying hasn’t stopped—it’s gone viral.

As a provider of school-based behavioral health services, we’re worried about the negative effects of cyberbullying. We know this form of bullying is harmful, so we want to make sure caregivers can spot the signs to get help for the children in their lives.

What Is Cyberbullying?

Much like the traditional bullying you see in movies or might have experienced growing up, cyberbullying includes name calling and mockery. It goes further, though, in the extensive number of ways kids can communicate with each other.

According to the National Bullying Prevention Center, “Cyberbullying is the use of technology to repeatedly and intentionally harass, hurt, embarrass, humiliate, or intimidate another person.” This includes laptops, cell phones, and tablets—basically anywhere someone can access the internet. It’s particularly tricky because there is so much technology in so many places that it almost makes bullying easier.

As to what the bullying actually includes, StopBullying.gov, a website run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, says it best: “Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation.” This might mean vicious insults or hurtful comments, sharing an embarrassing photo, or even distributing a home address and phone number—a practice called doxing.

How It Differs from Traditional Forms of Bullying

There are many similarities between traditional physical bullying and cyberbullying. Bullies are notorious for being relentless and persistent. Some common reasons children are bullied include: socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and even smaller things like what hobbies they enjoy.

While bullying and cyberbullying are similar, there are many problematic elements of cyberbullying that make it harder to detect and deal with. For instance, with technology available 24/7, a cyberbully can harass a child not just while at school, but also on social media and video games. In some cases, it may feel hard to ever get away from cyberbullying because technology keeps everyone so connected.

Cyberbullying can also be anonymous and reach a much wider audience. If a cyberbully shares an embarrassing photo all over the internet and social media, it could “go viral.” This not only creates a permanent paper trail of embarrassment for the child being bullied, but also creates a situation from which the child may not be able to escape, even as they grow older and mature.

What’s worse is that the cyberbully may create fake profiles or be completely anonymous when performing the cyberbullying. This makes it harder to track and creates an environment where it’s easier to be much more hurtful with much less remorse due to the lack of perceived consequences.

A final key difference between traditional bullying and cyberbullying is that cyberbullying can be hard to detect. Students use technology in and for class and assignments. They also communicate with friends and family using technology. There will, at some point, be a time where parents, guardians, and teachers can’t monitor children at every moment, especially during a global pandemic when so many parents and teachers are already juggling eLearning and new work-from-home environments.

Cyberbullying does a lot more mental and emotional damage before adults begin to see the effects than traditional physical bullying. If a child is getting physically harmed at school, it probably leaves a mark. Unfortunately, in the digital world cyberbullying does long-term damage to mental health before anyone recognizes what’s going on and is able to intervene.

Long-Term Effects of Cyberbullying

With so much cyberbullying occurring, there are mental and emotional long-term effects. Researchers note, “Victims of bullying are at significantly increased risk of self-harm or thinking about suicide in adolescence. Furthermore, being bullied in primary school has been found to both predict borderline personality symptoms and psychotic experiences, such as hallucinations or delusions, by adolescence. Where investigated, those who were either exposed to several forms of bullying or were bullied over long periods of time (chronic bullying) tended to show more adverse effects.”

Victims of bullying face a higher risk of many serious consequences from bullying—from serious mental health disorders to much higher risk of suicide. In fact, suicide rates in children and adolescents have doubled since 2008.

Aside from the obvious mental and emotional strain, there can also be physical effects from cyberbullying. According to recent research, “Children who were victims of bullying have been consistently found to be at higher risk for common somatic problems such as colds, or psychosomatic problems such as headaches, stomach aches or sleeping problems, and are more likely to take up smoking. Victims have also been reported to more often develop internalising problems and anxiety disorder or depression disorder.”

If you’ve been bullied, you’ll likely recall that showing weakness to bullies seems to push them further into their habits and bring more suffering and increased bullying into your life. For this reason, many children who are being bullied are more likely to withdraw from their daily lives and internalize their fear.

According to researchers Dieter Wolke and Suzet Tanya Lereya, “Bullying rather than other factors explains increases in internalising problems.” There are then physical consequences of this internalization, like more common colds and headaches, which can seem unrelated.

Spotting the Signs of Cyberbullying

We know that cyberbullying is a problem—a big one. And it’s not going away anytime soon. We also know that it can be hard to detect. After all, we can’t monitor every child all the time.

So what signs can we look for that might indicate cyberbullying is occurring? The Cyberbullying Research Center has a very helpful list:

Unexpectedly stops using their device(s)
Appears nervous or jumpy when using their device(s)
Appears uneasy about going to school or outside in general
Appears to be angry, depressed, or frustrated after going online (including gaming)
Is oversleeping or not sleeping enough
Becomes abnormally withdrawn from friends and family members
Shows an increase or decrease in eating
Seems regularly depressed
Makes passing statements about suicide or the meaninglessness of life
Loses interest in the things that mattered most to them
Avoids discussions about what they are doing online
Frequently calls or texts from school requesting to go home ill
Desires to spend much more time with parents rather than peers
Becomes unusually secretive, especially when it comes to online activities

Many signs involve unusual behavior with technology. When a child who loves being connected stops wanting to be involved with activities online or games they previously loved to play, it’s odd and something might not “feel right” with how they normally act.

There are also signs involving relationships with the people they care about. Sometimes children who are being bullied push away from their peers and closer to parents and siblings. But sometimes they begin to pull away from everyone and lose interest in relationships, as well as passions they used to love.

The bottom line is that cyberbullying is serious, and although it’s harder to detect than more traditional physical bullying, there are signs parents and guardians can and should watch for. Knowledge is power, especially in the digital age where so much information is readily available to learn.

We would encourage you to check on the children closest to you—whether your own children, nieces and nephews, grandchildren, or children of friends. The kids need you more now than ever before, although they might not say it out loud. Regular and open communication about bullying and its negative effects can really help children not just for their own sake, but also so they know what to look for when they see it happening to others. Help them help themselves.

If you find that a child close to you is being bullied, therapy can help. Cummins behavioral health partners with many school districts throughout central Indiana to provide quality mental health therapy for children in the school-based environment. If you have questions or are worried your child might be experiencing cyberbullying, call (888) 714-1927 today. Early intervention can save lives!

If you’re concerned about other challenges to children’s mental health especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, we recommend also reading our blog on child abuse prevention below!

Training Ourselves to be Optimists: Positive Psychology

September 11, 2019 admin

“Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet…Be curious. And however difficult life may seem, there is always something you can do and succeed at. It matters that you don’t just give up.” — Stephen Hawking, American physicist and author

Difficult life circumstances can contribute to mental illness, making hope of recovery seem unlikely. However, growing evidence shows that positive psychological attributes like optimism are associated with a longer and healthier life.

Optimism can be defined as the general expectation that good things will happen, or the belief that the future will be favorable because we can control important outcomes. This positive state of mind allows people in difficult professions to be more resilient when work becomes stressful, and leads to more fulfillment in life. Studies establishing the link between optimism and health beg the question: Is it possible to train ourselves to become optimistic?

Observing Depression in Dogs

For starters, we know that it’s possible for people and animals to learn pessimism. In India, elephant trainers will tie up a baby elephant and let it struggle for days before it learns it is not strong enough to break the rope. This lesson stays with the animal long after it grows into a hulking adult. A fully grown elephant could easily break the rope and escape, but it never tries to do so.

These kinds of observations inspired formal experiments involving dogs who similarly stopped taking action, even when minimal effort on their part could prevent a painful electric shock. Dr. Martin Seligman was researching the causes of depression and pessimism in humans, and he demonstrated that these dogs had been conditioned to believe they had no hope of avoiding the pain they experienced.

There was also some good news from these experiments: to Seligman’s surprise, some dogs were not dismayed so easily. As psychologist Dr. Lynn Johnson explains in his book Enjoy Life! Healing with Happiness, “What we learn from Seligman’s brilliant dog experiments is that suffering is separate from pain. We all feel pain. But how much does that pain bother us? How much must we suffer? It depends entirely on our own resiliency.”

Inspired by his findings, Seligman set out to determine what made some dogs more resilient. While we can only speculate about the inner workings of a dog’s mind, when something bad happens in our own lives, humans seek to explain it. Seligman and other researchers have identified three ways that humans do this: by making assumptions about how long pain will last (permanent/transient), whether we are responsible for it (personal/impersonal), and what areas of our life it affects (pervasive/local).

Relearning Optimism

In his book Learned Optimism, Seligman explains how pessimistic explanations lead to passivity and dejection while optimistic explanations lead to action and increased energy. Just as we can learn to view our stress response as helpful, we can learn to maintain positive emotions amidst negative events. However, it takes work. Seligman suggests looking at the link between our beliefs surrounding an adverse event and what we do in response to these beliefs. He argues that becoming aware of this link is the first step in changing our explanatory style.

Optimism fights depression. Seligman defines optimism as having three core tenants:

Good stuff lasts (bad stuff doesn’t)
Good stuff is caused by me (bad stuff just happens)
Good stuff spreads (bad stuff is isolated)

To practice bringing optimism to the forefront of one’s mind, Seligman recommends his “ABC” journaling exercise. In this exercise, a person records an Adverse event that happened to them, their Beliefs surrounding the event, and the Consequences of their actions based on those beliefs.

You can try this exercise on your own. Whenever something bad happens to you over the next few days, write it down. These may be as small as, “I missed the bus,” or as large as, “My partner broke up with me.” Next, write down your beliefs about the event. Does it affect your life in the long-run? Is it your fault or someone else’s? Does it affect other areas of your life? Seligman says that activities like this can help us recognize our own reflexive feelings (like those of the shocked dogs) and change our actions in turn—hopefully allowing us to break free of ties that have seemed to bind us.

Cummins Behavioral Health Systems aims to inspire hope of recovery and to help those we serve achieve their goals and aspirations. Of course, self-talk is not the end. Problem solving, negotiating, and asserting yourself are also key to fighting depression. It all begins with these kinds of small steps, best attempted with help from a mental health professional.

Or, as Stephen Hawking once put it:

“The message of this lecture is that black holes ain’t as black as they are painted. They are not the eternal prisons they were once thought. Things can get out of a black hole both on the outside and possibly to another universe. So if you feel you are in a black hole, don’t give up—there’s a way out.”

Looking for more posts that can help you learn optimism and resiliency? Here are some articles you might enjoy!

Calm Down Quick With this Simple Trick: Extended Exhale

July 26, 2019 admin

What is 4-7-8 breathing?

“Unlike the heart’s one-dimensional, slow-to-fast continuum, there are many distinct types of breaths: regular, excited, sighing, yawning, gasping, sleeping, laughing, sobbing. We wondered if different subtypes of neurons within the respiratory control center might be in charge of generating these different types of breath.”

New research from Stanford scientifically demonstrates the precise neurological mechanism by which our breath affects emotion. Their research confirms what yogis have known for thousands of years, and validates exercises like the 4-7-8 breathing technique.

Practicing the 4-7-8 breathing technique

Dr. Andrew Weil developed the 4-7-8 breathing technique to help with reducing anxiety, insomnia, and controlling/reducing anger responses.

This technique asks a person to focus on taking a long, deep inhalation for four seconds, holding the breath for seven seconds, then exhaling slowly (making a ‘whooshing’ breath sound) for eight seconds. Structured, rhythmic breathing like this is central to many meditation and yoga practices as it promotes relaxation and mindfulness.

Breathing is special because it is both an automatic reflex and a voluntary action. Our breathing speeds up when we’re afraid and slows down when we’re calm, all without conscious effort. When we apply conscious effort to slow our breath, it can slow down those negative stressful feelings as well.

Yoga Specialist Becky Mann

Yoga Instructor Becky Mann explores breathwork with her clients while easy poses help reconnect to emotions within the body. As Becky says, “There are issues in our tissues!” Becky guides her clients with soothing, instructive visualizations like this:

As you inhale, feel your lungs expand…feel your rib cage rise with cool air entering the nostrils. As you exhale down to the last whisper of breath, feel the belly soften and feel the warm air leave the nostrils.

Breathing exercises are so effective they have been adapted for use by the US Military. Try their ‘Box Breathing’ technique as well: Inhale for four seconds, hold for four, exhale for four, and wait for four seconds before repeating. Like a square or ‘box’, this breathing technique consists of four parts of equal length.

Experiment with these structured techniques to find a style that works for you! Thank you to Tara Treatment Center’s Becky Mann: Learn more about Becky’s specialized practice here.

Interested in the application of Yoga and breathing exercises to mental health? Check out Anne Halleck’s blog article here.

Some say Yoga is simple physical exercises. They’re wrong.

June 22, 2019 admin

Bringing Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Into Mental Health Practice

The Body Keeps The Score Chapter 16: Yoga & Learning to Inhabit Your Body

In The Body Keeps the Score, Trauma Expert Bessel Van Der Kolk explains the effects of trauma by recounting his first meeting with a patient we’ll refer to as ‘Sarah’. She was breathing quickly, her legs were shaking, and she was too nervous to talk. Sarah had been abused by both her parents growing up, and carried the resulting shock well into adulthood at the age of 27. What can help individuals like these, who are too traumatized for traditional talk therapy?

Working with the Breath

Dr. Van Der Kolk says that Heart Rate Variability (or HRV) plays a crucial role in our response to trauma. Healthy people typically have high HRV, which means their pulse fluctuates rapidly in response to external stimuli. This reflects a well-functioning nervous system which is able to change in balance with our environment. High-HRV individuals can moderate their emotions by controlling their breathing, allowing them to stay calm and engaged in the present moment.

In contrast, survivors like Sarah tend to be stuck in their traumatic past, taking rapid short breaths out of worry that their trauma may return–even when the threat has long subsided. This causes poor HRV, a state in which changes in breathing take much longer to affect emotion. Poor HRV has negative effects on thinking and feeling, and it also contributes to heart disease and cancer. Luckily, techniques exist which allow us to regain some control over our reactions to triggering stimuli.

Therapist & Yogi Anne Halleck finds that combining these two practices allows her clients to make progress rapidly. She reports that yoga can teach powerful techniques to utilize the breath and improve mindfulness. She says,

“I blend yoga and therapy to different degrees depending on the needs of each client. I often introduce mindfulness and practices such as calming breathing or meditation into individual and group therapy in order to approach mental health in a more holistic and integrative way…There is a lot more to yoga than yoga pants and being flexible!”

Chat Conversation

Anne is specially certified as a trauma-sensitive yoga teacher. This therapy was highlighted in The Body Keeps the Score, which highlights new technologies linking the body and the brain. We’ve learned that the prefrontal cortex is not where trauma is being stored. It’s actually being stored in the nonverbal—even preverbal part of the brain, suggesting that a more integrative approach may be more successful than talk therapy alone. Van Der Kolk presents several work-arounds to reconnect with the body, with ourselves, and with others.

The good news: Sarah began yoga for the trauma she had experienced and recovered, in a yoga group just like Anne Halleck’s. While Van Der Kolk discusses many promising new approaches, yoga remains among the best at treating PTSD and improving clinical measurements like Heart Rate Variability.

Trauma Sensitive Yoga

It looks like the evidence supports Anne’s observations. Learn more about PTSD, HRV, and yoga in this video. If mind-body approaches like yoga have helped your mental health (or a loved one’s), let others know by sharing this post!

Peer Professionals Proving the Power of Vulnerability: The Elephant In Our Field

April 4, 2019 admin

The Elephant in the Room

Time to talk about the elephant in the room. It’s uncomfortable for most professionals to acknowledge, but everyone working in the field of mental health has a deep personal connection to mental health issues. The few who are brave enough to embrace their personal stories offer special insights, and help others in our community find recovery as well.

In “The Power of Vulnerability“, Brené Brown makes a powerful (if paradoxical) point about embracing what we’re most ashamed of, rather than running from it. In Indiana, peer recovery specialists have learned to help others by exposing their own vulnerabilities. On a crusade against stigma, peer specialists like (Cummins’ own) Debbie Roman, Justin Beattey, Jason Grant Padgett, and Brandon George exemplify the power of humility and servant leadership in our community by sharing their own personal stories of recovery. What exactly makes peers so effective–and why aren’t they used more in Indiana?

“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable.”
―Brené Brown

Peer-Based Recovery Supports Defined

A Peer-Based Recovery Support (PBRS) such as a Recovery Coach (CAPRC) or Certified Recovery Specialist (CRS) is an individual who uses lived experience to provide both hope and options for those experiencing severe addiction and/or mental health issues. These individuals exemplify Brené Brown’s now classic TED Talk; by openly discussing their own experiences with mental health, they’ve turned their perceived liability into their greatest strength.

A Peer serves as a companion and mentor in the early stages of recovery, identifying and connecting with local recovery mutual-aid societies in an effort to facilitate a self-directed shift from formal to informal supports and relationships. At this time, Medicaid funding for credentialed specialists with lived experience is extremely limited, despite research proving their increased efficacy.

Debbie Roman: In The Know

“It isn’t work to me”, Debbie shrugs with a modest smile. “It’s my passion.” Debbie is a great example of a peer recovery specialist, whose humility and openness makes recovery much more accessible for countless others. She explains,

“We simply meet people where they’re at. I see what we do as holding their hand and walking with them until they are strong enough to walk the rest of their journey on their own. Peer Support is about empowering people to find their own healing, their way. This is why people like peer programs in the first place.
For a long time, Peer Recovery Specialists were rare in Indiana. Thanks partly to Justin Beattey, that is starting to change. He and a few others have had some great ideas and have been pioneering increased utilization of peer specialists across the state.”

Justin Beattey, Jason Grant Padgett on Embracing Vulnerability

Justin Beattey is project manager for the Indiana Association of Peer Recovery Support Services (IAPRSS). Justin explains, “The first immediate barrier for those of us with substance use problems is the argument that ‘you don’t understand’. Peer supports provide non-clinical services based on our own personal experiences. Working with us, that initial barrier is torn down right away–Simply put, I DO understand because I’ve been there myself“. Justin also works with the IAIC to advocate statewide for peer-based recovery services.

Jason Grant Padgett is the Peer Support Supervisor at Tippecanoe Quick Response Team and a Certified Addictions Peer Recovery Coach at Home with Hope, Inc. (He is also the former Director at Transforming Adolescents & Families in Indiana APG and at Grace United Methodist Church), Jason stresses that the most important thing is collaboration between the academic professionals and the peer professionals. They complement each other, and both are fundamentally important to this field. He explains,

“What I would like to see personally–if you look back through the seventies, most treatment centers were once staffed entirely with people in recovery themselves. That said, I think the clinical/academic side is definitely needed in this field as well. A major barrier is the Medicaid billing issue, but the biggest obstacle is the stigma around mental health issues like these in the first place. People with substance use disorders tend to wear it like a badge of honor, while the mental health side of the field is more shy and apprehensive. Ultimately we need both sides to really address stigma.
The Upcoming Key Consumer Conference will be able to show some of the mounting evidence in support of the efficacy of peer recovery services.”

KEY Consumer Organization’s Annual Consumer Conference: April 19th!

KEY Consumers’ Executive Director Sarah Gunther explains their peer-oriented nature, “We’re a consumer-run organization, we are all consumers of mental health services here.” Cummins Behavioral Health Systems is pleased to announce it has partnered with KEY Consumer Organization to present their experience with the employment of peer recovery specialists through a series of workshops.

The keynote speaker at this year’s Key Consumer Conference is Brandon George, Director of Indiana Addiction Issues Coalition (IAIC). As a person in long-term recovery himself, Brandon has dedicated his life (both personally and professionally) to fighting addiction and promoting recovery. His personal experience, education and professional accomplishments give him the perspective to see both sides of recovery. The KEY Consumer Organization Annual Consumer Conference is coming up April 19, 2019. Call the office at 317-550-0060 or email officemgr@keyconsumer.org to request a registration packet.

The provider/administrative track will have break-out sessions focused on peer-providers working in mental health programs. This track will cover a host of material, including information about peer-providers in agency settings and management and supervision of peer-providers. The sessions will include Engagement and Connection: The Ultimate Value of Peer Support; Hiring Practices: Finding A Peer Support Specialist; Effective Supervision of the Peer Recovery Specialist: Support and Development to retain the Peer Workforce; and Ethics of Peer Recovery Services.

“Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”
―Brené Brown

Do you know a mental health professional who openly embraces personal experience with mental health struggles? When we come together in the spirit of peer fellowship (to talk about the elephant in the room) we help make recovery possible for everyone in our community. Please acknowledge their efforts and bravery with your support by sharing this article!