Letter from the PRF Chair

Greetings PRA/PRF Members!

As always, I hope that this letter finds you well and thriving within the world of psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery. In just a few short weeks, we will all be together again at the 2016 Recovery Workforce Summit in Boston to exchange ideas, network, and immerse ourselves in the best education and training programs available. This year our Summit will again feature the best and brightest leaders in our field. Summit sessions are more diverse than ever and cover a wide range of topics focal to psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery including:

•    Demonstration of the Nutrition and Exercise for Wellness and Recovery (NEW-R) model by Dr. Judith Cook
•    A discussion of nuance and roles in the recovery movement with Dr. Marianne Farkas
•    Results of an NIMH-funded study of first episode psychosis presented by Dr. Kim Mueser
•    Factors related to erasing the stigma of mental illness with Dr. Patrick Corrigan. 

Summit programming also includes Ignite sessions on topics such as transition-aged youth and TED-like talks on cutting-edge tools and techniques to promote resiliency. This year we also are grateful to have the unique opportunity to showcase an exhibit of photographic art created by participants in the Boston University Center on Psychiatric Rehabilitation’s Photovoice program. This is but a small sample of the truly innovative and informed Summit programming that has been designed specifically for you, the psychiatric rehabilitation workforce. 

I also would like to take this opportunity to say a few words to all of you throughout our membership. Over the past 10 years, I have had the distinct privilege to serve as an elected member of and Chair for both the PRA and PRF Board of Directors. I can say without reservation, that the past decade has afforded me more learning about our field, about our workforce, and perhaps most importantly, about the ways in which psychiatric rehabilitation uniquely promotes inclusion and wellness for all individuals in recovery. I know that I have grown as a researcher, a practitioner and most importantly as a person. What I am most proud of, however, is how much PRA and PRF has grown. 

Our growth includes many notable accomplishments; several are especially meaningful to me because we accomplished them together as a community. First and foremost, today, our Board has more directors serving in a recovery role within their organization than ever. Next, we have worked to develop and deploy the Academy of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Recovery to support evidence-based and career-long learning for our workforce; for this we thank Dr. Veronica Carey and our Academy experts for their leadership and vision. A small, intrepid group led by Dr. Dori Hutchinson, Chip Wilder, Jodi Smith, Tracey Sutton, and others have advanced our field to develop education and training for providers working with our most vulnerable members, children and their families. Together, with our Commission, their hard work and dedication is evolving into our certification program for Child and Family Resilience Practitioners (CFRP). We also now have awards to honor those in our membership with staid commitments to excellence in education, the practice of psychiatric rehabilitation, and promoting cultural diversity. This list could go on and on. 

When I attended my first (then) IAPSRS conference in New Orleans, I never expected that more than 20 years later, I would have been elected to serve our membership let alone be writing to you at the close of my time serving on the Board. I am grateful for the support of many people over these years, especially Dori Hutchinson, all of my fellow directors, Phil Floyd, Nicole Pashka, the staff at PRA/PRF, Judith Cook and my brilliant colleagues at the UIC Center on Mental Health Services Research and Policy, and Sally, my partner in life of 29 years. 

I sincerely thank all of you in our membership for this opportunity. I look forward to seeing you all in Boston.