Letter from PRA Chair, Dori Hutchinson

It is a lovely summer evening in Massachusetts, warm, breezy, and humid as I reflect back on the Recovery Workforce Summit: 2014 PRA Annual Conference at the end of June. It was a wonderful, highly successful, and thought provoking experience for our association. PRA arrived at the Summit after a remarkable year of transformation, and the psychiatric rehabilitation community’s four days together was a chance to network with colleagues, have some fun, share wellness experiences, challenge ourselves, and celebrate how far we have come in a very short time.

We were honored to listen to Virginia Senator Creigh Deeds share his emotional story of his son’s struggles with mental illness and loss of life, and how the inadequacies of the mental health system played a critical role. He urged us to remember that we all make a difference and how we must advocate for comprehensive rehabilitation services and supports in our communities. We listened to compelling evidence by Dr.  Linda Teplin, of how children and youth with mental health challenges are increasingly incarcerated and returned to communities that have few or little services to help them develop wellness and resiliency. Her data shed a bright light on the unacceptable health disparities that exist for this group of children and young adults. Both of these keynote speakers urged us to strive, to seek, to find, and to not yield to politics, inadequacies, lack of collaboration, and lack of consensus. We watched how one man, Wayne Kramer, has lived these words in his work, Jail Guitar Doors, a program that brings music, connection, and redemption to incarcerated adults. He then wowed us with his incredible talent on the guitar in what was a very cool night!  

For me, Tenneyson’s line in his heroic poem, “Ulysses” (a favorite of mine) sums our year up… “to strive, to seek, to find and not to yield.” Like Ulysses, PRA made significant strides forward this year in becoming a thriving association that supports your efforts in providing rehabilitation and recovery services, research, education, and advocacy. We strived to provide you with fertile learning opportunities through the Academy of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Recovery, and the psychiatric rehabilitation community overwhelmingly responded in the thousands. We sought for collaboration with our membership and chapters and we are so appreciative of your response. We found our voice in advocacy through outstanding staff and board leadership. And we refuse to yield to the political and financial threats to our profession and our services because we know that the work we do makes a real difference in the lives of so many people; children, youth, adults, and elders.

If we respond to the calls of action of Senator Creeds, Dr. Teplin, Wayne Kramer, and our members and chapters, we have much to do in the coming year. I feel strongly that through our collaborative efforts, we can continue to lead, grow, and thrive. I so appreciate all your feedback, suggestions, thoughts, and perspectives that you have shared and will continue share in the coming months. I urge you to engage deeply in PRA – there is much at stake in these times of healthcare reform that affects each and every one of us no matter our role or organization. Strive to keep your skills sharp, seek new knowledge, find your voices, and together we can ensure that our profession and all that you do are key elements in a recovery oriented system of care.

Stayed tuned for our 2015 Recovery Workforce Summit in Philadelphia where we will join forces with our outstanding chapter from Pennsylvania to provide you with a unique and exciting professional development experience!