It’s no secret that we live in an extraordinarily dynamic moment for behavioral health, and the healthcare system in general. Major changes to healthcare laws, including the Affordable Care Act and mental health parity legislation, have opened up access to behavioral health care. At the same time, the value of lived experience as a professional […]
Focus: Peers at the Center of New Approaches to Coordinated Care Read More »
One of the goals of the mental health consumer movement is to change the system. People with lived experience want a more compassionate system of care, that sees people with mental health challenges as experts in their own lives, relies on recovery principles, and considers the strengths of an individual as a whole person, instead
Make Your Voice Heard through Boards, Committees and Councils Read More »
In the fifth installment of Recovery Stories, people with lived experience respond to the question “What would it take for the recovery model to truly take hold?” Before the concept of recovery evolved, many individuals’ experience of treatment left them feeling that they were fundamentally broken, and that their only recourse would be a lifetime
Recovery Stories – Episode 5: The Medical Model & Resistance to Recovery Read More »
For any organization, recruiting, managing and retaining qualified professional staff is an essential part of doing business. For consumer mental health organizations, taking care of their employees while providing quality services to the community is an even more complex challenge. Not only must organizations ensure that the supports and services their employees provide are of
Managing Peer Support Employees Experiencing Mental Health Crisis Read More »
As last year’s SAMHSA report to Congress on the nation’s substance abuse and mental health workforce noted, the demand for behavioral health services in the US exceeds what is available. With expanded access to care through the Affordable Care Act and new Mental Health Parity rules, that demand will only increase in coming years, and
A Focus on The Mental Health Workforce Crisis Read More »
What is “accreditation” and why does it matter? “Accreditation” is the process whereby a health care provider obtains impartial, outside approval for the manner in which it provides services. Traditionally, the accreditation process has involved outside experts looking closely at health care providers, their staffs, their internal processes, and other measurable factors. Rarely has accreditation
Focus: Behavioral Health Leads the Way in Changing the Accreditation Process Read More »
One of the long-standing debates in the discussion about how to best meet the needs of people with serious mental illness centers around the issue of whether treating people in the community is the best course, or if in-patient treatment is the better choice for society. For people in the recovery community, the value of
A Focus on the Debate Over Community Care and Compulsory Treatment Read More »
The CAFE TA Center is pleased to announce its newest online training, Workforce Development: Advocating for Peer Support Specialist Positions. Within the mental health community, the value of peer specialists and their ability to connect with others by virtue of their combination of lived experience and expertise is relatively well-known. However, among funders, providers and
CAFE TAC Presents: Advocating for Peer Specialist Positions Read More »
With conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan coming to an end, our country is experiencing an influx of veterans. Sadly, suicide among veterans is an epidemic, and many suffer from post traumatic stress disorder. At the same time, unemployment among veterans is also a pressing issue. In a new Focus newsletter, “Expanding the Role of Veterans
Veterans in the Mental Health Workforce Read More »
In many ways, modern American life is defined by work. Most people agree that being part of the workforce is valuable, not just because of the obvious benefits like compensation, but also because of the sense of purpose and self-worth that accompany employment. For individuals with mental health needs, having a job can be especially
Workforce Development: Addressing Stigma in the Workforce Read More »
