NYAPRS Note: The following comes from NYAPRS’ Maryam Husamudeen on behalf of New York’s Academy of Peer Services (APS). The presentation below is associated with APS’ monthly series of live online dialogues by and for members of the peer support workforce. The series is co-hosted by the New York State Office of Mental Health, Office of Consumer Affairs. Sessions are recorded and made available soon after broadcast on the Virtual Learning Community (VLC) website.
The Virtual Community and online, on-demand training and testing services that are provided by the Academy of Peer Services are a joint project of the New York Association of Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (NYAPRS) and Rutgers University.
NYAPRS will be featuring 2 very timely panels at our upcoming Annual Executive Seminar at the Albany Hilton on April 16-17 on Principles and Practices of Peer Run Services led by the Mental Health Empowerment CEO Amy Colesante and one on Peer Service Models led by Laverne Mill, Director of the New York City Workforce Consortium. Look for registration information in the next few days!
APS Live Q&A – What Do Providers Want to Know About Peer Support Services?
Panelists Yumiko Ikuta and Lori Ashcraft
Wednesday, February 20, 2019
11:00 am – 12:30 p.m.
Registration is free. After registering for the event, you will receive an email with information to access the event.
This live dialogue will be a question and answer session based on actual questions providers have asked about peer support services. Our experienced panelists for this month are Yumiko Ikuta and Lori Ashcraft.
The Presenters
Yumiko Ikuta (Yumi) is a person who lives with a mental health condition and is the Director of the Office of Rehabilitation in the Bureau of Mental Health at the NYC Dept. of Health & Mental Hygiene. In addition to the Mural Arts advocacy program, her Office oversees over 90 contracted non-clinical treatment, rehabilitation programs including supported employment, clubhouses, crisis respite and peer support among others. Her experience in mental health peer support and education is extensive, and she is a strong advocate in the community for people with serious mental illness. Yumiko also worked for over 15 years in the corporate sector and for the US Agency for International Development at the Dept. of State as an economic development officer in several developing countries. Yumiko holds a BA in Economics and East Asian Studies and an MBA in Marketing and International Business both from Columbia University
Lori Ashcraft During her 40 year behavioral health career, Lori has had a strong interest in the therapeutic effects of self-determination, choice, and personal freedom. In 2007, Lori founded the Recovery Opportunity Center at Recovery Innovations (formerly META) and became an internationally sought after educator, author and inspirational speaker. Lori’s passion was teaching recovery principles and practices, assuring people that they can recover and she developed numerous curricula designed to help individuals with psychiatric experiences move beyond recovery and build resilience by finding their purpose, making their own unique contribution, and using their experiences to help others grow and recover.
As a co-founder of Resilience, Inc., Lori has a wide open space to construct pathways into communities for people who are ready to move beyond the “aha” of recovery. Producing social capital, generating valued roles and contributions, and developing reciprocal relationships are some of the elements that create resilience for sustainable community living. Lori’s commitment is based on a strong belief in the ability of the human spirit to carry each person far beyond their wildest dreams. She knows we can all rise and shine when we capitalize on the power of give and take relationships. Lori’s passion for recovery stems from personal experience having lived with severe depression most of her life. Most of her time is spent writing books, developing training material and delivering presentations and trainings to help spread the word that recovery is proven and resilience is possible.
APS Virtual Learning Community (VLC) Ask Me Anything Series
If you have questions about this or other initiatives of the Virtual Learning Community, send email to: academy.virtual.community@gmail.com.
To learn more about the online Academy of Peer Services and the Virtual Community of Practice:The Academy of Peer Services (APS): http://www.academyofpeerservices.org rr the APS Virtual Community: https://aps-community.org/