Whole Health Action Management (WHAM)
National Council for Behavioral Health
Given the high incidence of chronic physical health conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity among people with mental illnesses and addictions, Whole Health Action Management (WHAM) training is a health plan developed by peers for peers to help them improve chronic health and behavioral health conditions. The training is based on the curriculum developed by the SAMHSA-HRSA Center for Integrated Health Solutions (run by the National Council for Behavioral Health) to promote whole health self-management and strengthen the peer workforce’s role in integrated healthcare delivery.
Request Whole Health Action Management training
Who Should Apply for Whole Health Action Management
Peer specialists who agree to:
- Create and work toward a whole health and resiliency goal
- Provide peer support to reach his/her whole health and resiliency goal
- Facilitate or participate in an 8-week whole health and resiliency peer group
Whole Health Action Management Curriculum
WHAM is a science-based health plan, created by peers for peers, to teach participants how to set and achieve whole health goals through weekly action plans and 8-week support groups. The 2-day, in-person WHAM training teaches participants to facilitate WHAM groups that help their peers reach whole health, wellness, and resiliency goals through effective self-management.
WHAM training supports the peer workforce to use person-centered planning and weekly action plans to create new health behavior by engaging in weekly groups. It also teaches basic health screens for prevention and encourages shared decision making with health professionals. WHAM is founded on researched chronic disease self-management programs such as HARP (Health and Recovery Peer Program) and science-based health and resiliency factors like the Relaxation Response.
WHAM training prepares participating peer leaders to:
- Engage in person-centered planning to identify strengths and supports in 10 science-based whole health and resiliency factors.
- Write a whole health goal based on person-centered planning.
- Create and log a weekly action plan.
- Participate in peer support groups to create new health behavior.
- Elicit the Relaxation Response to manage stress.
- Engage in cognitive skills to avoid negative thinking.
- Following the training, participants join a national listserve to foster an online peer support network and share tips and tools for success.
Why Whole Health Action Management Is Important to Your Organization
WHAM supports the concept of behavioral health consumers taking charge of their own health and wellness — a trend that is growing in other areas of healthcare. The training offers new tools for consumers to engage their peers and prepares the healthcare workforce for a future that demands a whole health perspective.
Behavioral health organizations across the country are already incorporating WHAM into core workforce trainings. In New Mexico, Presbyterian Health offers WHAM to more than 600 case managers, community health workers, and peers as part of its integrated health workforce trainings. In Georgia, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approved for Medicaid whole health and wellness peer support delivered by WHAM-certified peer specialists.
The National Council can also organize a custom WHAM training at location and dates of your choice. The custom training price offers significant savings. Ask us how we can bring a training to you.
http://www.thenationalcouncil.org/training-courses/whole-health-action-management/