Student flies through practicum experience and contributes to marketing support group initiative | Clinton Haas

Captain's Log: Star date -309722.13, (actual star date) I am going on my eleventh week of being a student at the WSU Center for Community Support and Research, and I must say things are going great. I am currently finishing up a marketing plan for the Support Group Services Team, and it’s starting to feel like we are coming close to finishing the updating process for the 2,500 support groups in the database. Oh, I should probably describe a little about myself and why I am at CCSR in the first place.



Clinton Haas

It is now November in the year 2012; I am a college super senior (5th year) at WSU, one semester away from finishing my bachelor degree in Healthcare Management and Community Development (HMCD). To tell you the truth I am pretty jazzed! Eighteen years in school, and it is finally winding down. The beginning of the next chapter of my life is a semester away.

For this hands-on learning I heard a plethora of good recommendations for going to this place called Center for ehh… let’s just call it CCSR. (Later I learned to remember the whole name.) Here they have five pillars that branch over a wide array of health, leadership, and community assistance.  I chose to join the Support Group Services side and help with a database. Truth be told, I thought that this initiative sounded rather easy, and it would add some strength to my resume.

Little did I know that Angela, my preceptor, would have me running around with a constant list of groups I needed to research, various tasks for other staff, and even have me start a marketing plan! I was tickled pink to have the opportunity to really dive down deep and do work in which I could be a strong asset.

Through the development of the plan I was asked to help decide what type of merchandise CCSR should buy, i.e. pens, cups, and memo kits. To my dying day I will remember Joyce saying how she will only use a thin point pen and how she outright hates anything larger.

Well, here I am, with my marketing plan in the review process. Most of the groups are updated in the database minus a few stragglers and, here I am feeling like this semester has been one of the bigger learning opportunities that WSU could give me.


At a recent conference, Clinton shares information about

support groups with participants.

The relationships that I have developed here, the learning process of how to facilitate a meeting, the number of daily e-mails I send out has quadrupled. Being a college student and saying that I have actually become accustomed to waking up, being somewhere at eight a.m. and still able to function fascinates the crap out of me.

Overall, I would say that my experience here has helped prepare me for the future. It’s what I have been striving for since I was eight years old. Thanks to WSU for requiring this practicum experience to graduate and a big thanks to CCSR for having me here to receive guidance!

Class: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the student Clinton Haas. His five-year mission: to explore strange new classes, to seek out new life and new learning opportunities, to boldly go where no student has gone before.

Youth Leadership Has a New Face in Kansas | Bailey Blair

Canaan Giesen, member of Wichita YLinK

Opportunities for youth leadership are rare, but especially for young people with disabilities. We at Wichita State University’s Center for Community Support and Research are honored to have the opportunity to facilitate one such opportunity for youth with mental health concerns to practice leadership in a safe and welcoming environment. Called Youth Leadership in Kansas, or YLinK, these groups are an extraordinary example of youth coming together to support one another, to fight the stigma attached to mental illness in our community and in our world, and to advocate for themselves and others like them.

CCSR was awarded a grant from KDADS last year to provide capacity building support to these groups in order to help them further their goals.

Through biweekly meetings, quarterly conferences, and community events, these groups from across the state of Kansas are making a significant impact not only on their own lives and futures, but also for those facing similar battles in the world around them.

The photo depicts Canaan Giesen, Wichita YLinK member, bravely participating in a recent activity that was designed to enhance self-confidence to overcome obstacles and focus on one’s strengths.

For more information regarding the YLinK program, participation, or hosting a group, please contact Bailey at bailey.blair@wichita.edu.
 



Online support group research offers insight, practicum student wonders about support groups in Nigeria | Gbolahan Alex Ajisope





Gbolahan Alex Ajisope

My experience with support groups started when I joined the WSU Center for Community Support and Research as a practicum student this semester. Before I started working on the Support Group Services (SGS) team, I never thought that there were organizations or groups of people who would come together in order to comfort and support each other during difficult periods in their lives.

I find it very interesting because as simple and casual as it may look, a majority of people have been able to gain comfort from many of the support groups listed in the SGS database (supportgroupsinkansas.org). I added some new support groups to the database and also updated some of the information.


For my project I agreed to research online support groups. I wanted to experience an online support group, so I joined one. It took a while to find one where I felt I could offer legitimate conversation and gain experience. Eventually I figured out that I needed to find a support group for college students. Then it didn’t take long to sign up for a group.

I had a lot of fun with the group. I couldn’t get anyone to talk to me online throughout the week, but eventually I met a lot of students and members on Saturdays and Sundays. I think that was because students were busy with school projects, assignment and work during the week and they seem to only come online on the weekends. They came together to relax and talk about everything going on in their academic lives as well as other issues. We exchanged a lot of ideas and advice, which was really cool.

The benefits people derive from support groups cannot be overemphasized. Groups help members gain a sense of empowerment and control. They also help people reduces stress, depression, and anxiety among other things.

My overall experience with support groups have made me wonder how I can start something like this in my home country, Nigeria, and how these can be spread to as many countries as possible.

Alex was accepted into the Masters of Public Health program at the University of Oklahoma and he plans to begin in the spring of 2014.

Amy Delamaide Named BoardSource Certified Governance Trainer



Amy Delamaide

BoardSource is pleased to announce that Amy Delamaide has been named a BoardSource Certified Governance Trainer. Amy joined this select group of expert trainers after completing a rigorous application and certification process and is now certified to deliver BoardSource’s signature nonprofit governance trainings in the Midwest and Great Plains area.

For nearly 25 years, BoardSource has been supporting and promoting excellence in nonprofit board service by providing cutting-edge thinking and resources on board effectiveness and by engaging and developing the next generation of board leaders. The BoardSource Certified Governance Trainers are a select group that is proficient in board governance topics, advanced facilitation techniques, and the BoardSource training methodology.

Amy is now certified to offer governance training among nonprofit organizations in the Kansas area using BoardSource-approved curriculum in the following areas: roles and responsibilities of nonprofit boards, board-staff partnership, board structure, board’s role in fundraising, the board-building cycle, and board performance assessment.

To learn more about these trainings or schedule one, contact BoardSource at (202) 349-2587 or Amy Delamaide at (316) 978-6773.

About Amy Delamaide

As a facilitator and nonprofit consultant, Amy Delamaide is experienced in strategic planning, leadership development, nonprofit start-up, and organizational capacity-building. As a civic leadership coach, she has completed more than 80 hours of coach-specific training and coached more than 25 clients.

Amy graduated from Wellesley College with a Bachelor of Art in anthropology and French. She plans to graduate in 2014 with a Master in Public Administration with a graduate certificate in nonprofit management from the WSU Hugo Wall School of Public and Urban Affairs.

Amy Delamaide is Director of Community and Organizational Development at WSU Center for Community Support and Research.

About BoardSource

BoardSource has long recognized the critical role that boards play in overseeing their organizations’ mission, finance, and strategic direction. With nearly 25 years of hands-on experience working exclusively with nonprofit boards, BoardSource has become the go-to resource for funders, partners, and nonprofit leaders who want to magnify their impact within the community through exceptional governance practices. BoardSource supports a community of more than 60,000 individuals with customized diagnostics, in-person and virtual trainings, and original publications. BoardSource is a 501(c)(3) organization. For more information, visit www.boardsource.org.

Sampling the leadership principles at the Kansas Leadership Center | By Angela Gaughan

In my position as the project lead for the support group services initiative at the Wichita State University Center for Community Support and Research (CCSR), I recently jumped at the chance to participate in one of the ‘Your Leadership Edge’ programs led by the Kansas Leadership Center (KLC) staff.

After day one of the three day program, a co-worker who is also a coach at KLC, asked me what I thought of the program. I realized later that what I told him was a canned response. Comments like, “It was great!,” “Everyone was friendly,” and “I enjoyed it.” Later, the more I thought about it, I realized a few things.

 

My main goal for participating in the program was to gain an understanding of the terms used by the KLC staff. I didn’t volunteer for a three day “program” so I could change the way I do things. Who would do that? I wanted to understand the terms like “raise the heat” and “get on the balcony.” The first article we were assigned to read labeled it as “KLC-ese.” That was my goal; to understand it. I didn’t know that I would be challenged to apply it to the work that I do.

In the last few years I became familiar with the language KLC uses. In my previous position at CCSR I typed notes from leadership meetings, copied handouts and assembled folders for various leadership projects the CCSR staff led around the state in conjunction with the KLC principles.

As I look back, I was antsy when our facilitator, Ron Alexander, was leading us though a session, Case In Point. I was uncomfortable until I realized what was happening was the lesson, and that he was purposely letting us learn from his leadership or lack of it. I observed that another participant was ‘on the balcony’ during the session. In a sense, he stepped away, removing himself from the discussion. He later admitted that he understood what was happening, and decided not to participate, but sit back and observe.

 

The session showed us the difference between authority and leadership. We agreed that leadership was an activity, not a position, and discussed the difference between the two. I came away with an understanding that people in authority don’t always exercise leadership or use it as an activity to help people make changes.

 

What I learned after one day was more than just a bunch of definitions, but the beginnings of a way to use my strengths and interests to influence and make changes in the work that I do. To name a few specific applications, I can sort challenges into technical and adaptive ones. From that I can access how to begin to tackle the adaptive challenges. By being aware of the temperature in the room I can better evaluate how to influence discussions. And finally, I can identify and diagram the factions in my work to help me take the next steps with the initiative I am working on.

 

I think that anyone who wants to better influence their community can benefit from KLCs ‘Your Leadership Edge’ program. For example, our group included a writer, a superintendent, a pastor, a professor and several community advocates, who live and work in at least six different communities in Kansas. 

 

Now, it’s time to head back for the last two sessions.

Jensen Earns Certification as Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) Trainer

Nancy Jensen has worked part time at CCSR for the last five years. This summer she was hired as a full-time peer educator who works on the Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) team.

Nancy Jensen

“In my new role I’m taking a training position rather than a logistics position. I also make sure the database on those we train is up to date,” said Jensen.

In addition, she proctors the monthly CPS exams. Recently Jensen participated in a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) training in North Carolina. WRAP is an evidence-based, self-directed wellness tool developed by the Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery to help people who have experienced emotional and psychological distress maintain their wellness, cope with internal and external stressors and deal with crisis situations.

“WRAP helps you on paper explore ways of how you are going to deal with a situation,” said Jensen. “The plan is very helpful in how you handle stress in your life or your work life, how you handle disturbing things that come up. Most of all it’s how you stay well.”

As WRAP has shown its effectiveness in the mental health field, it has been applied to other situations where people want to maintain wellness, such as diabetes and chronic pain. According to Jensen, “It’s not just for those with lived experiences of mental illness; it’s also for anyone working on any issue in their life.”

Jensen is looking forward to sharing the skills she acquired at the training with community partners and other organizations. She will lead sessions presenting WRAP to groups of consumers and clinical staff. She will also be able to provide refresher courses for those who were trained in WRAP prior to its evidence-based practice (EBP) designation, assuring fidelity to the Copeland Center model.

“After having lived experience by being in the system and having social security disability for over 20 years, this position has been a goal of mine for many years. I’m looking forward to continue to learn and serve,” said Jensen.

WSU CCSR Advisory Committee

WSU advisory members provide important guidance and support the future direction of CCSR. Individually, and collectively, they provide a wealth of information and experience that help CCSR plan an important role in WSU’s urban-serving mission. Their guidance and support is appreciated.

William Bischoff, professor, geology

Charles Burdsal, professor, psychology

Alex Chaparro, chair, psychology

Pete Cohen, dean, College of Health Professions

Kathy Coufal, chair, Communication Sciences and Disorders

Amy Drassen Ham, instructor, Public Health Sciences

Linnea Glenmaye, associate provost, Academic Affairs and Research

Doug Hensler, dean, W. Frank Barton School of Business

Sharon Iorio, dean, College of Education

Grady Landrum, director, Office of Disability Services

Rhonda Lewis, professor, psychology

Ron Matson, dean, Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Teresa Radebaugh, director, Regional Institute on Aging

Nancy McCarthy-Snyder, director, Hugo Wall School of Urban & Public Affairs

William Vanderburgh, executive director, Office for Faculty Development and Student Success

“Wichita State is not just a university in a city, it’s a university of the city—and no organization better reflects that position than the Center for Community Support and Research. CCSR’s assistance to government agencies, nonprofits and community coalitions helps organizations better fulfill their missions so that they can chart the course for a bright future in Wichita.” 

 - Dr. Bardo, president, Wichita State University