Certified Peer Specialists training expands to include advanced training opportunities

Certified Peer Specialists (CPS) are professionals committed to building on their existing base of knowledge and staying up-to-date on new developments in their field.  They want to see that their profession, with its unique emphasis on shared experience, continues to grow and be used effectively in communities and organizations across Kansas.

CCSR’s CPS training faculty is providing advanced trainings and a new approach to individual and organizational support for individuals who work at Community Mental Health Centers, State Psychiatric Hospitals, as well as other venues.

CPS advanced trainings enhance the abilities of peer specialists to facilitate the recoveries of other mental health consumers in Kansas. Like the peer specialist basic training, advanced trainings emphasize the use of shared experience and promote self-determination and empowerment.

“[T]he training had immense educational value and was very eye opening to the issues in this field,” said Christopher Leach. “Also I felt that the diversity in the members of the training team complimented one another wonderfully to deliver a very well rounded training experience.”

CCSR offers more than a dozen advanced trainings covering a broad range of CPS-specific topics such as:  relationship-building, trauma-informed care, and spirituality. 

In addition to the advanced trainings for CPSs, the CCSR Research Team is continuing efforts to expand the number of questions that can be used on the certification test for CPSs. Although the actual length of the test may not change, having such a question bank is a way to ensure validity, reliability and generalizability of the test.  It is hoped that through the Research Team’s work, the certification test can become a standard for the field.

Funding for CCSR’s Mental Health Initiative from the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services allows advanced trainings and technical assistance to be provided at no cost to Kansas community mental health centers and state hospitals. Interested organizations outside of the Kansas public mental health system are encouraged to contact CCSR Mental Health Initiative staff about professional development opportunities for their peer support providers.

A list of available Advanced Trainings is available on the Training Teams website, TrainingTeams.org. Custom trainings are available. For more information on trainings, contact Christine Young, CPS, peer educator, at christine.young@wichita.edu or (316) 978-3224. More information is also available here.

For individual or organizational technical assistance, contact Simon Messmer, CPS, Mental Health systems specialist at simon.messmer@wichita.edusimon.messmer@wichita.edu or (316) 712-9500.

Trauma Informed Systems of Care makes powerful impact in Kansas | Teresa Strausz, MSOD, LMSW

Trauma of all types can impose a profound impact on individuals, families, organizations, and communities. Recognition of this impact, evidenced by research, prompted the need for systemic, trauma-informed changes. Building on previous work, the Trauma-Informed Systems of Care (TISC) team emphasized cultivating compassionate cultures in organizations to reflect the values of empowerment, safety, collaboration, trustworthiness, and choice for all staff and persons receiving services.

In 2013, CCSR staff participated in conversations with over 200 Kansas providers, raising awareness of trauma’s influence on clients and staff and initiating conversations to support systemic change. Work with the organizations ranged from initial discussions about TISC to formation of a TISC Leadership Team poised to launch organization-wide change. 

 Staff presented at the Kansas Conference on Poverty organized by the Kansas Association of Community Action Program staff. Regarding the workshops, Jesyca H. Rodenberg, communications & outreach director, Kansas Association of Community Action Programs said, Participants came away from the CCSR Trauma-Informed Care sessions we hosted raving, and I know lives were changed because of what was learned.”

In addition to conference appearances, staff helped organizations create vision, expectations and strategies for implementing TISC, provided individual and team coaching, developed an organization assessment, and engaged in collaborative partnership building with stakeholders in Kansas. In conjunction with the Research team, TISC staff also developed a plan for an evaluation of THRIVE© (Gina C. Maree, 2012), the framework upon which our approach is based.

As a result of these efforts, we hope to provide organizations with tools that will enable them to support and sustain their desire for a more trauma-informed system within which to work and serve.

For more information about Trauma-Informed Systems of Care, contact Teresa Strausz, MSOD, LMSW, at teresa.strausz@wichita.edu or 316-978-6778.

Letter from the executive director | by Scott Wituk

Scott Wituk

I hope you will join us this year in celebrating CCSR’s 30^th anniversary. Over the past three decades we have been fortunate to contribute to many local and statewide initiatives to improve the health and well-being of Kansans. These projects have reached thousands of Kansans through community coalitions, grassroots groups, nonprofits, civic and government institutions, self-help support groups, public health departments, state agencies, community foundations, schools, local businesses and other groups and organizations that are the fabric of Kansas communities. 

A handful of the initiatives from the past 30 years include:

• Community Development For Healthy Children
• Healthy Community Initiative
• Compassion Kansas
• Project Access
• A Statewide Network of Consumer Run Organizations (CROs)
• Leadership training and coaching for SRS, KDADS, and KDHE staff
• Building a Statewide Network of Certified Peer Specialists (CPSs)

In addition, we have maintained one of the largest collections of self-help support groups in the United States, providing access to hundreds of support groups for Kansans who are interested in helping and benefiting from other Kansans who share similar experiences. A true example of pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. 

In order to be most responsive to the needs of Kansas communities and organizations, we’ve focused our efforts into several service areas (described in more detail below), including:  Leadership Development, Organizational Capacity Building, Community Collaboration, Research & Evaluation, and our Mental Health Initiative. It is through these services areas, often working together, that we can assist individuals, organizations, and communities as they make progress on the issues most important to them.  

Some may know that Evelyn Middlestadt, a Wichita social worker, started the Self-Help Network from her kitchen table. After her idea grew, Dr. Greg Meissen brought the Self-Help Network to Wichita State University in the late 1980s. Dr. Meissen, along with others, contributed to its growth into the Center for Community Support and Research (CCSR).  Over the years, we grew from several small offices in the corner of Jabara Hall to occupying several floors at the WSU Downtown Center at Third Street & Main. Staff grew from under a handful to now over 40 full and part-time staff. The continued dedication and commitment of CCSR staff to providing the highest quality of work and assistance is why this Center has been as successful and why it remains a special place that I’m glad to be a part of for the past 20 years of my career. 

While much has been accomplished, CCSR and its Kansas partners, have much more to do. I look forward to the future and excited about the possibilities.  

This letter is from the 2013 Annual Report. For the rest of the document, go to:  http://www.wichita.edu/ccsr/ccsrannualreport.

Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Center for Community Support and Research turning 30

The Center for Community Support and Research (CCSR) exemplifies the mission of Wichita State University to be an essential educational, cultural and economic driver for Kansas and the greater public good, and this month marks its 30th anniversary.

The CCSR helps strengthen nonprofits, government agencies, community coalitions, health departments and other Kansas organizations. It is one of the largest centers at WSU and recognized nationally for its efforts in leadership, organizational capacity building, community collaboration and applied research. 

The CCSR, located in downtown Wichita at Third Street and Main, has more than 45 full and part-time staff who work to transfer best practices and evidence-based strategies from across academic disciplines to more than 100 partner organizations in Kansas communities and beyond.

And all of this started from one woman’s kitchen table.

History

In 1984, a local social worker named Evelyn Middlestadt, who served families and children involved in adoption and foster care, became familiar with the difficulties of parents with special needs kids. Challenges in those families were common and heartbreaking for Middlestadt, say colleagues, because the parents often turned to her with their burdens.

That’s when she decided to connect those parents and form a self-help support group so they could talk about their issues and provide comfort and understanding to one another.

Her idea grew and became The Self-Help Network of Kansas. Eventually, Evelyn connected with Greg Meissen, WSU professor of psychology, and the Self-Help Network moved to the Wichita State campus, where the group served as a statewide clearinghouse for more than 2,000 local and national self-help groups and organizations. 

As the Self-Help Network matured, its purpose expanded. Under the leadership of Meissen, the organization began involving WSU students and operated as a center for research, working with a growing number of nonprofits and community coalitions.

In 2005, having exceeded the space available on campus, the center relocated to its downtown location. It became involved in an ever-evolving number of projects and initiatives, including working with mental health consumer-run organizations, faith-based organizations, leadership development programs and other civic groups. The Self-Help Network changed its name to the Center for Community Support and Research to better reflect the diversity of its work.

Wituk

Looking forward

Middlestadt’s legacy is something CCSR Executive Director Scott Wituk has embraced.  Wituk has been involved with the CCSR for 20 years, and succeeds Meissen in its leadership.

“While much has been accomplished, CCSR and its Kansas partners have much more to do,” said Wituk. “Recently, we’ve made new connections with health departments across the state, which I think has great potential.”

In recognition of the center’s work and anniversary, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback declared January “Support Group Awareness Month.” Wituk, however, is focused on pushing forward.

“We are looking for new ways to enhance student involvement at CCSR,” he said. “We want to connect more students from across disciplines with CCSR’s staff to develop and implement creative and innovative approaches to address community and organizational problems and challenges.

With its 30 year history, connections across the state and interdisciplinary staff, CCSR represents one of the flagship centers that will make WSU recognized as a leader in applied learning and research.”

###

Contact: Angela Gaughan, CCSR project specialist, 316-978-5496 or angela.gaughan@wichita.edu.

 The Center for Community Support and Research, http://www.wichita.edu/ccsr.

Support groups available in most counties In Kansas | Angela Gaughan, MA

In Kansas, more than 900 local support groups meet in most Kansas counties. Groups gather around a variety of topics. Some topics include:  medical conditions, parenting, addiction, mental health, caregiving, grief, disabilities and other topics.

The Wichita State Center for Community Support and Research staff maintains an online database, www.SupportGroupsInKansas.org that contains contact information for local support groups as well as 1,300 national organizations and websites that provide information on a broad range of topics.

Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback proclaimed January as Support Group Awareness Month in a signing ceremony on Friday, Dec. 20, in Topeka. As stated in the proclamation, support groups have been recognized nationally and internationally as an efficient, practical, cost-effective means of coping with life crises and physical and mental health care concerns.

"Support groups pool the experiences of many in order to answer questions, build community and allow an outlet for the many forms of stress and strain," said Michael Johnston, family caregiver coordinator, SouthWest Kansas Area Agency on Aging. "They help us to stand together despite circumstances which would otherwise overcome us."

Another benefit to attending a support groups is an opportunity to participate in nonjudgmental environment.

“The first time a parent walked into my office with tears running down her cheek saying she didn't have any place to go and she had a secret she couldn't tell everyone,” said Brian Sutton, Wichita chapter president of Parents Families and Friends of Lesbian and Gays (PFLAG), “Then looking at me and saying ‘My son is gay and I don't know what to do,’ I knew how important it was for PFLAG to be here in Wichita.”

In Overland Park, Paige Gerson facilitates a bipolar/depression support group in conjunction with the Depression & Bipolar Support Alliance.  

Gerson said, “We are very excited that individuals who have bipolar or depression, which are real chronic illnesses, will now be able to obtain medical insurance, whereas they have not been able to in the past.”

Often, support group participants become leaders of the same group or organization where they found personal recovery and healing. 

“Belonging to the Survivors of Suicide group in Wichita has made a critical difference in my grief and healing,” said Jim Yoder, co-facilitator of the Survivors of Suicide Support Group in Wichita. “It allowed me to understand that my pain and questions weren't out of the ordinary for a survivor.  It also allowed me a safe place to connect with others who have suffered similar loss. I highly recommend that anyone wanting to learn and understand more about dealing with loss should consider joining a support group.” 

The CCSR’s online database is available at www.SupportGroupsInKansas.org. For those without Internet access, help is available by calling 1-800-445-0116 or 316-978-3843 in Kansas or emailing SupportGroups@wichita.edu.

Development of a Health Home Learning Collaborative in Kansas | Scott Wituk, PhD

A team from CCSR is working closely with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and other Kansas Health Home partners to explore the possibility of a learning collaborative as part of the implementation of Health Homes in the Kansas Medicaid system. Health homes are an integrated service delivery approach to those on Medicaid. Kansas is seeking two state plan amendments to begin implementing Health Homes in Kansas starting July 1.

Other states that have included learning collaborative as part of their Health Home efforts.  Health home learning collaboratives often include opportunities for health home partners and other stakeholders to connect on key issues related to the implementation of health homes. These opportunities include webinars, face-to-face meetings, phone conferences, and regional or topical meetings. Health home learning collaboratives serve as an opportunity to build the capacity of health home partners and connect participants to other resources and opportunities. 

CCSR’s exploration includes two primary components: 

First, CCSR staff are contacting other states who have started health home learning collaboratives to assist in improving the implementation of health homes.

Second, CCSR staff are interviewing 25 Kansas key stakeholders who are involved in the development and implementation of health homes in Kansas. The interviews explore possible formats, topics, and structure for a Kansas health home learning collaborative. Notes from other states and local stakeholders will be analyzed by CCSR staff to determine common themes or ideas related to health home implementation and the development of a health home learning collaborative in Kansas, expected to start July 1.

For more information about health homes go to http://www.kancare.ks.gov/health_home.htm.  For additional information about the learning collaborative, please contact Scott Wituk, CCSR executive director, at scott.wituk@wichita.edu or (316) 978-3327.

Public Health Initiative supports Kansas local public health system | Sonja Armbruster, MA

Public Health administrators discuss new ways to
exercise leadership at a recent training in Salina.

The Center for Community Support and Research’s new Public Health Initiative provides technical assistance, training and evaluation support to local health departments and other organizations that provide public health services. The initiative is largely supported by a contract from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) that focuses on public health and prevention efforts for the Medicaid population. It also includes several components to strengthen the Kansas public health system.

A Local Public Health Leadership Series is included to enhance the ability of local health department administrators to exercise leadership in the delivery of Medicaid services to residents in their communities. The series was co-created and facilitated with the Leadership Development Team at CCSR.

“The Leadership Series (in Scott City) has given me the opportunity to identify and respond to innovative concepts and methods using decision making processes as well as identifying, creating and balancing theories and concepts to practical situations used in day to day Public Health operations,” said Mila Bandel, administrator, Cheyenne County Public Health Agency.

The Public Health Initiative includes training and educational opportunities. CCSR has helped in developing and delivering initial training related to Medicaid Health Homes and opportunities for health departments to better understand best practices, including chronic disease prevention programs, diabetes prevention and new mother programs.

CCSR’s Research and Evaluation Team assists the public health system by assessing workforce, program offerings, technical assistance needs, and readiness for accreditation. In addition, staff from CCSR’s Community and Organization Development Team helped convene partners from across the state regarding how to improve population health. Meetings focused on how public health and primary care providers in communities and regions can partner.

For more about the Public Health Initiative, please contact Sonja Armbruster, CCSR Public Health initiative coordinator, at sonja.armbruster@wichita.edu or (316) 978-3988.