Florida Peer Network, Inc. An independent organization of and for people who are recovering from a psychiatric disability. Click here to skip to the content.

News

New Veteran Peer Support Credential

The Florida Certification Board will expand its Peer Recovery Support Specialist credentials to add the Veteran Peer Support Specialist certification as part of a new five-year federal grant received by the Department of Children and Families and funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). FCB is a key partner in this grant project, which began in October 2009. The Jail Diversion and Trauma Recovery project will transform the state's response to the needs of veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other co-occurring disorders within the criminal justice system.

Many veterans return home and eventually are incarcerated; this is an unacceptable result of failed reintegration into civilian life, with significant costs to their families and society, in general, in terms of human suffering and finances. Effective implementation of this project will significantly enhance Florida's capacity to assist those who have served our nation get needed services to reduce rates of incarceration and foster successful re-integration into the community.

The project creates two pilot projects that offer specialized jail diversion services for veterans, particularly those suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Hillsborough County has been selected for the first pilot project site, with a second site to be selected by Year 3 of the project. The pilot projects will link to existing local jail diversion programs to: 1) specifically identify veterans at initial contact with the criminal justice system and other strategic intercept points; 2) facilitate enrollment in Veteran's Administration services for those eligible; 3) provide trauma-related treatment services; 4) link participants with appropriate support services within the community; 5) provide specialized peer support services to enhance engagement, facilitate access to services, improve compliance and support ongoing recovery; and 6) include family members as recipients of services.

As a key partner in this initiative, FCB will develop and provide a logically-sequenced, comprehensive training program for multiple providers at each pilot site that also includes coaching and supervision for evidence-based screening, trauma-integrated treatment, and recovery practices; and create and implementing a new state-level, validated Veteran Peer Support Specialist credential. The Role Delineation Study for the Veteran Peer Support Specialist credential began in May 2010 and was completed in December 2010. Standards for the new credential will be set at a meeting in February 2011, with roll out of the credential expected in April or May of this year.

FCB is proud to be a partner in this important project.

DSM-5: The Future of Psychiatric Diagnosis

David Kupfer, M.D., chair of the DSM-5 Task Force, which is in charge of the DSM revision process, noted that draft changes to the DSM will be posted on the DSM-5 Web site in January 2010.

Comments will be accepted for two months and reviewed by the relevant DSM-5 Work Groups in each diagnostic category. Field trials for testing proposed changes will be conducted in three phases. For information about the revision process and to make comments visit www.DSM5.org.

The American Psychiatric Association is a national medical specialty society whose physician members specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and research of mental illnesses, including substance use disorders. Visit the APA at www.psych.org and www.healthyminds.org.

Archived News Items

 

"Why Do I Want to Become a Member?" (PDF, 527k)

 

This website is funded in part by the Disability Rights Florida,
through the PAIMI grant from SAMHSA.

Florida Peer Network, Inc.
Office: 850-922-0090
Email: info@floridapeernetwork.org		 Visit us on Facebook! Facebook Icon

• Valid XHTML 1.0 Transitional • Valid CSS! • WAI/WCAG UsableNet Approval Icon • 508 UsableNet Approval Icon •