Leadership Development Key Focus of the Network

After much planning, our First Annual Leadership Institute, "Charting the Course: The Peer-Provider Partnership" was held at the Hilton Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, on September 25th and 26th. The series of inter-related leadership workshops was conducted before the Florida Council for Community Mental Health/Florida Psychosocial Rehabilitation Association Annual Conference, "Hope and Recovery: Navigating the Way."

Thanks to scholarships provided by the Advocacy Center for Persons with Disabilities, Inc., 38 FPN members were able to attend.  In addition, several provider members of the Florida Council, along with representatives from the Advocacy Center, were able to participate. The evening of the 25th, everyone enjoyed a dinner sponsored by Eli Lilly. A short presentation about a new resource, “Health Education Answers,” provided an overview of this very innovative educational tool.

The main purpose of the Institute was to provide scholarship recipients training in three topic areas. Sally Clay presented key findings from a 5-year federally-funded research project in her workshop “Consumer-Operated Services and Recovery. With assistance from Dianne Cote, Sally covered Common Ingredients and their definitions, including Structure, Environment, Belief Systems, Peer Support, and Education/Advocacy. The Fidelity Assessment Common Ingredients Tool (FACIT) was introduced. This scale is a research-based tool designed to see where consumer-operated programs “measure up” in each of the Common Ingredients areas.

Patrick Hendry conducted a workshop entitled “Self-Advocacy and Self-Directed Care. With an emphasis on the principles of self-determination, this Institute module provided information about the Self-Directed Care initiatives in Florida. Mary Ellen Copeland’s article, “Self-Determination in Mental Health Recovery: Taking Back Our Lives” was part of the curriculum materials. This workshop was a favorite among Institute participants.

The third workshop, “Leadership Development,” was an interactive class co-facilitated by Toni Beard and Tom Lane.  A series of exercises identified key leadership qualities and skills, leadership experiences within the Florida Peer Network, and possible leadership pathways for participants.  Research indicates experiences accounts for 70 percent of how leaders develop. Relationships with people accounts for 20 percent, while training accounts for only 10 percent. With this in mind, the Network created the Mentoring Project as a way to provide leadership experiences for graduates.

Over the next several months, Institute graduates will be matched with FPN members who have volunteered to serve as mentors. Mentors Dianne Cote, Dave Shaver, Barbara Williams, and Carolyn Wilson were able to attend the Institute. Many thanks to these Network leaders, and to the other mentors unable to attend the Institute, who have volunteered their time and talent! The Mentoring Project is an important part of the Network’s growth, as we develop new, emerging leaders.  Look for regular updates in future newsletters.

Our first Leadership Institute would not have been possible without the support of the Florida Council, the Advocacy Center, SAMH Corporation, Eli Lilly and many others, as well as lots of hard work from Network members. The Florida Council was especially supportive, and has agreed a second Institute is a project for continued partnership. Our hope is to make this an annual event

 

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

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