how to build peer support for incarcerated persons with mental illness

HOW TO BUILD PEER SUPPORT FOR INCARCERATED PERSONS WITH MENTAL ILLNESS

Wednesday, September 3, 2014 3:00 – 4:30 p.m., EDT

Welcome to the Webinar Please remember to dial-in to the

phone # listed below:

Dial In Information:

Attendee Dial-In (toll-free):(877) 668-5013 Attendee Conference ID: 848 74 750

Provide Conference ID 848 69 039

AGENDA

3:00 p.m.- 3:05 p.m. Welcome and Overview

3:05 p.m.- 3:10 p.m. Introductions

3:10 p.m.- 3:35 p.m. Iowa Department of Corrections

3:45 p.m.- 4:10 p.m. Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Recovery Innovations

4:10 p.m.- 4:30 p.m. Questions and Answers

WELCOME

Larke Nahme Huang, Ph.D. Senior Advisor

Administrator’s Office of Policy Planning and Innovation

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Joseph Fenton Senior Associate

Association of State Correctional Administrators


ASCA Membership

• Fifty State Administrators of Correction• Director, Federal Bureau of Prisons

• Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York City, Los Angeles County

• U.S. Territories


11 ASCA Committees Oversee the Work of the Association

• Executive Committee• Program & Training Committee

• Racial Disparity Committee• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Committee• Reentry and Community Corrections Committee

• Policy: Resolutions, Legislation & Legal Issues Committee• PREA Committee

• Research and Best Practices Committee• Information Sharing Committee

• Past Presidents’ Committee• Nominating Committee


The ASCA Substance Abuse and Mental Health Committee Coordinates this Webinar with SAMHSA

• Committee Chair John Baldwin (Iowa) oversees the work of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Committee

• A special Sub-Committee was authorized by the ASCA Executive Committee earlier this month to develop guiding principles and explore best practices for dealing with the

mental health population in prisons


Survey of State Correctional Agencies Regarding Peer Support for Mentally

Diagnosed Offenders

• ASCA surveys

• Survey on Peer Support for Mentally Diagnosed Offenders


Survey of State Correctional Agencies Regarding Peer Support for Mentally Diagnosed Offenders

• 34 Agencies Responded to the Survey

• Thirteen responding agencies indicated they have a program in one or more of there institutions where

peer mentors or peer specialists work in mental health units

(AZ, IN, IA, KS, LS, MD, MA, MI, MO, NH, OH, SC, WI)



Diagnosed Offenders

• 2 – Mentor Co-Occurring Disorder Programs• 3 – Assist with Educational/Classroom Activities

• 3 – Assist with Recovery Plans• 1 – Mentor Anger Management Programs• 2 – Assist in Suicide Prevention Initiatives

• 8 – General Peer Mentor Support



Diagnosed Offenders

• Eight responding agencies said they have a program in one or more of their institutions where peer

mentors or peer specialists work to provide reentry services for offenders with mental health diagnoses

(AZ, IN, IA, KS, MA, OK, PA, WI)



Diagnosed Offenders

• 1 – Mentor Co-Occurring Disorders Programs• 1 – Assist with Employment Opportunities

• 1 – Assist with Financial Literacy• 1 – Assist with Recovery Plans

• 4 – General Peer Mentor Support• 2 – Offer Classes about Reintegration


Agency requests for information about establishing peer support programs for mentally diagnosed

offenders:

• Selection of peer supporters• Training of peer supporters

• Information about starting peer support programs• Program protocols, policies and procedures

• Pros and Cons of such programs• Identifying evidence based and best practices

• Use of peer supporters for suicide watch

Facilitators

David Morrissette, Ph.D., LCSW, CAPT, US Public Health Service,

Center for Mental Health Services, SAMHSA

Joseph Fenton Senior Associate,


PresentationsComments, Questions

and Answers

IOWA

John Baldwin, M.A. DirectorIowa Department of Corrections

Bo Pourahmadi, M.A. PsychologistIowa Department of Corrections

Developing, Implementing and Sustaining the Iowa Department of

Corrections Mentoring Program

Presented by

Bo Pourahmadi, M.A.

Iowa Medical and ClassificationCenter

Iowa Department of Corrections

Key Points to Get Started

Must have strong support from administration and most operational staff

Timing has to be right – now is the right time

Association of State Correctional Administrators is committed to keeping the issue of mental health treatment in corrections as a point of emphasis.

What are the costs of getting started?

Iowa spent less than $10,000 to get our mentor/peer program started

The cost savings in reduced hospital trips alone paid for the program in a few months

Offenders have a right or expectation to be housed/supervised in the least restrictive manner. Being able to supervise offenders in a lower status is cheaper.

How we first got started

Offender Observers=peer support

Desire on both sides

NAMI assisted with training

IMCC took it over from there

Evolution leads to 18 mentors today

Training for Mentors

Role model

Teach/lead by example

Provide active LISTENING (listen to problems)

Builds confidence

Training for Staff

Mental Health training for ALL staff

Inmates with SMI are housed on all living units

Ongoing Modeling/positive approach to dealing with inmates with SMI

Support for Peers

Benefits of Mentoring

Paid vacations

Mentor Meals

Support for Mentoring

Support for Peers

Providing Hope

Being part of a team

Dual Asset

Thank you very much!

Operational Questions: [email protected]

Systems Questions:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


PENNSYLVANIALori Ashcraft, Ph.D. Executive Director, Recovery Innovations Recovery Opportunity Center

Mary FinckReentry Program Manager, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections

Marirosa Lamas, M.S. Superintendent, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections

Robert J. Marsh, Jr., Psy.D. Psychologist, Pennsylvania Department of Corrections

How To Build Peer Support For Incarcerated Persons with

Mental Illness

• Meeting with the Superintendents.• Selecting Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) Supervisory

Committee.• Educating CPS Supervisors.• Program support and promotion by CPS Supervisors.• Department Of Corrections (DOC) Trainers meet with

Institution staff during training.• Developed presentation for facilitation with security

staff.• Staff observations.

Building Institutional Support

• Maintained standards and practices for peers that had already been established by the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS).

• Adaptation to the correctional environment was a learning process.

• Developed specific items as we needed them.• Focused on needs of the institution.• Listened to the CPS’ ideas and suggestions.• CPS Supervisors network with each other and share

information.

Developing Policies and Procedures

• Recovery Innovations (RI) curriculum.• Tailored to correctional environment.• Training timeframes and content.• Experiences of the RI trainers.• DOC Certified Associate Facilitators

Training Design and Delivery

• Hope

• Choice

• Empowerment

• Recovery Culture

• Spirituality; meaning and purpose

Recovery Pathwaysfrom our experience

Remembering who you are

and using your strengths to become all you were meant to be.

Our Definition of Recovery

• Peer Employment Workbook: Ashcraft, Johnson, Zeeb. META 2004

– Part I: Personal Development; Knowing Yourself• Recovery• The Power of Peer Support• Developing Self Esteem and Managing Self Talk• Community, Culture, Environment• Meaning and Purpose• Emotional Intelligence

Content of the Training

Part II: Turning Point; Preparing Yourself for Work

• Telling Your Personal Story

• Employment as a Path to Recovery


• Part III; Skill Development– Communication Skills– Conflict Resolution– Recovery from Trauma and Developing

Resilience– Recovery from Substance Abuse– Being with People in Challenging Situations– Peer Support in Action; Partnering with

Professionals– Graduation


• The Peer Support Specialist’s own recovery is strengthened through service.

• Peer Support Specialists help others recover through engagement, hope, and mutual relationship/friendship

• Helps the organization/system recover– As staff work alongside people in recovery, staff finds

new hope– Confronts system and professional stigma– Moving from mental patient to colleague redefines rules

and boundaries

What Shows Up with Peers on the Team?

• Must undergo a vote sheet process• Custody Level 2 or 3 (min. to med. supervision)• Misconduct free for a minimum of one year.• No misconducts for assaultive behavior in the last two

years.• Received recommendation from Licensed Psychology

Manager (LPM) or Psychiatric Review Team (PRT) in regard to:– 12 months with no suicide attempts/gestures– 12 months with no injurious behavior– Stable adjustment with or without medication.– Behavior stability for12 months.

Selection Criteria

• Has a high school diploma or GED.• Must have a history of having had mental health

treatment services either while incarcerated or while in the community.

• Be within no less than 2 years of minimum sentence and no more than 5 years of maximum sentence.

• Must not be on the wait list for Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Therapeutic Community.

• Long term offender/lifer with positive adjustment records can be considered when all other criteria is met.

Selection Criteria

• Specialized Units• Housing Units• Activities• Library/Law Library• Infirmary• Hospice• Psychiatric Observation Areas• Education/Vocational• Standardized Groups• Transitional Housing Units• Reentry Services Offices• Veterans Service Units

Where Do CPS’ Work in the Institutions

• Significant reduction in misconducts from among the peer complement.

• Decrease in placement in Psychiatric Observation• Increase in programming participation among the SMI

population.• Decrease in self sabotaging behaviors for those

offenders preparing for release.• Increased communication between staff and offenders.• Employment in the community upon release.• Internalized self transformation.

Outcomes and Benefits

• In the first year peers worked in the hospital

• 56% reduction in re-hospitalizations

• 48% reduction in restraints

• 36%reduction in seclusion

Outcomes of Peer Services in the Hospital

• OMHSAS• PA. Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD)• Mental Health Justice Advisory Committee (MHJAC)• PA Mental Health Consumers Assoc.(PMHCA)• Private Sector Employers• State Civil Service Position• CPS services billable to Medicaid/Medicare• Contacts in specific areas of the Commonwealth

that reach out to CPS’ when released.

Collaboration and Outreach

Questions

Lori Ashcraft

[email protected]

Websites:

www.recoveryopportunitycenter.com

www.recoveryinnovations.org

Mary A Finck [email protected]

Website: www.cor.state.pa.us

Recovery Opportunity Center


http://www.recoveryopportunitycenter.com/

http://www.recoveryinnovations.org/


http://www.cor.state.pa.us/

Comments, Questions and Answers

Thank you!

For additional information please visit:

SAMSHA’S GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation

http://gainscenter.samhsa.gov/


http://www.asca.net/

http://gainscenter.samhsa.gov/

http://www.asca.net/

how to build peer support for incarcerated persons with mental illness

Documents

peer support

peer specialists

peer mentors

mental health committeereentry

mental health population

responding agencies

asca substance abuse

mental illness