Diving Deeper into wellness recovery action plan with Leah Fagundes and marisa smith

Q. How long have you been involved in wrap?
A. 12 or 13 years ago I went to my first orientation.
Q. What is a short definition of wrap?
A. It's wellness recovery action plan. It's a personal living document to help you stay well.
Q. What are the five parts of a wrap plan? A. Triggers and action plan, early warning signs and action plan, signs of when things are breaking down and action plan, crisis planning and post crisis planning.
Q. Is the wrap plan the same as the crisis plan we do with Seth?
A. The crisis plan is only one part of a wrap plan.
Q. What is a wellness toolbox?
A. Those are the things that you can do for yourself to make yourself feel better. You double check your daily maintenance plan to make sure you've done everything that you usually do.
Q. Do I have to be mentally ill to do a wrap?
A. No. A wrap plan is for anybody for anything that they want to work on. Examples are excercise, diet, employment, housing.
Q. Can you share any examples of how you think the wrap has helped you or anyone you know?
A. Well I think I was using parts of it before but once I learned it it has helped me to be better. I am aware of my problems earlier.
Q. How do I use the wrap?
A. We can keep track of the things we do everyday. It's good to have them written down in case you are not well enough to remember everything. Having a toolbox helps us to feel when when we have triggers or things are breaking down. A crisis plan will help us to have the best care when we are unable to make decisions for ourselves. Our supporters will also become involved at this time.
Q. When will the groups be taking place? A. When we get funding so we can use all of the support we can get. Tell your providers that you are interested in the program.
Q. Who is the founder of of the wrap program?
A. Mary Ellen Copeland got help from her mother and other peers through focus groups. It is an evidence based practice which means that it has been proven effective.
Q. What is a daily maintenance plan?
A. The things we do every day to stay well.
Q. What is a crisis plan?
A. The things that we would like to see happen when we are in crisis. We can list preferred treatments, faciloties, medications, and supporters both personal and professional that  we want involved
Q. What are triggers?
A. External events or circumstances that if they happen may produce very uncomfortable systems such as anxiety, panic, discouragement, despair or negative self talk.
Q. Is there anyy other important information that you would like to share? A. I just want to add the 5 key concepts. These are hope, personal responsibility,  education,  self advocacy and support.

We look forward to facilitating a group soon. If you have any other questions come by on the weekend and talk to Leah or Marisa.

Marisa Smith and Leah Fagundes get WRAP certification in Marin County

I have been asked to write about one of the most empowering tools that I have learned in my recovery. After doing a few process groups, a client made me aware of the WRAP program for recovery and insisted on the need to bring it to the Enterprise Resource Center. I jumped on board and Leah Fagundes advocated for scholarships for her and I to become 2 of three Wellness Recovery Action Plan facilitators in Marin County. After completing the sixty page document on my computer, I was cleared for the training to help others complete this oh so important document. The document is known as a working document, meaning that it changes as you change but the key to this helpful tool is that you complete it when you are relatively well so that your needs can hopefully be met when you are not well. 

Currently, we are meeting at WET meetings monthly and working on having funds to bring this to the mental health consumer and provider community. Another facet of the WRAP plan is that you can tailor it to anything you need help with. For instance, our trainer did a WRAP plan when she was unemployed to get a job and she accomplished that task. It is great for mental health consumers especially because it designates for people to take over when you are not capable of making decisions on your own. In my experience, I never thought it would be possible for me to need the help of others to make good decisions but that has definitely been the case for me once in my lifetime. That is enough to make this an important and powerful document for me. If I had made a WRAP plan prior to my first manic episode, I would have limited the PTSD symptoms I suffer now from hospitalization. I would have had more control over my situation and had supporters who knew my wishes clearly.

The intense five day training, of which only half of the group passed, focused tremendously on the facilitation of a group of clients and the rights that they maintain while attending the group. These skills proved helpful for all of my group facilitation for people with mental illness. A key principle is that participation and any work is all voluntary. I think this is important for anyone who wants to be in charge of their own recovery and life in general. Also, the groups are accepting of all views. For instance, if someone tells me that drinking a glass of wine is a wellness tool for them, I am not going to argue but I might point out that our wellness tools will change over the course of our recovery and lifetime and are different for everyone.

I refrained from giving the technical information of the program in this article but if a WRAP plan sounds like it is something you would like to have to help you in times of crisis, talk to me or ask about when these groups will be coming to a venue that you frequent. You can also follow Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery on Facebook. It's proven very worthwhile for me and I look forward to advocating to make it a normal part of recovery in Marin County.