THE EMPLOYMENT ISSUE SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST:
V O L U M E
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I S S U E
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Bright, introspective
the employees in our workforce to feel not only comfortable to share their own life and recovery stories, but appreciated for doing so, no matter where their challenges have fallen on the spectrum of intensities.
thoughts from peer mentors New developments at the Amherst Expressions Center
W I N T E R
In, but not of, the Mental Health System...Really?
job hunters.
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Helpful resources are available for
PEER LIFE we are all peers
Health and wellness at Fit Together.
By Lee Shuer, INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Peer Focus: My Experience as a Peer Mentor
Director of Peer Services 2
Eye on Recovery: Positive 6 Believers of Work!
There’s a commonly held belief that professional peers should be “In, but not of the mental health system.” This position leaves the peers near, but not at the table for major policy decisions; within sight of, but without true power to make change; and hovering slightly off-center of institutional influence---circulating around, but not at the heart of system transformation.
Art & Culture: Movies & Poetry
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If you don’t want to be of it, don’t be in it.
Art & Culture: The Process of Progression
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Art & Culture: Reflection on Transportation
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Issue Focus: The Net: We’re All in it Together
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Future Highlights & Editor’s Note
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About Us
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Peer Focus: Working as a 2 Peer Mentor in Amherst Peer Focus: For the Love...
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Peer Focus: Peer to Peer Counseling
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Eye on Recovery: Wellness at Fit Together
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In a culture that is inviting all staff to see themselves as peers, I’m calling on all professional peers, whether they are Certified Peer Specialists or Peer Mentors, to emerge as leaders: you have already self-disclosed and selfidentified as peers and taken on this responsibility. We’re instrumental in supporting the rest of
I hold as a guiding belief, that we are the future of the system. At this point I’m not so concerned about the professional peers being co-opted, or taken over by the system, but rather that we’re asserting ourselves enough to make the system one of hope and independence for all. I’ve heard people say, “I’m a rule breaker. That’s how I get stuff done. It’s lost me jobs in the past, but I’m willing to put my ethics on the line, and if I get fired, so be it. In any civil rights movement there are casualties along the way.” I spend more time collaborating with my colleagues to change rules that limit integration of clinical and non-clinical services, than breaking the rules. That's my job, that's my duty. Not to bend and yield and compromise my values to keep my employment, but to grab the wheel with both hands and steer my agency as we hurtle like a Toyota Tacoma towards the road less traveled.
I buckle-up and put the pedal to the metal. I’m not a backseat driver. The opportunity to work in the mental health system is one that’s been fought long and hard for over the course of several decades, by several dedicated advocates. Now that we are here, and now that we have the chance to make sure that nothing “about us” is done “without us,” why be anything but fully integrated? I challenge those who would advise myself and other peers to be anything less than of the system, to be anything less than the driver. To be anything less than the one steering the system down the road less traveled. To be anything less than everything we are.
Images courtesy: Lee Shuer, Director of Peer Services: “egads!” & craft fair collage
PEER FOCUS
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My Experience As A Peer Mentor peer mentor. It is hard to believe a whole year has gone by. One of the things that make this job great is the staff around me who have been incredibly helpful and supportive. Another thing that makes this job great is the people who live at the residence. By: Chris O’Mally It has been just about a year now since I started working at the Williamsburg Farming Project as a
In the last year, I've gotten to know and like each one of them. I feel like I have a connection and can personally relate to certain things each of them has gone through.
We all have a great time taking care of the animals, playing games, tending to the garden, going on trips and watching the cycle of life unfold before our eyes. We just had one of our chicken's die while another hatched 13 chicks. I think everyone learns a little more responsibility when another life depends on you. On most days I love my job. Some days can be really hard. But that’s when I try to keep in mind what Plato once said, "be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting their own hard battle."
Chris has been promoted to the position of Residential Treatment Counselor since writing this article. Congratulations from all of us!
Working as an Outreach Peer Mentor in Amherst By: Brandon Ellison
I work on Hampshire County Team 3 as a Peer Mentor. Our office is located above the Amherst Expressions Center at the Colonial Village Apartments complex in Amherst. Over a dozen of our participants live in the complex. One of our big projects is the library (created from the Amherst Recycling Bookshed Center). The books are in different categories, some of which include psychology, education, science, healthy food, fiction, and physical health.
Mentor is helping people get phones from Safelink. Safelink has a free phone with 80 minutes on it each month, for a year.
cise group called Band-It at the Expressions Center. It was lead by Tam Ward, a Wellness Peer Mentor from Fit Together.
With Safelink, you apply online and they send the phone. I help people to set up their phones and train them on how to use the different features of the phone.
This was a lot more fun than I thought! It was interesting because we used elastic bands to exercise. They look like a big rubber bands that stretch. The Expressions Center also has a WII, which is also a fun way to get exercise. Come bowl with us!
We also leased a plot at the Amherst Community Garden on Mill Ln. in South Amherst. Four participants helped with planting, weeding and harvesting.
We are also working on a program so people can check the books out. Soon, people from any ServiceNet program will be able to check them out.
On it, we planted potatoes, tomatoes, parsley and purslane A (a popular Mediterranean food that sold out fast). The potaparticipant toes did not make it and we are gardening on not sure why. I was part of this the group when it was initiated by Amherst Mohamed Ibraham, the Employment Specialist. In the future, I Center’s plot think this could be a good business.
One of my biggest jobs as a Peer
In September, we had an exer-
We have close to 200 books. And a peer librarian is now cataloguing them on the computer.
Images courtesy: Chris O’Mally & The Amherst Expression Center
PEER FOCUS
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For the Love…
By: Cassandra of the Remnant Being a Peer Worker has allowed me to touch a specific inner sanctum of a dimension I would not have had the privilege knowing had I not been doing this job. I have met some amazing, beautiful, warm and friendly people in my day-to-day work as a transportation specialist. I see innocence in all forms. I see grief, trials and tribulations but most of all I see people continuing to exert a forward momentum at the point at which they begin and where the world meets them. Sometimes it is accepting of them, sometimes it is harsh. Regardless everyone continues at their specific center and works to move forward. We are all beings working our own paradigm. Mine is different than every other person. However, where our centers begin and have collided as entities on this planet is that we are all mortal and tied to planet earth. Each one of our actions impacts specifically the celestial body we call our home. We have been borne up from it-we will wither and die back into it. But our actions will always impact it. Now, more than at any other time in history it is implicitly important that we continue to be conscious of our actions upon our collective home. Because we are physical beings with the added benefit of being cognitive along with our spiritual nature, we still need to breathe air, drink water, and eat food grown from the ground, and touch down on the soil. These four factors are a given. I have always wondered where in our nature had we decided that we could transcend all that and began to exploit the world that put us into being. (Figuratively I do know. It is basically resource depletion within a specific region. Hu-
mans preferred to raid and destroy rather than live cooperatively and sustainably). Regardless of where our heads are at about human beings attempting to invent our way out of an environmental catastrophe, the planet ostensibly will prevail, and perhaps throw us off in disdain of our ignorance. Therefore with total respect to everyone's individual path with its joys and challenges, it is imperative that everyone continues on their path in the most conscientious of manners in living with integrity on not assaulting and soiling our precious home. Some things are simple-saving energy by turning off lights, changing the bulbs to compact fluorescents (some controversy with mercury), walking or bicycling whenever possible, buying food that is grown closer to home, growing some of your own vegetables, etc. Many of these steps imply that one has the funds, the knowledge, and the physical ability to do so. For those trying to just get by and have a single meal every day. This can become next to impossible of course. In the past, owning land meant not going hungry. Today, most people are landless. No coincidence that most people in order to sustain themselves are dependent on an exterior system. There are five R's as another tool to stay ahead of the pack. The most basic are Reuse and Recycle. Don't buy new items. Even contemplate whether you need that item at all. If you do need to buy- buy quality if possible so it doesn't end up in the landfill next year. Barter or trade. Try practicing a Power Down Weekend where you shut off all the electricity (within reason) to learn how to live without it. As far as transportation is concerned, if you do need rides, keep in mind that every ride spews more carbon in the air. Carbon is what is upsetting the atmosphere and causing environmental destruction. As stewards of the earth we had been shooting for 300 parts per million units of carbon in the air to turn off the beast of runaway climate destruc-
tion-we are now up to 380 parts per million despite our attention to the dilemma presented by Gore's movie, An Inconvenient Truth. Still so much more to do. But nothing is in vain. As our world becomes increasingly local at every level due to financial collapse or energy system downsizing by the electric companies based on dwindling supplies of raw energy we will be forced to live more locally. Some of the steps I have cited are just good to practice for the future. Remember all of our current systems are founded on the premise that we will always have infinite resources. Reality check: Everything is finite-clean water, healthy topsoil, fresh air, precious minerals, and phosphorus for healthy crops, sweet light crude oil, and natural gas. It seems oxymoronic to attempt our small steps in light of the horrendous destruction of the Gulf of Mexico with the oil geyser and the chemical dispersants. It does seem quite futile sometimes. But corporations can-be alerted -by their bottom line. And that is money. All said, just don't buy products that support these unconscionable companies including but not inclusive would be BP and all its subsidiaries; Monsantos and all of its GMO products. (Unfortunately for us, they have changed their names and images because they look so bad). Don't support any organization that doesn't choose LIFE. We need to choose life because we are life. Supporting offenders is choosing death. Ultimate extreme-disengage from the structures that support such a monster. Hard to do but at the most benefit to the planet. It could perhaps be our last chance to do so. Whether or not we believe in a theory. If the theory proves correct we will still be affected by it. Remember there is no guilt, criticism, or value judgment on what you can or cannot do. Do just what you can. That is all. Entropy or inertia moves at a constant pace. But Absolute Truth heals Absolutely. And Absolute Action moves Forward.
Images courtesy: Eric Scheske; ericscheske.com
“...I see people continuing to exert a forward momentum at the point at which they begin…”
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PEER FOCUS
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Peer to Peer Counseling By: Tova Gabrielle It was summer and I was having a meltdown. I had gone off my antidepressants due to my experiencing toxicity from them in the late spring, and I thought I was going to be OK. But I wasn’t. I was living with a very successful musician who had joked in his ad for a housemate, “If you’re normal and you know it, clap your hands!” I hadn’t seen that ad when I was looking for a houseshare in Brattleboro at the time, but when I later saw the ad in the book of listings in the co-op, it explained a lot: why he was so exasperated with me, why I was hiding in my room, why I was stuck with my painting. I resented his cutesy ad … I had never been, nor aspired to be “normal” (only creative). By July I was crying all the time. Grieving for my seemingly lost potential. For the loss of family to chronic and profound mental health issues; for the loss of my home and my career as a psychotherapist. For the loss of my body to middle age and sluggishness and heaviness. But most of all, for the loss of my energy. Now I was afraid I would lose my partner to my depression and lethargy. Who would want to stay with someone whose body hurt so much she couldn’t take a walk with him without whimpering? I sat and sat and meditated and prayed. I focused on my breath and on the sensations in my body, and I noticed how resistant I was to life itself. I noticed I was full of aversion. I thought of how a friend had said that I was unafraid of death and terrified of living. I thought of downed trees over a stream mucking up the flow, allowing only trickles where there had been rushing waters. I was rotting; my potential as a writer and painter were going mostly untapped. I couldn’t believe I had been the one to do those paintings in the first place. I rationalized that it was my teachers who had really executed them, not me. “If you express that which is within you, it will save you,” a master had said. “If you do not express that which is within you, it will destroy
you.” I had always felt that I and the family members who had gone under from so-called mental illness (it felt more like a sickness of the soul to me than a mental thing) had been great, and their greatness had turned against themselves and was destroying them. I was not going to let myself push my partner away again. He had left before for two years and returned finally in June. I talked to my cousin, who had struggled with depression herself, and she said to me, “If I ate like you do, I wouldn’t be able to be working. I'd be a wreck.” “Like what?” I asked, really wanting to change. “I don’t eat any sugar, dairy products, or wheat.” I gave them all up. Within a week the pain was gone from my body, especially the back of my body. I could take walks in the woods with my partner without wishing for an encounter with mud to excuse me from continuing up a wooded path. I had an epiphany while meditating and praying to the Divine: How could it be that the power that created me could not now heal me? If I could be created, couldn’t the same force that created me certainly have the capacity to heal me? I was thinking about working again after twelve years of major depression and waiting for my life to be over. I had been a psychotherapist and substance abuse counselor in the inner city before I got too spaced out and grief-stricken to work, before I got on disability, which for me was both a blessing and a curse. (I had been enraged that they agreed that I was broken. But I had also been relieved that I could at last stop setting myself up to prove that I was indeed broken. My recurrent experience of trauma always trumped my best-laid plans.) I was thinking about getting a job as a psychotherapist, but my resume, plus the fact that I'd never gotten my license, was making it seem impossible. I was thinking how in reality, my lived experience should have made me twice as employable, since I was
much more able to help people, having lived through deep struggle myself. I felt enraged: Shouldn’t that be a plus on my resume, not a minus? After months of hitting obstacles to employment, I had the thought that I had reached out as much as I could to the world. The problem wasn’t me. The working world should have been banging on my doors, with all that I had to offer. Now the world needed to change. Soon I would discover that the world had changed. A friend of mine worked at ServiceNet. She said, “You should talk to Lee.” She mentioned something about this guy who had come out in a staff meeting about having lived experience with bipolar illness. He wanted to share his recovery experiences with those in the throes of it, to give them hope and a reality check confirming that the oldschool belief that mental illness is forever is a crock. I didn’t know why I was meeting with Lee. I didn’t know that I was asking for a job. I just knew that this guy had recovery and success while dealing with his own stuff at the same time. We sat in a café in Greenfield and I cried. When I had been blocked in the past, I had thought that if I ever allowed myself to fully feel again, and if I started crying, truly grieving for all my losses, I would never stop crying. This was the summer of the flood. I couldn’t find the handle to turn off the faucet. Lee didn’t seem to mind. He suggested I train as a peer counselor. He said my timing couldn’t be better. The rest is history. I'm here now; I'm teaching art and writing, and I know with a certainty that recovery is real. Someday all people with lived experience will have access to peer counselors, peer therapists, and peer doctors. People who are living proof that recovery is real will say to the world, “We recovered, why not you?”
“If you express that which is within you, it will save you.”
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Wellness at Fit Together By: Lydia Bobo
Good quality & value at Fit Together.
“Treat yourselfyou deserve it!”
Not only does this gym serve the general public but also people being served by ServiceNet. And just in time for the holidays. As the months become colder and darker it can be a relief to engage in Holiday Festivities. But with the Holidays comes the temptation to over-indulge with food and alcohol and become sedentary. Thus, the winter time can be a challenge for many with such manifestations as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). For those struggling with a disability the sharp edge of this time of year can be felt more acutely. One way of counteracting the likelihood of such extremes is to join a gym. In my experience, joining Fit Together has been part of my routine that works for me. There are many benefits. This is a disabilityfriendly gym that possesses a friendly, open environment for people struggling with health issues. And there is such a wide variety of resources for those who are interested in exercise, nutrition and relaxation. For $20 per month membership includes: a fully equipped fitness room, yoga, dance classes, tai chi classes, acupuncture, reiki, massage, weight loss coaching and basketball as well as Wii Sports &
Wii Fit. And if you come in to try them out your first visit is free! The gym’s many amenities offer a variety of health and fitness options. Wednesday evening’s yoga class offers a combination of exercises that are designed to accentuate strength and endurance as well as flexibility. Earlier on Wednesday is acupuncture, an Eastern healing mechanism where individuals can lay back and de-stress to calming new age music while they relax into meditation. On Thursday afternoons is Reiki which is a form of deep relaxation and energy therapy aimed at the rejuvenation of the body, mind and spirit. Each 20 minute session is tailored to meet the individual’s needs by an empathetic practitioner. On Thursday evenings, basketball is available where Fit Together peers help people with their shots and pick up games are available. For those who really need a soothing touch, massage therapy sessions are offered on the last Friday of every month. Each 15 minute session is practiced by a licensed therapist who helps to release muscle tension and improve circulation. On Friday evenings is Tai Chi a sort of “meditation in motion.” One of the more subdued martial arts, it is practiced for its defense training as well as health benefits.
work hard to offer quality dance instruction. Such classes as Joyful Danskinetics and Movin’ & Groovin’ provide dance-based fitness with the use of up-beat music and movement to get you moving. They are a fun way of creating movement in a safe supportive environment. No experience is required and there are no complicated steps to learn, just moving to music with the guidance of an instructor. On Tuesday evenings is Near East Dance and Rhythms which allows the student to learn about rhythm and movement from music around the world in a laid-back, accessible way. Before that is individualized Weight Loss Coaching, a method that provides a realistic and compassionate environment to achieve your goals be they nutrition-based or calorie -counting. Each 20 minute, scheduled session includes a weight-loss coach that employs an open-minded approach where she can relate to how you feel, and can honestly answer your questions. Going to Fit Together provides the opportunity to be well in a safe and supportive environment. Treat yourself– you deserve it! Come visit and try it for yourself. They are located in Hadley on Route 9 at 231 Russell Street. They can be reached at 413-584-1508. And their current hours of operation are: Monday - Friday 10am - 7pm and Saturday 12pm - 5pm.
The dance instructors also
EYE ON RECOVERY Images courtesy: Fit Together
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EYE ON RECOVERY
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Positive Believers of Work! started to believe I could
those 40 hours in a supportive
and applied several places,
environment. I found work that is
got interviews, and ex-
meaningful, purposeful, and excit-
plained the long gap in my
ing, where no one day is the same
resume and found myself
as another.
not obtaining employment.
trained in, but the skills I learned
It’s not the career I
have similar crossovers. At this point, I gave up for awhile but people that be-
I found ways to manage my mental
lieved in me kept me from
health condition so I can work and
losing hope.
that is still a daily activity.
It is really
Any
“Instill
important to find people
medical condition requires daily
that have hope in you; to be that
attention to make work possible.
positive believer.
Lee Shuer and
Every individual can gain purpose
of hope…
I grew up in rural Hatfield in a large
Marie Laureano asked me if I want-
and meaning from work they enjoy
be that
family where work was valued.
ed to co-facilitate the Peer Educa-
and choose.
Most of us started working area
tion group and I said yes. It was
farms by the age of 14 and I wasn’t
only 2 hours a week, but it was
Keeping work takes that balance
to be excluded. I was excited to
something!
and daily attentiveness to it. As for
reach this age and added the farm
where something will lead.
By Tam Ward
You never know
work to my paper route, saved up
positive believer”
that hard-working farm kid, she’s still a part of everything I value.
for a new bike and put some mon-
I had a set-back during this time
Part of the work I do at ServiceNet
ey away. Work wasn’t just about
and had to give up the group for a
is helping others find what they
getting things, it was about feeling I
little while to get my meds adjusted
value in their work options.
was doing something important
in the hospital, but people wel-
with my day, and it was expected
comed me back and understood.
If you want to explore your op-
of every member of our family.
This wasn’t like before when the
tions please call me at 413-582-
job was gone and each time I felt
5632.
When my journey with bipolar
a sense
more and more discouraged.
disorder included needing time to recover which for a while did not
What happened to that kid that
include work it was very difficult
always worked and never saw a
for me. I had lost the belief that I
future without holding down a 40
could work successfully at one
hour job? I have a good answer for
point.
that!
Though I knew this often
happens to people who have been out of work for awhile, as the say-
Life doesn’t always take the direc-
ing goes, you don’t believe it can
tions we expect. We learn a lot on
happen to you, until it does. Then I
the way. I found a place to work
Images courtesy: Gay Guide Toronto, gayguidetoronto.com, Avinash Kaushik; www.kaushik.net
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Movies at Community Expressions By:
Nancy
Stark
Every week I look forward to
I hope you will join us at the
choosing a movie to show at
movies every Tuesday from
the Community Expressions
3-5 PM.
Center in Greenfield.
The
As I review the list of movies
sions Center is located at:
we have enjoyed over the last
13
two months I keep thinking,
Greenfield.
Community Prospect
Expres-
Street
in
"Wow! These are some great movies!" Dragonfly, Pay It Forward, and The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill are just a few.
Autumn, 1982 News Flash Genevieve is an established poet with two published books.
By: Genevieve Reall
By: Karen Lowe
crimson scraps fluttering golden shreds filtering bold blue sky sheltering emblazoned sun warming aqain, the trees disrobe their fragrant green garments burning before the snows blackening before the hills leaf by leaf, undressing, fearless, stripped before the cold, shameless in bright glory, mighty, tall, before the sky black arms entwined in poise and peace, singing with the wind, so hence I am, stripped and bold, my tarnished flames a-crimson, blushing, gaunt, brightly' meek, wondering at fire's last equipoise, standing in a world so bleak, burning down to charcoal truth, smoke and vision interwrought, listening to the wretched lot, lest one twig forsake its leaf, here I mourn in cheeky grief, proud and small green no more, reverent before Love's icy Door. (excerpt from Bread Upon Waters: poems by Genevieve Reall, 1986)
Someone actually Was kind Without asking For the limelight, Without wanting to be a celebrity Just made Somebody else’s Day, night Or lunch time. Someone, without A terrible disaster Just happening or Looming in the Unspecified Time ahead Reached out a hand, real Or figurative, And brought Someone to solid Ground, when they Had been shaky, A little or a lot. Someone, without Anyone else Noticing, smiled At someone else,
Who desperately needed That smile. Yes, there are Angels among us, Seen and unseen, Visible, actual Or not, Who see what Happens, daily Monthly, Yearly, And is there When someone In need Reaches out. Be thankful for The angel Unaware.
ART & CULTURE Images courtesy: Black Creek Library; blackcreeklibrary.org;
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The Process of Progression By: Lydia Bobo
Constriction: 5 Mixed Media (2005)
“…the individual is capable of applying an objective realism to a challenging situation at hand.”
ART & CULTURE
A therapeutic process-the creation of art has been substantial in my recovery. In my life experience, I am very thankful for the many college preparatory classes in drawing and painting that I have received. Likewise are my experiences at the Maryland and San Francisco Art Institutes many years ago. In my darkest moments I’ve been able to channel my energies into countless paintings, drawings and collages because of them. This has allowed me many benefits, from distracting my thoughts from negativity to instilling a sense of pride in what I can accomplish. But positivity has not always been so easy for me to come by. In 2003, I found myself in the throes of a disability with little aid from the health care system. Undiagnosed and unmedicated I sought selfmedication as an alternative. In spite of this negative conditioning I managed to engage in positive, healthy activity at times. One way of doing this has been with the construction of art. Bouts of productivity in the visual arts have been an ongoing outlet during times of deep despair but also in brighter times as well. Over the next few years life grew progressively worse yet still I found the time to sketch on a pad or pressed canvas
and compile little collages of scrapbooking papers. During greater moments of clarity attempts at recovery were made but with little success yet still I trudged on. Works from the Constriction series (2005) expressed my interest in the abstract with the use of multi-media such as colored pencils and collage pieces. But also were a reflection of the desolation I felt as my life was spiraling out of control. My belief in the primary human experience is that we experience the world around us in subjective terms. In times of distress our cognitive facilities can take an even more unrealistic turn. But with the discipline of a series of methodical steps the individual is capable of applying an objective realism to a challenging situation at hand. As an artist, my purpose is to apply this technique in my creative works as I use aesthetical methods with the various media. Within the past three years I have experienced a slow but purposeful sense of progression into a lifestyle of recovery. As the days pass into years I have accomplished many goals related to my health and well-being as I become a more productive individual. There have certainly been a noticable amount of challenges and pitfalls however in this stage of my life I am
able to deal with them more effectively. The decisiveness I have exhibited as an artist has likewise been exemplary in the advancements I have made. Certainly there have been those “dry spells” experienced by creative people that are characterized by decreased productivity. Likewise are blocks in the process in which the development of skill slows. There have also been many times of genuine inspiration and the willingness to accomplish series upon series. If art imitates life my work has taken a brighter, more expansive turn. Like Finished Piece II, my own existence like the name of this series is a work in progress. For many years my works consisted of the production of smaller studies constructed with only drawing materials. In recent years I have embraced the fabrication of larger sized pieces compiled with not only drawing but painting and collage media. Additionally is the greater sense of intimacy I experience when I allow myself to thrive in a community of artists by frequenting the studio and embracing opportunities such as my most recent art show. If life imitates art I can only strive towards a greater sense of renewal as my work progresses.
Works in Progress II Finished Piece II Mixed Media (2010)
Images courtesy: Lydia Bobo, “Constriction: 5” & “Works in Progress II Finished Piece II”
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ART & CULTURE
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Reflection on Transportation stayed with my girlfriend’s family for the remainder of the school year, but biked each day to Amherst from Belchertown and back. Sometimes I was able to get a ride but most of the time I had to bike it. I didn't look at it as a bad thing. I saw it as an opportunity to become a strong rider. Later that year I ended up needing that strength. By: Alexander Spear, Director of Transportation I ran away from home when I was 17 years old. My mother and I were living in Amherst at the time but I didn't have any other family or friends in the area. I was still enrolled in Amherst High School and wanted to finish out the year there, but transportation was going to be a problem. The day after I ran away from home my uncle in New York told me he wanted me to come out to see him that weekend. The Peter Pan bus I had to take was at 7:30am the next morning in Amherst and I was in Belchertown and only had my bicycle to get me there. There was no bus that early in the morning from Belchertown and it was raining, and it was April so it was fairly cold. I packed by back pack with a change of dry cloths and biked to Amherst to catch the bus. The bus driver would not let me take my bike on the bus so I had to lock it to a pole and hope that it would still be there several days later when I returned. When I got back from my uncle’s I
Another frustrating transportation moment in my life was when I got caught in the rain pushing a carriage full of groceries from Stop and Shop in Hadley to the center of Amherst where I was living at the time. I was so mad that I did not have a car, but in retrospect it made me a stronger person to go through those experiences. It has made me appreciate the transportation that I do have now. It made me feel protected when I was home with a roof overhead. When I was 13 I went on a 5 mile back packing trip in the Adirondack Mountains. It was a five day hike through hell. I hated it because I was wet and miserable the whole time. I was carrying more than I could stand and it rained every day almost all day. A bear came into our camp and destroyed our food supply and I got sick. Looking back I was so miserable but I would do it all again because as soon as it was over I realized what a great experience it had been and how much I had accomplished and withstood. Transportation is a huge part of a successful existence in our society. It touches every part of our lives in some way, whether it is to get to
work, meetings, and appointments or to have fun somewhere. Before the first motorized steam engines over 200 years ago transportation was limited to people based on the distance they could travel in a day. There were no paved roads and most long distance transport was over water and achieved only by explorers. It was costly and it was time consuming. People walked or used animals such as horses or camels to get where they needed to go. For most, all the needs that were necessary to survive were usually within walking distance from home. Today, things are much different in most areas. Access to resources outside of a single day's walk has grown tremendously and this has been shaped greatly by inventions such as cars. I imagine that people used to plan an entire week’s worth of business to conduct in one visit to another town. Today we can go from Northampton to Amherst and back in an afternoon. The way we now think of long distance is in tens of miles or even hundreds of miles. I recently used Google Maps to find out how long it would take to walk from my house in Springfield to work. Google says it would take about five hours. If I took the bus it would take about 2 hours.
“Transportation is a huge part of a successful existence in our society. “
I now realize just how resourceful I can be if I need transportation somewhere and just how much I am willing to tolerate to get where I need to go.
Images courtesy: Church Times (UK) & Arizona Department of Transportation
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“Peer Life: The Employment Issue. Indeed” By Lee Shuer, Director of Peer Services
“This is a time of huge change at ServiceNet, and we’re all in it together!
Since July of 2009, ServiceNet has employed over 100 people who have openly declared themselves peers. Some of them have written about their work in this issue; others have worked as receptionists, drivers, in our small businesses such as Memory Magic and Clean and Green, in human resources, or even editing this periodical! All of these folks have brought the unique quality of first-hand recovery experience to their work; those that they interacted with on the job were receiving support from someone who knows what it’s like to deal with some aspect of a mental health challenge, trauma, or extreme state. This month, these same dedicated workers received a memo explaining that their jobs would be terminating at the end of March. Due to the contractual needs of the Department of Mental Health, the operational demands placed on our Community Based Flexible
Support teams, and our financial limitations, the money that had been budgeted to pay for these jobs is being reallocated to pay for new Recovery Specialist positions and newlycreated Recovery Advocate Positions on our CBFS teams, as well as some receptionist and transportation positions....we will still be employing peers, but notice, “peer” is no longer in the job titles. Peers who apply for the new jobs will be in union positions, will earn more, will have greater benefits, and will be completely integrated onto the CBFS teams, rather than working more independently. Rather than having a peer workforce, we’ll have a workforce of peers. For example, when it’s time to run a WRAP class, we’ll recruit Recovery Specialists and Advocates who are peers. You see, rather than “peer” being our title, it will be a credential, a qualification. A specialty, rather than a limitation. Those of you who move from the Peer Mentor and Certified Peer Specialist roles into the new positions, your wisdom and experience as “out” peers will make you excellent role models for your new coworkers. This is a time of huge change at ServiceNet, and we’re all in it together! We’ve accomplished a tremendous amount in just a year and a half. We’ve used our lived experience as a bridge to draw to-
gether the clinical and the nonclinical worlds. We’ve celebrated the wellness world view and a culture of universal respect. We’ve shown how our education from the school of life enables us to reach our peers in unique ways. Simply put, we’ve been given a chance, and we’ve succeeded. As the Director of Peer Services, I can’t thank you enough, personally and professionally, for the dedication and integrity you have all shown. You are my heroes. That’s why the news that deep cuts and reorganization within the peer workforce is so bittersweet. Bitter because many will lose the jobs that have meant so much to those who have held them, and for those they have served; sweet because of the new opportunities for equality and empowerment that lie ahead. This change will also be reflected in the title of this newsletter. Starting next issue, we will change the title to “The Net: We’re All in it Together.” We’ll take submissions from all staff, sharing their stories of personal hope and recovery, not only the “peer” workforce. For we are all peers, and we really are all in it together.
ISSUE FOCUS Images courtesy: North Coast Rep, northcoastrep.org,, Kootenays Branch; kootenays.cmha.bc.ca
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FUTURE HIGLIGHTS
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Future Highlights on it. My purpose is to give this publication some decisive organization around the central issue as well as create some sections that would be of genuine interest to those of ServiceNet.
Thank you all for reading this issue of the Peer Life! This is my first one and I am thrilled to be working
Since this publication is a quarterly I would like it to become available on or around the turn of each season. The next issue will be available in
the spring and I thought a fitting topic would be the arts with a focus on the visual arts, performance arts, music and literature. That being said, I would like to find relevant material that coincides with the issue’s focus, special events and other peer related material Lastly, one major change will be the title and theme of this publication. Future issues will be entitled “The Net: We’re All in it Together”. By taking “peer” out we’re hoping to open the newsletter up to the entire CBFS workforce. -Lydia
Submission Requests As this is my first issue as editor I have developed new sections and would like to take in material for all of them. The content that I am looking for should coincide with them: Peer Focus, Eye on Recovery, Art & Culture and the Issue Focus. There are also approximate length requirements for each submission
ranging from smaller articles (100200 words) to larger articles (no more than 1000 words). Please note that I will only have enough room to print excerpts of pieces that run over this requirement.
Be they a photo of yourself or the subject matter, a design, a painting-I enjoy them all and look forward to including them into future issues. -Lydia
One last point. I love images. I encourage all who make submissions to provide one to four as long as they’re related to the piece.
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Once again, thank you all for your commitment to Peer Life and for making this issue a success! It’s been a pleasure to receive so many submissions but due to a large number of them, some of these articles have been edited. If you would like to be in the next issue of Peer Life please note the submission requirements and fu-
ture highlights above. Ideas for themes and articles are certainly welcome. I encourage all staff to submit to future issues by sending me an email at lbobo@servicenet.org Lastly, if you are in the peer newsletter I will need a media consent form from you. -Lydia
Images courtesy: Lydia Bobo
Peer Life
Here and Now
The employment issue Lydia Bobo: designer & editor
ServiceNet, Inc.
Newsletter Committee: Wendy Payson & Lee Shuer
129 King Street Northampton, MA 01060 The opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect those of ServiceNet, Inc., or the Peer Life committee.
Phone: 413.585.1300 Fax: 413.582.4252 Email: info@servicenet.org Web: www.servicenetinc.org/ innovative health and human services
About Us The mission of ServiceNet is to enhance the quality of life of adults, children and families, through the provision of effective and responsive clinical, residential, rehabilitative, recovery and support services. ServiceNet provides a wide range of human services for people in the Pioneer Valley. Our programs include outpatient behavioral health services; adolescent support programs; an employee as-
sistance program; early intervention for young children; home health care; rehabilitation and residential programs for those with mental health issues, developmental disabilities, head injuries, or addictions; and shelter and housing services for the homeless.
occupational therapists, and administrative and support staff.
ServiceNet’s dedicated staff includes psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, psychotherapists, social workers, counselors, physical and
ServiceNet has program sites in Hampshire, Franklin, Hampden, Berkshire, and Worcester counties. ServiceNet’s administrative offices are located in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Revenues come from a variety of sources, including local, state, and federal government and private contracts; public and private foundations; insurance reimbursements and client fees; and generous donations by the community.
Images courtesy: ServiceNet, Inc.