An annual conference to help those journeying with people with mental illness and/or substance use.

Location: Shrine Visitors Center
(limited to 125 attendees)

“PEER SUPPORT IN BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES”

Presenters: Joe Harper and Jayme Swanke

Peer recovery support is an evidence-based practice that has become increasingly utilized in behavioral health treatment settings. Peer recovery support specialists are non-clinical, direct service providers who draw upon their own lived experience in recovery to offer hope, encouragement and practical support to others working through recovery.

This presentation will explore the evolving role of peer recovery support specialists and highlight the value of lived experience in behavioral health settings. We will examine the roles that peers take on, identify the programs and settings that employ peer support workers, and provide an overview of the credentials recognized in Illinois, including the pathways to certification. The session will conclude with a discussion of the benefits and challenges of integrating peer support within traditional behavioral health settings.

Joe Harper, LCSW is currently the Executive Director of Comprehensive Behavioral Health Center of St. Clair County, Inc. which provides mental health and substance abuse services to the community. He previously held positions with the Illinois Department of Human Services Division of Mental Health including Executive Director of the Southern Region and Hospital Administrator of Chester Mental Health Center. He has served as the program administrator for mental health services at Menard Correction Center which is the state’s largest maximum-security correctional facility. Mr. Harper is currently a faculty member with Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.

Jayme Swanke, PhD, LCSW, CADC is an accomplished social work educator, researcher and clinical practitioner with expertise in behavioral health, workforce development and social work education. She serves as an Associate Professor and MSW Program Director in the Department of Social Work at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), where she also directs the university’s Recovery Support Professional Training Program.

Her scholarship focuses on interprofessional education, trauma-informed care and behavioral health service delivery. In addition to her academic work, Dr. Swanke maintains a private clinical practice and engages in consulting to advance community recovery and mental health services.

“THE POWER OF NAMI”

Presenters: Kelly Jefferson and Mint Green

This presentation will be a basic overview of the philosophy and mission of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) as told through the eyes of Kelly Jefferson and Mint Green – a personal testament to the transformative nature of NAMI to replace stigma, myths and misconceptions with first-hand accounts of recovery that are grounded in hope.

This in-depth narrative will highlight Mint Green’s struggles and triumphs over schizoaffective disorder, the overcoming of profound legal troubles and his subsequent reintegration into society. Kelly Jefferson will share her family’s struggles from the initial crisis to where they are today and how this has affected goals, dreams and family dynamics.

Kelly Jefferson is a volunteer for NAMI Southwestern Illinois. She has over 40 years of experience as a registered nurse in acute and non-acute healthcare. She developed a passion for mental health awareness after her son was diagnosed 11 years ago with schizoaffective disorder. Kelly and her husband Mark facilitate Family to Family, Family education classes and Support Groups for NAMI SWI.

Mint Green, CRSS, CPRS has been involved with the NAMI Southwestern Illinois affiliate for over 20 years. He has reshaped and rebranded NAMI’s image with his creation of the NAMI Llama, a mascot which embodies NAMI’s primary mission. Through his participation in NAMI signature programs, he has built up a local peer support network, helped train police officers, has educated both adults and youth and inspired hope for families in crisis. With the help of effective treatment, he was also able to obtain his B.A. in Art from SIUE and most recently completed the CRSS program, coming full circle by completing his internship at AMHC, the same Forensic unit where he had formerly been a patient.

Today he is finishing up his first book, a study on the reciprocal relationship between mental illness and society as a whole, in the further attempt to understand and reduce the level of distress caused by mental illness in the community.

Registration Cost: $50 (lunch included)

IL CEUs (for mental health professionals): $35 (additional fee)

For more information, contact 618-394-6281 or email programs@snows.org

Registration Coming Soon