Website Category: Webinar Resources

Looking for Help? BCSS Family Support Service Locations.These areas offer a friendly knowledgable person to call for information and support, support and education groups, and other services varying by region. Looking for local support? Call 604-1-888-888-0029 toll free anywhere in BC or 604-270-7841 (in the lower Mainland)

Todd S. Woodward, Ph.D Professor, Department of Psychiatry, UBC Functional Neuroimaging Cognitive Neuropsychiatry Participate We are always looking for people to participate in this research. Please email cnos.lab@ubc.ca or call 604-822-7312 if you would like more information and if you might want to get involved.

On this site, you will find useful information on a wide range of topics related to mental health challenges and disorders in children and youth. The information was designed with parents and caregivers in mind. The site also has links to many additional resources geared towards parents.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of a mental illness self-management intervention, called Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP), on the use of and need for mental health services over time compared with nutrition and wellness education. Method: Participants were recruited from outpatient community mental health settings in Chicago, Illinois. Using a single-blind, randomized controlled trial design, 143 individuals were assigned to WRAP or to a nutrition education course and assessed at baseline and at 2-month and 8-month follow-up. The WRAP intervention was delivered by peers in recovery from serious mental illness who were certified WRAP educators over nine weekly sessions lasting 2.5 hrs. The nutrition education curriculum was taught by trained non-peer educators using the same schedule. Mixed-effects random regression analysis tested for differences between the two interventions in (a) self-reported use of 19 clinical, rehabilitation, peer, emergent, and ancillary services; and (b) self-reported need for these services. Results: Results of mixed-effects random regression analysis indicated that, compared with controls, WRAP participants reported significantly greater reduction over time in service utilization (total, individual, and group), and service need (total and group services). Participants in both interventions improved significantly over time in symptoms and recovery outcomes. Discussion: Training in mental illness self-management reduced the self-reported need for and use of formal mental health services over time. This confirms the importance of WRAP in an era of dwindling behavioral health service availability and access.

Link to ‘Computers in Human Behaviour’ article on MH & Social Media as mentioned by Sue MacDonald in Webinar 7 on Peer Services & PSR.