Lori Davidson

Pathways to Recovery Group Facilitator's Guide Lori Davidson

Publisher Marketing: Since the first printing of Pathways to Recovery, people immediately worked to start groups with little guidance on how to do it. Some were held in formal settings while others were conducted with just two or three people in someone's living room. In most, participants found themselves completing the exercises, discussing the quotations or even arguing about whether certain topics should be included in one chapter or another! With so many formats emerging, determining how to create a facilitator's guide was quite a challenge. The current guide is designed to be easy to navigate and use, even for first-time group facilitators. Modules include the following: An overview and goals for the topic Recommended readings, materials and handouts Specific tips for facilitators and notes to guide each session Detailed agendas with suggested activities The guide gives group leaders all the information needed to facilitate a Pathways to Recovery group, including tips on how to adapt the sessions to meet specific needs. While some groups have taken over a year to cover all the material in the workbook, still others have found it possible to cover one chapter a week. In whatever way you decide to conduct your local group, the material found in this guide will be helpful to you. Contributor Bio:  Davidson, Lori Priscilla Ridgway After working over 30 years in the mental health field, I'm suddenly much more optimistic! I've working in direct practice, disability rights, supported housing, policy analysis & best practice research-specifically to understand resilience & advance consumer voice. My own experiences as an accidental mystic, a person with a traumatic brain injury and someone who has struggled with depression & PTSD have given me a greater depth of awareness. I am in love with the power of resilience & creativity that allow us to heal & be transformed. Diane McDiarmid At the University of Kansas, I served as Director of the Strengths Recovery, Supported Education & Consumer as Provider projects. I've taught the Strengths Perspective across the U. S. & internationally and served as an adjunct professor, developing course curricula and teaching social work classes in the School of Social Welfare. With many years of experience in direct clinical practice, policy & administration, I've witnessed the positive impact on people's lives from implementing a strengths-based perspective. Lori Davidson I've worked in the mental health field for over 20 years, learning from each story that has been shared with me. Over this time, I have come to realize that the line between us is very thin, if not non-existant. I draw on my own journey with depression as a major factor in supporting individuals to take risks on their own recovery journey. Julie Bayes During the writing of Pathways, I served as a consumer provider in the psychosocial program at Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center in Lawrence, Kansas and on the board of directors of Independence, Inc., an independent living resource center. While working as a journalist & television producer, I was diagnosed in 1986 with multiple personality disorder. After struggling with my illness for 10 years, I finally started working on recovery. Through individual therapy & skills work, I learned to relate to the world around me. My motto became "what we think, we become." I live each day by those words & regularly continue my advocacy work. Sarah Ratzlaff In addition to working on Pathways to Recovery, I was the research assistant for the Supported Education Group at the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare, developing research for the Kansas Consumer as Provider program and other supported education initiatives. I continue to be infinitely inspired by this book and the stories I've heard. Contributor Bio:  McDiarmid, Diane Priscilla Ridgway After working over 30 years in the mental health field, I'm suddenly much more optimistic! I've working in direct practice, disability rights, supported housing, policy analysis & best practice research-specifically to understand resilience & advance consumer voice. My own experiences as an accidental mystic, a person with a traumatic brain injury and someone who has struggled with depression & PTSD have given me a greater depth of awareness. I am in love with the power of resilience & creativity that allow us to heal & be transformed. Diane McDiarmid At the University of Kansas, I served as Director of the Strengths Recovery, Supported Education & Consumer as Provider projects. I've taught the Strengths Perspective across the U. S. & internationally and served as an adjunct professor, developing course curricula and teaching social work classes in the School of Social Welfare. With many years of experience in direct clinical practice, policy & administration, I've witnessed the positive impact on people's lives from implementing a strengths-based perspective. Lori Davidson I've worked in the mental health field for over 20 years, learning from each story that has been shared with me. Over this time, I have come to realize that the line between us is very thin, if not non-existant. I draw on my own journey with depression as a major factor in supporting individuals to take risks on their own recovery journey. Julie Bayes During the writing of Pathways, I served as a consumer provider in the psychosocial program at Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center in Lawrence, Kansas and on the board of directors of Independence, Inc., an independent living resource center. While working as a journalist & television producer, I was diagnosed in 1986 with multiple personality disorder. After struggling with my illness for 10 years, I finally started working on recovery. Through individual therapy & skills work, I learned to relate to the world around me. My motto became "what we think, we become." I live each day by those words & regularly continue my advocacy work. Sarah Ratzlaff In addition to working on Pathways to Recovery, I was the research assistant for the Supported Education Group at the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare, developing research for the Kansas Consumer as Provider program and other supported education initiatives. I continue to be infinitely inspired by this book and the stories I've heard.