Letter from PRA Chair, Peter Ashenden

As we complete 2011, we take the opportunity to reflect on the many successes of the past calendar year.

Boasting an attendance of nearly 2,000, PRA delivered a spectacular Annual Conference in Boston. Four days of trainings, knowledge exchange and networking was kicked off by keynote speakers Congressman Patrick Kennedy and Patricia Deegan. Notable “firsts” this year included an International Symposium, drawing folks from around the world to discuss psych rehab in their own countries, and an Occupational Therapy Symposium, forging a new partnership with another practice that supports and encourages recovery.

The success of Boston is an appropriate prelude to PRA’s 37th Annual Conference, scheduled for May in Minneapolis. Building on our learnings from the last major event, we will hold five session tracks spanning three days, each of which promises to bring a fresh look and exciting information helping to further inform the practice of psychiatric rehabilitation. Early bird rates for this event are available through January 31st, so don’t miss out on the opportunity to hone your skills, network with your colleagues and share new ideas and solutions with others. Real-time information on content, registration and add-on components are available on the PRA web site, just a click away.

Knowing that working with children can create a distinct set of challenges than working with adults, we determined that a program that addresses those differences was needed. PRA is proud to have added to its outstanding training opportunities with the introduction of the Children’s Psychiatric Rehabilitation certificate program. We held several live sessions in Idaho, as well as providing online sessions, including several coming up in January, February and March. Be sure to check out the education section of our website for more information on upcoming classes.

The year also provided an opportunity to thoughtfully approach how PRA will be increasingly relevant and meaningful to the practice and profession of psychiatric rehabilitation well into the future. We are in the process of aligning our structure, staffing and programs with a crystalline focus on the future. While this process is not without its stresses, it has also been exceptionally exciting as we see ever more clearly not just the essential role of psychiatric rehabilitation in our society, but how PRA can become ever more effective in advancing successful outcomes through its service to the organizations and individuals delivering this essential service.

Finally, the activities of PRA, both strategic and tactical, fall within an economic framework for the association that has enjoyed success in 2011. Of late, we have recognized the necessity that in order to do good, one must also do well. We have focused added attention on PRA’s economic model, the foundation of which is to deliver value to its constituents. As you invest in us, so too must we ensure we are effective and efficient in investing in you. As a nonprofit organization, we are mission-centric and we have to ensure we are structured, staffed and governed in a manner that helps ensure delivery on that mission. I have never been more optimistic in our ability to do exactly that.

In this regard, industry transitions have opened a few PRA Board slots … if you believe you have the perspective and talent to serve in an essential industry leadership capacity, let either me or PRA Vice Chair Lisa Razzano know by emailing PRA staff member Brenda Scott and asking that your information be considered. Hurry though, we expect there will be high demand for the two open positions and we intend to fill these by the end of January.

The holiday season reminds us to give thanks for all we have while offering assistance to others who have not. As the new year begins, we look forward to a new slate on which to deliver on our limitless potential to be good and do good while advancing social and societal principle. Each new day is an opportunity to start anew; so start each new day with the resolve to act with clarity, purpose and empathy. After all, better people make for a better world.