Letter from the Chair, Lisa Razzano

Greetings PRA Members and Friends –

Last year at this time I wrote to you about moving into the Fall and the annual “back to school” rush that we all experience in some way. The same thing is true here at PRA. Recently, you received our announcements regarding the new Academy of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Recovery, a program we expect will transform training for psychiatric rehabilitation practitioners worldwide. The Academy will provide a platform for diverse education and training programs for individuals at every level in the workforce. Whether you are sitting for your CPRP for the first time, maintaining your certification, or expanding your skills into new areas, the Academy will support the workforce in providing exceptional services.

The launch of the new school year also brings children and families back to school. Across the country, parents have recently dropped their children off at preschool, at first grade, at high school, and at their first year in college for the first time. In all of these educational settings, children and young adults experience emotional and mental health challenges. It is essential that the services available to children, their families, and other supports represent the state-of-the-science and are delivered by an exceptional workforce. The Children’s Certification is a program that offers individuals the opportunity to expand and refine their skills in providing psychiatric rehabilitation services to children. We must also renew our commitment to develop and refine programs that support parents and other family members of individuals in recovery.

There are many other exciting developments at PRA. Most notably, if you have not visited our new website, you must! In late August, our new website, www.psychrehabassociation.org, gave PRA a more modern presence online. I encourage all of you to take a look at the new site and to make yourself a regular visitor so that you can stay informed of the ongoing activities at PRA and the global psych rehab community. This site is not only is our online presence, it is a major tool in support of the Academy. Also, remember to “like” us on Facebook.

Again this year, we partnered with other leaders in mental health and recovery to advocate for expansion of funding for services and more inclusive policies supporting recovery. The result was another successful Capitol Hill Day event in mid-September.

In the coming weeks, I will be seeing many of you in person at chapter events and conferences. As chair of our association, being at these events and witnessing first-hand the commitment that all of you have made to our field reminds me of the work that sill must be accomplished. This summer, I had the opportunity to work with several PRA leaders at an event hosted by the California Institute of Mental Health. Along with Dave Pilon, Renee Kopache, Al Rowlett, Phil Floyd, and Beth Stoneking, among others, we had the opportunity to discuss the ways in which new mental health policies are affecting services in the state, as well as identify areas where training and education will be required to ensure that the workforce can continue to serve individuals within these evolving systems. I suspect, however, that California is not the only state experiencing shifts in mental health funding and policy. We have felt these changes in Illinois, and I have heard from our colleagues in other states, such as Virginia, Arizona, and Idaho, that they continue to work with changing state systems and funding structure. We will face many challenges in health and mental health as we close these final months of 2013. I am confident that as individuals, as chapters, and through our association, we can play a visible and influential role in ensuring that recovery and psychiatric rehabilitation are central in these new programs.

I hope you enjoy the first electronic edition of PRA’s newsletter!