Programs at a Glance

Recovery Support Specialist Training

The RSS Training and Certification is an 80-hour course for persons with a history of mental health challenges. Upon successful completion of the course and exam, graduates will receive their state certification as a Recovery Support Specialist. This certification makes them eligible to apply for jobs where they can use their lived experience to guide others through their recovery process. The RSS training is offered 4 times per year throughout the state.

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Toivo

Toivo is a holistic healing and stress management center located in Hartford, Connecticut. It is a place where people come to heal, experience relaxation, and find community. It is a safe space where people are encouraged to come as they are. We offer support groups, transformational workshops, and mind-body wellness classes, including but not limited to yoga, meditation, tai chi, dance, and drumming. Our offerings are free of charge with a suggested donation of $5 – $15. Staff also go into psychiatric hospitals, drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, prisons, and workplaces to offer stress management programs.

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Join Rise Be

Join Rise Be is a peer-run emerging adult initiative dedicated to making the opportunity of recovery available to all young  people across the state of Connecticut.  We believe that recovery is achieved through a focused determination to fully engage in the process of rising above circumstance and living a life of self-defined purpose.  Through a developmentally appropriate and generationally relevant perspective, JRB offers a comprehensive array of recovery resources for self-exploration and personal growth during the transition to adulthood.

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Bridger Program

The Bridger program provides non-clinical mutual support to people whose lives have been affected by psychiatry, trauma and / or addiction. Our team is made up of individuals who draw from their own diverse experiences and backgrounds to build meaningful relationships based on trust, mutual benefit and compassion. Participants in our Bridger program come from all over the State of Connecticut and are either currently involved with the mental health system and / or probate court or at risk of involvement with said systems. The work we do is flexible and designed to meet the individual where they are at, with enthusiasm and understanding and without pressure or judgement.

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CT Hearing Voices Network

The CT Hearing Voices Network allows for a sense of connection and community through peer support groups available statewide. The groups are for people who hear voices, see visions, have other sensory perceptions and/or are negotiating alternative realities. All belief systems are valued, creating a safe space to explore the personal meaning of our experience, honoring each of us as experts on ourselves. Respecting that our individuality is expressed through our experiences; no assumption of illness is made.

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Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP)

The Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP®) is a personalized wellness and recovery system born out of and rooted in the principle of self-determination. WRAP® is a wellness and recovery approach that helps people to: 1) decrease and prevent intrusive or troubling feelings and behaviors; 2) increase personal empowerment; 3) improve quality of life; and 4) achieve their own life goals and dreams. Working with a WRAP® can help individuals to monitor uncomfortable and distressing feelings and behaviors and, through planned responses, reduce, modify, or eliminate those feelings. A WRAP® also includes plans for responses from others when an individual cannot make decisions, take care of him/herself, and/or keep him/herself safe. Created by Mary Ellen Copeland www.copelandcenter.com

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Continuing Education

Learn more about continuing education opportunities available through AU’s Advocacy & Education Division.  Educational opportunities are open to the public, while Continuing Education Credits are available to certified Recovery Support Specialists.  Most offerings are available at no cost.

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Maastricht Approach Project (MAP)

The Maastricht Approach is an alternative model developed by Sandra Esher and Marius Romme in partnership with Voice Hearers in the United Kingdom. The approach “… was based on the premise that hearing voices is a normal human experience that has a personal meaning in relation with life history, which they seek to understand”.

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