Michigan Recovery Council Meeting

July 20, 2007 at LCC West

As usual, the RC meeting today has been celebratory and contentious. Right now, Priscilla Ridgeway if talking about the whole context of the Recovery Movement, and how much has to change for that to happen. She talks about recovery as taking responsibility for the whole of one's life and viewing the current system as an environment of potential tools.

Part 1 Notes:

She pointed to the peer focused stories of the Kansas

Many relationships and tools make recovery and transformation light.

"Sitting around campfires, creating a culture."

The tension between the unique nature of the Recovery Journey and figuring out how well we are doing is part of the culture creation.

We are in a construction zone creating the Recovery Culture. Telling our stories is creating and expanding Recovery Culture.

"Brailling the Elephant"

Lots of people have made surveys to find out more about some process of change.

Recovery has always been. Until recently, in this society, recovery knowledge has been suppressed through the ambient stigma.

We need to create ways to be together to heal each other.

Measurement="How are we doing?"

Can we talk about how we are doing clearly enough to share that knowledge?

Right now, there is a negotiation going on over the recovery focus of the OQ45, and the possibility of adding other components. She refers to staff as helpers, a different role.

Priscilla mentioned the paperwork demands of measurement. Also, everyone wants data. And it isn't clear what we do with the data. The Council and its members have some power and don't want to be manipulated.

Learn how to observe the flow of power as you participate in power relationships, discussions, reviews, and whatever else.

No real funding for recovery measurements, so we need 1000 flowers to bloom. If you have an idea, go for it.

Many problems with real uses of measurements. People lose supports because of their score. Maybe we need a Reality Show on geting and losing supports during recovery.

"What you measure matters". Money, power, position, people's lives change because of measurement.

Comments spoke to the light bulb of seeing the recovery process as including power, money, and struggle. And outcomes. And an acceptable measurement doesn't yet exist.

End of Part 1