NLCMH Staff are Great!

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Late last week I sat in on a meeting with about a dozen or so staff
who mostly work with adults with mental illness as they discussed the
paperwork requirements of their jobs. I was shocked at the RECOVERY
movement that was happening in that room! With just a few words being
said, it was very noticeable that RECOVERY was happening all around.

Staff wanted to reduce paperwork so they could spend more time
helping the folks they see. Although I’ve always known that paperwork
is an important part of the mental health system, today was actually
the first time I heard a staff member say they were upset about the
time that paperwork takes away from helping the folks they serve. They
of course expressed that they appreciated that paperwork is needed in
order to meet the state and federal requirements and we need to
document things we do and the services we provide so that funds
continue to be available to serve the community members in the future.
But it was great to hear how the staff at Northern Lakes really care
about people and in my opinion, really have a deep understanding and
appreciation of the power of recovery. I LOVE IT!

Recovery keeps coming alive in all areas in my life. Like the NLCMH recovery definition says:

Recovery is a personal journey of hope, purpose and
growth. It is the process of setting our own directions in life. We
accept the responsibilities of meeting challenges, using our own
abilities, strengths and determination.

I hope that by personally meeting the challenges in my life, using
my own strengths, becoming not only a peer support specialist but the
NLCMH Recovery Coordinator, that I can play a little part in spreading
the spirit of what that staff member said. I’ve come a LONG way since I
was first diagnosed because of staff like this one. Keep up the great
work, Northern Lakes!