Oregon Center of Excellence for Assertive Community Treatment
Peer Support Specialist Collaborative
Collaborative Monthly Call Notes
NOTES from 3/14/16
During the call three PSSs, who attended the two day OCEACT IMR training in Salem March 9 and 10, shared
major lessons learned and the immediate things they could apply to their work whether or not their ACT team
currently had an established IMR group.
Myldred Silvia, NARA Totem Team; Stacy Marinelli, Benton County; and Jason Morrow, Marian County
shared following comments:
 I learned patience. Sometimes I have such desire to help it is easy to forget this is not my recovery and it
is not my pace that sets course. Each ACT participant chooses recovery and sets their own pace.
 Figure out participant needs. Ask lots of questions. Great resources to use in IMR handouts.
 Focus on working with participant talents. Every person has gifts. Many of these natural gifts were
forgotten due to disease(s). PSSs need to help participants remember their talents and use these to set
goals. Once you can identify talent(s) these can be used to create goal that will help them remove
barriers one by one. Goals based on talents/gifts support participants in using talents to find joy.
 IMR role play with Monica helped me understand and be OK with the time I spend in the community
with ACT participants. Building connections, building trust, searching for goals that can lead to joy and
recovery, etc. is the work of ACT PSSs.
 I really appreciated how goal oriented the IMR materials are and all the materials that help break down
short term to long term steps toward meeting goals.
 I liked all the ideas that were shared about multiple ways to support participants and self: IMR trainers
talked about how to use the Socratic Method (i.e. guided discovery), motivational interviewing,
educational tools, cognitive awareness ….
 IMR materials support constant evaluation to help see progress step by step.
 I liked the satisfaction handout.
 Think about setting individual and group goals. Group goals for IMR create group energy and cohesion.
Ideas like going for walk during group to support persons with health goals, ride bus together to build
confidence on how to use transportation system, etc.
 Jenn uses 8 dimensions and happy quotes to draw out ideas.
 6-6-6 is easy way to remember that as you help set goals make short term (6 days), long-term (6 months)
and 6 week markers (or something similar) that breaks down goals for discussion, evaluation,
celebration each step of the way.
 The word “goal” or the idea of “goal setting” can be frightening. Robert said he uses words like dreams
and hopes. Group shared some great questions that help set positive goals, “What do you do for fun?”
“Have you done anything lately that was (fill in with word like interesting) to you?”
 NOTICE everything. Peers help identify strengths in one another through deeply listen and noticing
every positive change made when using strengths. Peer empowerment happens through LISTENING.
Oregon Center of Excellence for Assertive Community Treatment
Peer Support Specialist Collaborative
 Paraphrasing back what you heard as you were listening is important. Makes participant feel heard and
indicates to you that you understood correctly. Keeps PSS focused on participant.
 I liked the IMR trainers suggestion to bring guest speakers to group. One suggestions was if the topic is
medications bring in ACT team who has the most knowledge and can encourage everyone to ask lots of
questions. Does someone on the team have great stress management techniques? The guests, especially
if part of the team, is a great way for team members to gain trust of participants.
ROSTER in order of Agency Name (7 Attendees)
March
Call
3/14
Agency
Location
Peers
Benton County
Behavioral Health
Corvallis
Kristin Giles, Robert
Ackerlind & Stacy
Marinelli
2
Cascadia Clackamas
Milwaukie
Rachel Anthony
1
Linn County Mental
Health
Albany
Sierra Morgan
1
Marion County
Salem
Jason Morrow
1
NARA Totem
Portland
Myldred Silvia
1
Polk County
Dallas
Jenn Pangburn
1
TOTAL ATTENDEES
7
Robert
and Stacy