From Recovery to Discovery Peer Support Group Meetings

From Recovery to Discovery Peer Support Group Meetings

Every Thursday Evening

6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

The Hub

2nd Floor, 1673 Barrington Street

Halifax, Nova Scotia

The From Recovery to Discovery Peer Support Group is open to anyone affected by mental illness, either directly or indirectly.

FREE!

This Thursday, February 17^th, 2011

An Interactive Presentation on The Beacon Program: Promoting Recovery through Psychosocial Rehabilitation

The Beacon Program is a community-based psychosocial rehabilitation (PSR) program for individuals who are struggling with mental illness.  Located in the Annapolis Valley, it is a voluntary program which empowers individuals to make choices, gain skills, and find a more satisfying life in the community with the greatest amount of independence possible.

The program is ideally suited to young adults who have the potential to live independently, return to work or school, and expand their social network.  Through PSR, individuals will be working closely with staff to develop individualized growth and recovery plans, and to identify personal goals in these areas.

The Beacon Program has a multidisciplinary team that includes psychiatry, an occupational therapist, social worker, psychologist, psychosocial rehabilitation workers, nurses, and consultation with nutritional and environmental services.

While attending the Beacon Program, individuals may choose to live at Beacon House, a beautiful new Kentville residence built in 2009 that is a home away from home.  Residents of Beacon House have their own bedroom which they can decorate and make their own.  There are also common spaces like a computer room, a lounge/ TV room, a kitchen/deck, and a formal meeting area. There is a full bathroom, washer & dryer, and even a clothesline!  There is also ample space outdoors to shoot hoops, throw a Frisbee, skateboard, sit in the sun, barbeque, garden, etc.

Presenters:

Ms. Valerie Davis, BSW, MSW

Ms. Valerie Davis is a manager with Mental Health and Addiction Services, Annapolis Valley Health.   Her current responsibilities include Community Supports and Rehabilitation, Health Promotion, and Crisis Response Services. 

Ms. Davis’ studies in social work began at Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland, where she completed a BSW.  She earned a MSW form Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario.  She began her career 30 years ago working in mental health in rural Newfoundland. Since then, she has worked in both clinical and management roles in community-based primary care and mental health services in the Ottawa-Carleton municipality.   Valerie and her family relocated to the Annapolis Valley in the summer of 2004.

Ms. Betty Swanburg, RN

Ms. Betty Swanburg is a registered nurse who has worked for Annapolis Valley Health for the past 27 years.  Prior to moving to the Annapolis Valley, Betty worked in Sydney, Nova Scotia, and St. John’s, Newfoundland.  Over the years she has worked in different nursing fields, most recently in mental health.  Ms. Swanburg has completed a postgraduate psychiatric nursing course, a suicide risk assessment course, and the psychosocial rehabilitation course offered by the Registered Nurses Professional Development Centre.  She is a member of the Canadian Nurses Association.

Ms. Swanburg started working as an in-patient psychiatric mental health nurse in 2003, then, in 2007, she held a one-year term position as a community mental health nurse at the Middleton Mental Health Clinic.  In February 2010, Ms. Swanburg transferred to the Beacon Program where she holds the position of Care Coordinator, and she is involved with the both the Early Psychosis Team and the Illness Team.

The From Recovery to Discovery Peer Support Group is organized as a partnership between the Schizophrenia Society of Nova Scotia and the Healthy Minds Cooperative.