VISN 5 MIRECC and Mental Health Lived Experience Community of Practice
Partner to Support Recovery
In keeping with the VISN 5 MIRECC’s mission to support and enhance the recovery and community functioning of Veterans with mental health disorders, we seek to amplify the voices of all people with experience living with a mental health disorder and strengthen the role of Veteran and clinician stakeholders in the work of our Center. Therefore, the VISN 5 MIRECC is proud to partner with the VA Mental Health Lived Experience Community of Practice (MHLE COP) to support VA staff with MHLE and the VA as a welcoming, stigma-free organization.
The VA MHLE COP is a group of VA mental health care staff who also have lived experience of mental illness (“prosumers”, i.e. professionals/consumers). The MHLE COP meets every third Friday of the month from 2:00-3:00pm Eastern to discuss identified needs from the field, work on ongoing educational and advocacy efforts and offer mutual support. All VA mental health care staff with MHLE are welcome to join! You do not need to be “out” as having MHLE and membership is confidential. To learn more about joining MHLE COP or requesting MHLE speakers or consultations, please visit their website at https://www.mirecc.va.gov/visn5/mhle_cop/ or by clicking below:
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MHLE COP Releases Consensus Statement on Advocacy-Motivated “Coming Out”
and a Culture of Disclosure
In November 2020, the VA Mental Health Lived Experience Community of Practice (MHLE COP) released a Consensus Statement, a broad consensus from its membership, calling for VA staff to make the VA a MHLE-disclosure friendly organization. Such an environment will allow staff with MHLE to “counter current negative stereotypes by sharing the stories of resilience, strength and positive contributions that are part of the everyday lives of people who manage mental health challenges” and support Recovery for all Veterans and staff. The Consensus Statement is available on the MHLE COP website. You also can download the statement by clicking below. The MHLE COP will release additional Consensus Statements in the coming years to share knowledge and support VA as a recovery-oriented system of care for all stakeholders.
The VISN 5 MIRECC and MHLE COP Partnership was recently featured in the MIRECC Matters newsletter. Read the article here!
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Ending Self-Stigma for PTSD (ESS-P)
VISN 5 MIRECC Investigator, Dr. Amy Drapalski, and colleagues recently published results from a pilot study on Ending Self-Stigma with PTSD (ESS-P). Our next issue of the VISN 5 MIRECC Link will feature guiding information on research into practice considerations from this important work!
Veterans Stakeholders Forum
In an upcoming Resource E-Blast from the VISN 5 MIRECC, you will learn about the value of Veterans Stakeholder Forums and ideas for how to establish them in your organization!
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