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Episode 4: Supporting Mental Health with a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP)
Episode 428th October 2023 • Wellness Matters for Direct Support • Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota
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Susan O’Nell, Aja Owens, and Stan Schmidt talk about mental health and the benefits of having a wellness recovery action plan. Below are links to some helpful resources and sources cited during this podcast. Thank you for listening. Please share on your social media pages.

Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery: The Way WRAP Works

Copeland Center for Wellness and Recover: The History of WRAP

Advocating for Human Potential, Inc.: Wellness Recovery Action Plan

-

Frontline Initiative

Learn more about the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota

Transcripts

Speaker:

- Hello and welcome to

the podcast Wellness

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Matters for Direct Support.

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This is a podcast

developed by the University

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of Minnesota's Institute

on community integration,

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and it's focused on the

importance of health, wellness,

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and self care for direct support workers.

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My name is Chut Cheddar

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and I'm a national workforce consultant,

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and I'm also a direct support worker.

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I'm here with my colleague Mark Olson.

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- My name is Mark Olson,

and I also am someone that's

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provided direct support for many years.

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I am the cohost of the podcast and,

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and I'm very glad to welcome

my colleague Susan Oell,

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to the podcast today.

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And she will introduce

the rest of our guests

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who are gonna be talking

about wrap and what WRAP is.

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So, Susan, if you'd be so

kind is introduce yourself

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and then move forward

and introduce our guests.

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- Sure. Well, as she

said, my name's Susan Oll.

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I'm super happy to be here

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and I know that you guys invited me

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because, you know, I have a long history

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of being a direct support

professional that I did that work

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for many years and even to this day,

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maintain a really close relationship

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with a fellow I met years

ago who used to live with me

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and, you know, kind of keep

my eye on how things are going

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for him and stay connected

to him in a, in a,

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a real close way to make

sure his life is going well.

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I now write curriculum for

direct support professionals

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and make and direct that

here at the institute.

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So that's my, that's my role Now that,

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but I think you guys invited me here

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'cause you wanted to hear

about how I use wrap,

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which is wellness Recovery

action planning to kind

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of help me stay well

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and stay healthy as I go

about my caregiving roles

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and how maybe DSPs could use that

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as well in their caregiving to

help themselves stay healthy

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and well as they manage the

many things they have to manage.

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When you guys invited me to do that,

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and we'll talk more in a little bit about

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what does wrap actually mean,

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but when you invited me to

do that, I really wanted

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to invite two friends of mine

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and I'll just give you a brief overview of

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how I met these folks

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and then they'll get a chance

to each introduce themselves.

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But Asia and I, Asia Owens

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and I, we met at a mental

health conference years ago.

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And to be honest, most

of our relationship is

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through Facebook and letters

and things like that.

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But we keep in touch with each other since

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that day we clicked,

I was really impressed

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with the work I was seeing her do

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through an organization called

Poetry for Personal Power.

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We've just stayed in touch

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and I've been, I've been intrigued

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and excited by all the things

I see Asia doing in her

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community to, to keep things going.

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And I know self-care is hard

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to do when you're a busy person like that.

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So, I'm, I I'm gonna, so

I, I just thought she,

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and she has a wrap and she's a wrap

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facilitator, isn't that right?

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A Asia? Yes, yes.

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Yeah, so, so that's why I invited Asia

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'cause I know she's gonna,

she's gonna give us a,

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a really good perspective on wrap in terms

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of those kinds of things.

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And then I, I invited Stan because Stan

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and I went through wrap

facilitator training together.

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He came all the way to Minnesota,

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even though he's based

in California, Stan,

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after the facilitator training,

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when you do wrap the

proper way, you really have

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to have at least two facilitators,

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if not more, to make it work.

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And Stan was looking for

some, a co-facilitator

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and he reached out to me

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because he wanted to do a, a wrap seminar

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that was focused, that

actually had direct support

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professionals and people

receiving services together in a

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group building their wraps together.

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And I thought, what an awesome

idea, let's, let's try this.

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And this was before covid

and we did it hybrid

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and Stan had to manage all that technology

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and keep the classroom going.

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And I just got to pop in on video,

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but, so I was, I thought

Stan would be a great person

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to talk about this today with us.

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So with that, maybe Asia,

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you wanna give yourself

a little introduction?

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- Hello everybody, my name is Asia Owens.

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I am a native of St. Louis, Missouri.

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And as Susan mentioned,

we met through a poetry

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for personal power program

that I'm a part of.

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And you know, I just wanted to start

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by saying I'm an artist, I'm a poet

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and I've, I joined this program

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because it, it was a program

that intertwined, you know,

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arts and wellness

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and we talk about how everyone

goes through adversities,

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but when we share what we

go through, it helps others

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to know that they can

overcome those challenges.

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And we always talk about

like how important it is

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to find your personal power.

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You know, like what is that

thing that helps you to get

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through tough times?

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For me it's riding,

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but for someone else, you know,

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it could be just gardening

or something like that.

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So this program has really

evolved over the years

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to now we talk about peer

support, we actually work

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with others who are in recovery

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and just kind of help people

to come up with a plan to,

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you know, just accomplish a

lot of their life's goals.

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And so that's where we

started to use wrap, wrap plan

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and wellness recovery

action plan to help others

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to just again, you know,

come up with ways to

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do the daily things that they

do and achieve those goals.

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So I've worked in the community

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for over 20 years just doing advocacy

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and, you know, working,

you know, primarily

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with the youth population

and the unhoused community.

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And so these wellness plans

have really, really helped

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so many that we've been able to work with.

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- Thank you Asia. And now let's

hear a little bit from Stan.

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I'd like to hear your introduction.

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- Alright, well thank you

Susan for inviting me.

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As Susan was saying,

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we met at a session in

outside of Minneapolis

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and WRAP was something that

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I always wanted to bring to the program,

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but frankly it just seemed

like an impossible feat.

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And anyway, we got that done.

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But I work for a company

community integrated work program,

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and we specialize in working with people

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who have behavioral excesses.

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These are folks who literally

couldn't be in the community

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unless they're in a program.

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We even take folks who are in

forensic homes, so they come

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with a variety of issues.

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But CIWP is known for working with people

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who have these challenging behaviors.

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As a matter of fact, we offer

services to almost a quarter

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of the regional centers in California

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for 24 hour crisis response.

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So we have a lot of expertise in how

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to handle challenging behaviors.

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The one thing that I

always felt was lacking,

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however, was to be able to teach clients

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skills that would put them in charge.

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We still, to some degree go by

an old model where, you know,

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the professional is correct

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and we're the one that is administering

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and telling people what

they need to work on,

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even though we do person-centered

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planning and all of those things.

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I, I think the area of behavior

change is the one place

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where we haven't done enough

in making sure clients are in

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charge, it's their life.

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They know themselves better than anyone.

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And when I was able to work

with Susan, we really brought

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that home to the clients

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and staff all in the same

room, which I felt was

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also a, oh, what would you say?

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It, it, it was exactly the

way I wanted this to happen

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because if you believe in rap,

you know, we're all equal.

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We all face similar

issues in many respects.

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And I wanted clients to see that.

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So we took off our other

hats while we're in the room.

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We, we did an eight

session course with them.

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I don't know if you want more

than that right now or, that's

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- Awesome, Stan.

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And then that's exactly

one of the things that's

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so intrigued me about the program

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and why you wanted to bring rap

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because it was the ultimate in

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shaking up the, you know, the boundaries.

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We have a lot of times that are, you know,

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we need healthy boundaries

obviously, and we need boundaries

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and roles and things like that,

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but to be able to work

equally next to people

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who are receiving the services

we're delivering is a really

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powerful is it just a powerful frame?

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- Yes, I thought so too.

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And as, as I was somewhat

preparing for today,

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I was looking over the roster

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and to be honest with you,

I forgot the exact date

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that we started, but it's,

it's been some four years ago,

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something like that.

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And all of our clients that were in

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that class are still here

with us except for one.

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And I thought that the wrap

had something to, to do with

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that, that we really built

a community with these guys.

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We did a couple wrap

pal sessions afterwards,

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which I think kind of

kept this stuff fresh,

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but it, it was exactly

what I wanted it to be.

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- Awesome, thank you.

- Thank you Stan and Susan and Asia.

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And we're gonna get into

some questions here shortly

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that kind of go into you

talking a little more in depth

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about how what WRAP is and how

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and how it's used and how it works.

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And the first question I'm

gonna ask is for Susan,

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and maybe she will use the

two of you, I don't know,

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but it's really just simply

explain what is wrap.

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- And I really think it's

important that we give credit

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where credit is due.

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So the, I'm gonna just

spend like two minutes kind

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of making sure some of the key

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and most important things

about WRAP are happening,

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including making sure

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that folks know there

are some reputable places

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to check in on wrap.

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And I know you guys will

have links near this podcast

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to help people get there,

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but you always wanna go to the source.

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So there's two places that

you should think about.

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One is the Copeland Center

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and the other is the

advocates for Human Potential.

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They carry all the books

that are sanctioned by rap.

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I do wanna make sure that

people realize rap has a huge

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and rich history.

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It comes out of the mental health area

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and it really is about

empowerment, self-direction.

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It was developed by folks,

led by Mary Ellen Copeland,

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but developed by a number of folks who

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had been basically told that

they were lucky to, you know,

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take their meds and

stay in their homes and,

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and receive the help that

they were gonna have.

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They wanted more for their

lives and they got together

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and started to figure

out how that could be.

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And so the rap history is a rich one.

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It has a real powerful,

powerful base to it.

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And it it comes from that peer model.

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And we heard Stan talk

about like that peer

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and Asia talk about peers.

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It's about people helping people

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with unconditional positive regard.

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And it is, it's, it's

incredibly powerful the process

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of a rep, developing a rep

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and being in that kind of

co community with people.

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Then working your rep can be

quite, quite powerful too.

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So it's been used out outside

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of the mental health community,

it's moved into a lot

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of different communities now.

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And caregivers is a, is a major place

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because caregiver

wellness is always at risk

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'cause you're doing a lot.

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And so a wrap can be a

great way to organize how,

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how you are gonna come together

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and keep yourself healthy in the world.

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Person centered, person directed,

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self-determined, peer supported.

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It can't be a wrap if it's not

a hundred percent voluntary

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and if it's not owned by the person.

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So it's not like a, it's

not like a support plan,

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a typical support plan.

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This is really the person's plan

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and they only share

what they want with you.

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And it's built on these five recovery

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principles that are important.

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Hope, personal responsibility, education,

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self-advocacy and support.

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And they turn out to be

very powerful when you start

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to apply them to your wrap.

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And I think that's the big

picture on things I wanted

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to make sure folks knew about wrap.

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And I want you to make sure

you get to those links if you

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wanna learn more and get to those good

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sources we talked about earlier.

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- And we will have those links available

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on the podcast site when we put this up.

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So you'll be able to find the

Copeland Center right from

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our resources. So

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- Stan or Asia, do you have

anything you would like to add

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to what Susan just told us about a wrap?

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- Yeah, I just wanted to add,

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because I definitely think that one

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of the things I just kinda

want to emphasize first is,

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you know how Susan mentioned

that it's self-directed.

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So definitely emphasizing

that your wrap plan is,

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is specific to you, you know,

no wrap plan will be the same.

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Also, you know, that

you can do a wrap plan

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for just about anything.

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You know, some people may do

it because they're in recovery,

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but some people may wanna do a wrap plan,

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you know, to plan their wedding.

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You know, hey, if I'm planning my wedding,

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these are the people that

I would like to be by me

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'cause they can help calm me down,

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but these are the people that

you might wanna keep away from

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me because they're gonna stress me out.

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You know, so, you know, being,

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being very specific about

the things that you need

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and also the things that you don't need.

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And one of the things I

really like about, you know,

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developing the stress, the,

the wrap plan is that again,

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you know, you don't have to

feel bad about the things

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that you know, you feel

are important to you

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because when you are in crisis

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or when you are in need, you know, this is

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what is going to help you.

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- Yeah, very good point.

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And everything is very unique

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and we actually, family

wraps are a great thing too.

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There's just all sorts of

ways you can do a wrap.

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It, it can and, and just the

tools are very, very powerful.

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- There's always that one

person that, you know,

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during the wedding planning

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- Yeah, no, I, I was, you

guys got onto weddings.

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I have a couple ne neighbors

who are wedding planners

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and they always look so relaxed

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and I think maybe they have

a, that I'm not aware of.

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But what is compelling

to me is the, the story

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as Susan was alluding to,

there is a rich history

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and when people understand the

story of Mary Ellen Copeland

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and in particular her mother

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and then that whole community

that eventually was shaped

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through shared experiences.

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And what they understood

was they all had some

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ways of coping,

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but they never had a place

to really put it in print

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or make sure that they remember.

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And that's the whole idea of

the wrap is you can remember

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what triggers you, you can remember

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what makes you feel better.

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And of course this idea of your

your best self is important

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because if you don't know

what that looks like,

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you're gonna have a hard

time maintaining it.

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So I, I just, there's just nothing

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that I don't love about it.

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I love the folks who are involved

with the Copeland Center,

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such warm and caring people,

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and these are people who

really are the forgotten folks,

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the, the folks that without

some of these, these,

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these wellness recovery

plans would probably not be

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able to do what they do.

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So it's, it's so refreshing to, to be

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among people who have found some answers,

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at least for themselves.

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- Yeah. And you know, Stan,

you really reminded me

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of something that would, would hit

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with I think our direct support

off audience pretty well,

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which is, you know,

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direct support work is a

pretty lonely job at this point

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because you're, you're

often helping people,

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one-on-one in their community,

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but you might not have peers

of your own to check in with.

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And often I find when I talk to providers

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of services about wrap

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or you hear them talking

about it, they're so eager

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to get it to the people

receiving services.

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But I think if they got it

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to the direct support professionals

and the management teams

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and the organization as a whole

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and made that organization

healthy and well

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and gave people the tools

there, that would be the place

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to start a lot of times I think.

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- Right? Absolutely.

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There's a place here in

Sacramento called Crestwood,

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residential Behavioral Health, I believe.

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And they go from the top to the bottom.

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Everybody has a wrap plan there.

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And I think that is the way to go

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because who can do this

work without knowing

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what is gonna potentially trigger you

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or how to keep yourself healthy

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- And the power of community and peers.

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- Absolutely.

- I was just gonna,

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I was gonna ask a question about that.

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I've heard all three of you, Stan, Susan,

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and Asia, talk about community.

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So tell us like why that's

so important to have

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that connection of community.

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- Well, for me, I tell everybody that

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e everybody is struggles.

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Everybody struggles with something.

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It's just that until you talk about it

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and find a way to talk about it,

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you feel like you're the only one or,

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or you, you're, you're embarrassed

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to divulge it or whatever.

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And this is what we found in

our group is when we started

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off and, and as a

facilitator, facilitators know

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that you've gotta reveal a

bit about your own struggles.

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Not every detail, but you've

gotta reveal something

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because ultimately people need

to all, you know, see that,

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you know, you've, you've had this issue

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and you've found a way

to maintain some sort

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of mental health e even with that.

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And then of course you bring in rap and,

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and explain, well, you

know, if this happens,

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this is what I do.

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What is in the toolbox?

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What, what are we gonna do if,

if something should come up?

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But the community is, is is very important

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because you share a bond after this.

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For instance, the, the training

that we had in Minneapolis

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was, was exactly that.

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We were there for five days,

we got a lot of information,

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and then at the end

people told their stories

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and then it was like, oh wow, okay.

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I, you know, wow, you,

you, you experienced all

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of those things, but here

you are at your best self.

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So the community's completely critical.

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- Thanks. I really wanna hear

from Asia on that one too.

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I, I, I love what Sam said,

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- Susan's always a facilitator.

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I love it.

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- Yeah, I mean community,

the, the importance

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of community in this work, again, I think

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that the more people know

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and realize that they're

not the only ones going

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through tough times,

you know, again, it kind

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of helps give them that

hope that, that it,

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that it's possible to

overcome those things.

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And so being able to have that connection,

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because it really just comes

down to support, you know,

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when people feel heard,

when people feel supported

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and they feel valued,

it helps, first of all,

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it helps an individual,

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but collectively it helps us

as a community move forward.

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So I think when we, when we

think about community, you know,

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what really just comes to mind

is just that ability for us

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to, you know, to connect and to connect

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and support each other.

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- Yeah, I would agree. And,

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and I wanna say one thing

about community is an

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interesting word.

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And one of the powerful

things about WRAP is that it,

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you have to be in community

with people you do see

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as peers for it to work.

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And so, so DSPs,

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direct support professionals,

you know, being

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with other direct support professionals,

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there's common experiences

they're gonna have,

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there's common things,

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and that's a really

flexible and fluid thing.

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Like right now, Asia, Stan

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and I are all in community together,

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but there might be places

where we'd need to be

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with a different community

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to really get the peer

support we really need for

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that particular issue.

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So what's really cool about

wrap is that community kind

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of ebbs and flows and

has different aspects,

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but it is all about shared

uplifting of your fellow humans.

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And, and, and RAP has a real strong values

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and ethics approach.

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And, and so you, you know,

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you just unconditional positive regard.

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You just keep coming back to that

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and it just opens your mind

Speaker:

to the human experience

in a different way.

Speaker:

- Oh, thanks Susan. And

all three of you, I, I am

Speaker:

so grateful for your taking the time

Speaker:

to answer that question.

Speaker:

- I would like to know from

each of you, Stan, you,

Speaker:

you just hit on it right away, is

Speaker:

that it should go from top to bottom.

Speaker:

So I'd like to ask each guest, each of you

Speaker:

to share a little bit

about your own wrap story

Speaker:

and what brought you to wrap

Speaker:

and let's start this time with Asia.

Speaker:

- My wrap plan and,

Speaker:

and why wrap is so important

to me is, Susan kind

Speaker:

of mentioned earlier,

you know, me personally,

Speaker:

I do a lot of community work.

Speaker:

And so when you are that

person who is, is always kind

Speaker:

of front and center, really

helping others to, you know,

Speaker:

come up with their wellness

plan and their self-care plan.

Speaker:

You know, sometimes you tend

Speaker:

to put yourself in the backseat.

Speaker:

And so for me, you know,

when I was introduced to rap,

Speaker:

it was kind of very refreshing

Speaker:

because it was like, okay, wow, you know,

Speaker:

it's me actually taking out the time

Speaker:

to think about those things

that one triggers me,

Speaker:

that stresses me out.

Speaker:

Things that, you know, you

probably kind of overlook

Speaker:

and just kind of keep moving

Speaker:

because you feel like

you have to help others.

Speaker:

So rap for me gave me an

opportunity to really just,

Speaker:

you know, tap into my

own, you know, wellness

Speaker:

and ways that I can, you

know, not just be better

Speaker:

for myself, but actually

be more of an asset

Speaker:

to the community that I serve.

Speaker:

So, you know, it's funny

Speaker:

'cause again, being a poet,

you know, I have a poem

Speaker:

that's called Alone in a

Crowded Room, where it just kind

Speaker:

of talks about when you're

that person that's, that

Speaker:

that always shows up

for everyone else, like

Speaker:

who shows up for you.

Speaker:

And so for me personally,

you know, I've dealt with,

Speaker:

you know, depression and

anxiety and things like that.

Speaker:

So once I was introduced to rap, you know,

Speaker:

it really was instrumental

in me, you know, just kind

Speaker:

of dealing with some of those

deeper inner parts of me

Speaker:

that I don't typically deal

with because I'm really focused

Speaker:

and concerned with everyone else.

Speaker:

And so I like something

that Susan said earlier too,

Speaker:

because it's not just about, you know,

Speaker:

developing a wrap plan, but

you gotta work your plan too.

Speaker:

Because if you come up with a plan

Speaker:

but you don't execute

it, you know, then it's,

Speaker:

you can't really understand the,

Speaker:

the impact that it can have.

Speaker:

But being able to, you

know, write my, my wrap plan

Speaker:

and actually work my, my

wrap plan, I've seen a lot

Speaker:

of change in myself personally

as well as the people

Speaker:

that I interact with in the community.

Speaker:

So, you know, rap for me has

been very, very rewarding.

Speaker:

- Stan, just share, please.

Speaker:

- Yes. So I think

Speaker:

for, for many people, certainly the people

Speaker:

that I met in the training class,

Speaker:

it seemed like there

was maybe one incident

Speaker:

or a defining moment for

them that made them realize

Speaker:

that they could use a little more support.

Speaker:

And I think for me it was similar

Speaker:

and I, I felt that,

Speaker:

you know, the, the work that

I do is, is challenging.

Speaker:

Most recently, I went back to part-time,

Speaker:

or I should say I went to part-time

Speaker:

for the first time in my

life I was gonna retire.

Speaker:

I just, my boss didn't want me to retire,

Speaker:

so she just asked me

what I wanted and needed

Speaker:

and I let her know.

Speaker:

But that was something that I

probably would not have been

Speaker:

able to do in the past.

Speaker:

So what I,

Speaker:

what I was experiencing

was a challenging work life

Speaker:

just before, well, actually I think just

Speaker:

before I, I did this, or

Speaker:

after I should say I became

the regional director.

Speaker:

So I was in charge of all

Speaker:

of our programs throughout the state,

Speaker:

including our transportation,

our fleet services,

Speaker:

and it was, it was, it was too much.

Speaker:

But what I needed to learn

was what is the trigger

Speaker:

and how can I get on top of that

Speaker:

before I am completely anxious

Speaker:

or whatever it is that I'm dealing with.

Speaker:

And I, I think for me, you

know, I had a good store

Speaker:

of anger too, and I needed

someplace for that to go.

Speaker:

But ultimately I also wanted to learn wrap

Speaker:

so I could teach it.

Speaker:

And that propelled me to, to do this.

Speaker:

I didn't get a lot of

support from the agency.

Speaker:

Certainly I was paid while I went,

Speaker:

but you know, everything I paid for myself

Speaker:

because I found personal value in it.

Speaker:

But also I wanted to be able

Speaker:

to teach it no matter what happened.

Speaker:

I was gonna teach this

stuff to clients and staff.

Speaker:

And like you say, you're absolutely right.

Speaker:

If we don't take care of

our DSPs, it's really hard

Speaker:

to take care of our clients.

Speaker:

They are in a hot stew, if

Speaker:

that's the correct metaphor, every day,

Speaker:

whether it be from parents or

our funder or of course us.

Speaker:

They, they get it in, in all places.

Speaker:

And often these are folks

who don't all come with a lot

Speaker:

of self-reflection or

education or, or tools.

Speaker:

And that, in my opinion is our

job. Let's give that to them.

Speaker:

I mean, we, we teach 'em

how to prompt a client,

Speaker:

why can't we teach 'em how to

Speaker:

take care of their mental health?

Speaker:

- Right. Susan, same question for you.

Speaker:

- Okay. Well, you know, me,

I've, I've had a long history,

Speaker:

my family, myself, a long history

Speaker:

of mental health conditions

that have been challenging

Speaker:

and that can really can really bring us

Speaker:

to places that are hard.

Speaker:

And so I,

Speaker:

early on in my life became a

mental health advocate just on

Speaker:

my own time, you know, outside

of work and everything.

Speaker:

And actually working with folks

with autism was so, so fun

Speaker:

for me because it made me

realize like a lot of the, like,

Speaker:

I, I started to understand

that idea, like, oh,

Speaker:

the world can be really complicated.

Speaker:

It really is hard to figure things out.

Speaker:

And it gave me some, you know,

freedom to be like, yeah,

Speaker:

I'm, I'm different, I'm

different from folks, you know,

Speaker:

and I've gotta, I've

gotta figure that out.

Speaker:

But fast forward many years later,

Speaker:

you know, life had happened.

Speaker:

I'm in the, I'm in the

middle of my middle ages

Speaker:

and I had been talking to people

Speaker:

and family members who loved people

Speaker:

who had serious mental

illness about rap as an option

Speaker:

of something to think about, to help them

Speaker:

reclaim their wellness,

reclaim their ownership

Speaker:

of their life, you know, and,

Speaker:

and figure out how they

would like to live.

Speaker:

And in the middle of doing

that, I realized like,

Speaker:

I'm really measuring

the quality of my life

Speaker:

by whether I wanna live another day.

Speaker:

Now, I wasn't suicidal,

Speaker:

but I wasn't living, you know, I had just,

Speaker:

I was just doing.

Speaker:

And so I thought, well,

Speaker:

I can't tell everybody else about rap.

Speaker:

I guess I should maybe try it for myself.

Speaker:

And so I started to get involved

in it, taking the seminars,

Speaker:

decided I wanted to become a facilitator,

Speaker:

and it,

Speaker:

it just was more powerful

than I thought it would be.

Speaker:

And, you know, I was ready for it.

Speaker:

So, you know, maybe

somebody might attend a wrap

Speaker:

seminar and not be as moved.

Speaker:

But for me it was really

powerful and I met great people

Speaker:

and I continue to meet great

people through this process.

Speaker:

And I learned so much about myself.

Speaker:

Something that Stan said

really stuck out with me about,

Speaker:

you know, like, you know, he

wouldn't be able to ask for

Speaker:

what he wants if it wasn't for rep.

Speaker:

And I think that is really, you know,

Speaker:

when we talk about the, the

value of education is you, it's,

Speaker:

it's education about yourself.

Speaker:

It's learning about who

you are and what you want,

Speaker:

and then learning to get that support and,

Speaker:

and make those self-advocacy

moves that you need to make.

Speaker:

And for a lot of us caregivers,

Speaker:

that is just not the natural way to be.

Speaker:

And there's just a lot of

pressure in the world to do

Speaker:

what you're, you need

to do for other people.

Speaker:

And it breaks my heart to

think of Asia ever thinking

Speaker:

that she's just in a room and

no one's even noticing her.

Speaker:

'cause she's a beautiful person

Speaker:

and she's doing so much for everybody.

Speaker:

So rap like, lets you take

ownership of that and,

Speaker:

and get out there and say,

you know, yeah, maybe I,

Speaker:

I I should have a little time too.

Speaker:

And it does make us better

at taking care of others

Speaker:

'cause we're valuing ourselves.

Speaker:

- Right? I think one of the

things you said was, you know,

Speaker:

being open to it.

Speaker:

And that's really

probably one of the first,

Speaker:

first things you need to do.

Speaker:

I mean, you might learn

about it intellectually,

Speaker:

but then to go, oh, this,

Speaker:

I can really benefit from doing this

Speaker:

and opening up that door

that it's all right for me

Speaker:

to take some time to focus on myself and,

Speaker:

and get some help with, of

what things might be triggering

Speaker:

or how I might be feeling.

Speaker:

- Yeah, it really, it really

sends you in a different way.

Speaker:

- Absolutely. It, it's a, it's

a mind shift at that point.

Speaker:

Stan, you kind of started this,

Speaker:

so maybe I'll have you

answer this question first.

Speaker:

Are there ways that you have

Speaker:

- Wait, wait, wait, Chuck.

Speaker:

Yeah, I had one more follow

up from that stuff Okay.

Speaker:

From the last question that

I'd like to hit on. Sure.

Speaker:

And you know, we talked

about that, you talked about

Speaker:

how important it is to

talk about the positives.

Speaker:

And I would love to have

each of you quickly share,

Speaker:

are there things that you can

do now that you couldn't do

Speaker:

before you started doing rap?

Speaker:

Are there, you know, attributes

that you've developed

Speaker:

because of your own rap?

Speaker:

- I would just say that one of

the benefits I've experienced

Speaker:

working my rap is putting myself first.

Speaker:

Because again, as much as I love serving

Speaker:

and doing for everyone else, you know,

Speaker:

I definitely have learned

the importance of, you know,

Speaker:

taking care of myself

and my mental wellbeing

Speaker:

and my physical wellbeing so

Speaker:

that I could be a better asset to others.

Speaker:

- Okay.

- Yeah,

Speaker:

and I think mine is, it's,

it's kind of similar to Asia.

Speaker:

The way it played out for me was I,

Speaker:

I actually learned some

self-management skills.

Speaker:

And I know that sounds really

funny to people who know me

Speaker:

because I seem like I'm on the ball

Speaker:

and I got everything

going on right as far as,

Speaker:

as far as work or whatever.

Speaker:

But when it, when it came to

taking care of myself and,

Speaker:

and kind of running through my

own day, there was never, I,

Speaker:

I didn't, I didn't assert

the needs for, you know,

Speaker:

some basic routines

Speaker:

or shifts in routines that,

you know, what are the things

Speaker:

that are gonna feed me,

keep me going, keep me well,

Speaker:

and I'm still working on that,

Speaker:

but I have, I have such

a better mastery of that.

Speaker:

And then that helps me understand

Speaker:

what's the next thing for me.

Speaker:

It's helping me grow even more.

Speaker:

Even though I'm in the, you

know, middle, middle ages here.

Speaker:

You know, I'm, I'm still growing

Speaker:

because I learned a lot

about managing myself.

Speaker:

And, and if you have

a trigger, guess what?

Speaker:

It's your responsibility to figure out

Speaker:

what you're gonna do about that.

Speaker:

And there is something you

can do about it, you know,

Speaker:

and I, I don't think I

always thought that way.

Speaker:

- Right. And Stan, did you

have anything that you wanted

Speaker:

to add on that question

where it's about, you know,

Speaker:

are there things you can do now

that you couldn't do before?

Speaker:

- I think for me, it wasn't so much

Speaker:

that I'm doing something

completely different,

Speaker:

but I do feel that what I do,

Speaker:

I understand why I do it.

Speaker:

And I, I value it more, for instance,

Speaker:

it's important for me to be mindful.

Speaker:

I mean, to be present, to be in the room

Speaker:

versus some other way of being.

Speaker:

For instance, I don't own a cell phone

Speaker:

and I think people find that ridiculous.

Speaker:

You know, I know myself, I'll

become addicted to that thing.

Speaker:

I'll be on it all the time.

Speaker:

And the other part is like Susan

Speaker:

and Asia have said, taking

care of yourself and,

Speaker:

and feeling good about that.

Speaker:

And, and that's, that is a

problem with most caregivers.

Speaker:

They want to apologize for

taking care of their own needs.

Speaker:

And I just have to say, I

just got back from Tunisia

Speaker:

and it was not easy to

go away for three weeks.

Speaker:

I do this every year. It is in my plan.

Speaker:

Vacations hugely important.

Speaker:

And I was able to do that

Speaker:

and keep my partner fairly

happy while I was away.

Speaker:

So I, I feel pretty good about that.

Speaker:

- And I love what Stan calls vacation.

Speaker:

I would call like, the

biggest adventure of my life.

Speaker:

The guy goes everywhere.

Speaker:

- Stan, good on you for being

able to make that happen.

Speaker:

- It's not easy.

- I mean, I just quickly, I sat through a,

Speaker:

or I, I signed up for, and, and,

Speaker:

and took kind of a real basic wrap primer

Speaker:

probably about a month ago.

Speaker:

And let's, let's just say

I walked away as a member

Speaker:

because, you know,

before it was even done,

Speaker:

I had already signed up and paid dues

Speaker:

because there was so much there

Speaker:

that made me just think,

this is really cool.

Speaker:

And I wanted the access that that gave me.

Speaker:

- So, and that was through

Copeland Center? That was

Speaker:

- Through Copeland Center. Right. So

Speaker:

- Stan, you opened this door

up a little bit ago when you

Speaker:

talked about you wanted to be able

Speaker:

to do a wrap for others, facilitate that.

Speaker:

So the question is for all of you,

Speaker:

and we'll have you kind of

start, Stan, is what are ways

Speaker:

that you have used

Speaker:

or facilitated wrap other than

Speaker:

for your own personal wrap?

Speaker:

- Well, of course I've promoted it.

Speaker:

I, I promote it all over the place.

Speaker:

I've bought many of

the books that come out

Speaker:

of the Copeland Center.

Speaker:

I dis distribute them widely.

Speaker:

I tell people constantly

that wrap is available.

Speaker:

I tell them how they can use it.

Speaker:

And I, I mean, even

last night I was talking

Speaker:

with my brother who was lamenting

that he can't find a way

Speaker:

to go on vacation.

Speaker:

And I tell him, I, you know,

I didn't go into it with him,

Speaker:

but I've certainly done

this with my staff.

Speaker:

I say, there is, you can write

a plan to go on vacation,

Speaker:

don't wait till the

last minute, but start.

Speaker:

And I've stepped them through it

Speaker:

because of course what I tell them is,

Speaker:

you can live your vacation all year long.

Speaker:

And that's what I do.

Speaker:

I not only, you know, go on vacation,

Speaker:

but then I write, I do photography

Speaker:

and all these kinds of things,

Speaker:

but it's about

Speaker:

what you need in the long run as well.

Speaker:

A rap isn't something that you write

Speaker:

for every little a grievance

Speaker:

that you have while driving down the road.

Speaker:

It's about stuff that is

consistently troubling for you.

Speaker:

These consistent triggers, I should say.

Speaker:

And when you write a plan,

you need to put in the plan

Speaker:

what keeps you at your best.

Speaker:

And for me, I have to

look forward to something.

Speaker:

And if I don't have a

vacation to look forward to

Speaker:

or getting out of town, I

am not gonna be my best.

Speaker:

But I, I use it at work, I

use it, I use it everywhere.

Speaker:

And being mindful is,

is top of mind for me.

Speaker:

I don't allow myself to

get dragged into things

Speaker:

or be overly concerned with stuff

Speaker:

that I don't have any control over.

Speaker:

And most of the time it's

just being in the room.

Speaker:

Even last night I had a

friend over for dinner,

Speaker:

my partner's on the phone.

Speaker:

I was sitting there by

myself with my guest

Speaker:

and I'm like, who's, who's, what's

Speaker:

so important about being on the phone

Speaker:

that people get into those habits?

Speaker:

- Thank you. Asia,

Speaker:

- We've facilitated these wrap plans in

Speaker:

so many different types of groups.

Speaker:

And the, the group that

I'm particularly, you know,

Speaker:

passionate about is, is the youth

Speaker:

specifically unhoused youth.

Speaker:

So, and at juvenile detention centers.

Speaker:

So one of the things that

I've, you know, kind of found

Speaker:

to be very, very like

rewarding is, you know, kids

Speaker:

who are in transition

Speaker:

or kids who are, you know,

in, you know, situations

Speaker:

that they've, you know,

found themselves in a bit

Speaker:

of trouble, you know,

Speaker:

but being able to develop

these wrap plans, I've saw,

Speaker:

I've seen how, you know, it's

given them hope, you know,

Speaker:

and it's, it's made them feel supported

Speaker:

to actually get out

here and make a change.

Speaker:

And, you know, because I feel

like it's a different approach

Speaker:

to what they're used to and,

and they can actually see it.

Speaker:

And I actually have seen

them not only come up

Speaker:

with these wrap plans,

but actually use them. So

Speaker:

- That's cool.

Speaker:

Very cool. Thank you, Susan.

Speaker:

- Yeah, that was, that

was really awesome. Asia.

Speaker:

That's exactly what I was

hoping to hear about when,

Speaker:

and this is why I love, you

Speaker:

know, getting together with folks.

Speaker:

'cause you hear about all sorts

of exciting things going on

Speaker:

for me, like when I facilitate, you know,

Speaker:

I had this experience

with Stan, I don't get

Speaker:

to facilitate as much as I'd like.

Speaker:

I would love to be facilitating more,

Speaker:

but I've, I've had trouble finding the,

Speaker:

the right partner niche here

in Minneapolis sometimes.

Speaker:

But, but I, I have facilitated

groups of caregivers

Speaker:

and I think caregivers are

my niche in a lot of ways.

Speaker:

It's probably where I most intuitively go.

Speaker:

Being a lifelong caregiver

Speaker:

and a professional caregiver over my life.

Speaker:

One of the things you do

in a wrap is you define

Speaker:

for yourself what you look

like when you're, well, it's,

Speaker:

and, and it's kind of a powerful thing.

Speaker:

The first time I did it, I wanted to cry

Speaker:

'cause I had no idea

Speaker:

what I looked like when

I was well at that point.

Speaker:

And so it was really helpful.

Speaker:

But it's really that, you

know, so you can do that

Speaker:

with an organization, you can

do that with an individual.

Speaker:

It, it, it applies in so many ways.

Speaker:

What does our organization

look like when it's, well,

Speaker:

you know, what would be happening?

Speaker:

It's really tangible.

Speaker:

And I, I, I find talking

to people sometimes

Speaker:

and helping them use that as a way

Speaker:

to frame up what they're going for.

Speaker:

'cause a lot of times we don't

Speaker:

even know what we're going for.

Speaker:

We just know we're dissatisfied

with something we have.

Speaker:

And then the other thing is,

Speaker:

the wellness toolkit is something you

Speaker:

learn really early on too.

Speaker:

And you start to look at, well, what,

Speaker:

what tools do you already

have that help you

Speaker:

be well, right now?

Speaker:

And they can be very simple,

Speaker:

but we did a little training where we had

Speaker:

to use just objects that

they gave us to and, and,

Speaker:

and figure out how we would

use them as a wellness tool.

Speaker:

And we had like a water bottle.

Speaker:

And I was like, well, you

know, when I'm really agitated

Speaker:

and feeling worked up, drinking

an ice cold glass of water,

Speaker:

like gets me back into my

body and kind of brings me

Speaker:

and, you know, and so

we were just laughing,

Speaker:

like our tagline was like, wellness can be

Speaker:

as simple as a glass of water.

Speaker:

You know? So it's like,

what tools do you have

Speaker:

and how do you keep expanding those tools?

Speaker:

What tools might you be missing?

Speaker:

And how can you start to fill that toolkit

Speaker:

so you have more options

Speaker:

to pull from when you are

feeling like things are getting a

Speaker:

little out of control for you?

Speaker:

- Thank you so much, Susan.

Speaker:

I, I, and I love that it can be as easy

Speaker:

as a cold glass of water.

Speaker:

- And for me, right in

my arms, I've got my cat.

Speaker:

That's one of those things, for me,

Speaker:

that's a wellness thing, so.

Speaker:

- Absolutely.

- Okay. All right.

Speaker:

So I'm gonna, the next question is,

Speaker:

what's important about rap for you?

Speaker:

What, what appeals to it,

to you about it personally?

Speaker:

Well, anyone can go.

Speaker:

I'm gonna just, you guys

pick who goes first.

Speaker:

- Well, you know, mine

is actually kind of silly

Speaker:

because, you know, again, I'm

a poet and I'm also a rapper.

Speaker:

And so when I think of

rap, you know, yeah,

Speaker:

it automatically, as I my mind

associates it with like rap,

Speaker:

but I think on a, on a whole

nother level is the fact

Speaker:

of just how, how simple it is.

Speaker:

You know, it, it seems like it's a lot,

Speaker:

but really, you know, once you kind

Speaker:

of get into it, it's real.

Speaker:

It it's about you, you know? Yeah.

Speaker:

So when you think about just how, again,

Speaker:

how individualized it is

Speaker:

and how it's your plan, I just,

Speaker:

I just like the simpl simplicity of it.

Speaker:

- And

- I definitely agree with that.

Speaker:

I have kind of the same triggers

generally over and over.

Speaker:

So I've learned how to deal with those.

Speaker:

And for me, it just keeps,

it keeps pushing me.

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Whenever I doubt that I

need to do something, I say

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to myself, well, that's in my

plan, you know, that, that's

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what I need to do now

Speaker:

because I know this is, this is important.

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This is what's gonna help me.

Speaker:

And I think, for instance, this vacation,

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my partner was not particularly happy.

Speaker:

I was going, and this

is basically a trigger

Speaker:

for him, you know, he's

gotta stay home, take care

Speaker:

of the dogs, la la la and I

don't go for just a day or two.

Speaker:

I'm gone for pretty much a month.

Speaker:

So it's challenging for him.

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And I had to work through

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that, not giving up.

Speaker:

But ultimately he, he was okay with it.

Speaker:

I mean, this is something I do every year.

Speaker:

So it's not new, but it's

always a stressor for him.

Speaker:

But if, if I were not involved

with rap, I might just say,

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okay, well forget it.

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I won't go. But no, I mean,

I, I know I need that.

Speaker:

And I think that's what

wrap does for people.

Speaker:

If they believe in it and work it,

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they know what works for them.

Speaker:

They, they know what they have to do

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to keep themselves at their best.

Speaker:

It's just that constant reminder.

Speaker:

- Yeah. And I mean, I think

for me, one of the things

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that I, I find really now people

do wrap really differently.

Speaker:

So like, some people are really dedicated.

Speaker:

Like, I look at my wrap every day.

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I think about my wrap regularly.

I update it regularly.

Speaker:

I'm gonna admit I am a sporadic wrap.

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And I, I, I tend to like,

go deep on it for like,

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maybe take a, a Saturday or something

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and really be thinking about it

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and is it in tune with where I am now

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and what, what needs to change now.

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And there's, you know, we

haven't talked about all the

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pieces of it, but there's a

lot of different pieces of it

Speaker:

that can help keep you in,

even though it's simple.

Speaker:

There's things to think about.

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And so what I love is just

the intentionality about it.

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Like, I have to assertively

take care of myself,

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and rap helps me do that

in a way that just feels

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so much more organized and gives

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and yields the best

results for that effort.

Speaker:

Because if you just periodically

assert your wellness here

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and there, it, it's never

gonna be quite as effective

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as having this whole vision and,

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and all of the pieces

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that help you get there and stay there.

Speaker:

- Could you help Susan

write a wrap about being a

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sporadic rapper?

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- Yes. We'll touch base. I think

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- That could be a really fun piece.

Speaker:

- You might not have much luck with that.

Speaker:

- But anyway, that just, you know,

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but what I'm hearing a

lot is some of the tenets

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that you talked about earlier,

Susan, where it talks about,

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you know, the key points.

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All of you have talked about the hope,

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the personal responsibility,

the education,

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and you know, being

active in that part of it.

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The self-advocacy stand

really came out in yours

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as you're talking about,

you know, as partner.

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It's not his favorite thing,

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but it's, it's one of those

things where it's like,

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I don't know what I can do

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to make it better for you,

but I know I have to do this.

Speaker:

So you're advocating

for your own own needs

Speaker:

and I think that that's really powerful

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and I'm, I'm, I'm happy to hear

those things are, are a part

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of what you're getting out of it.

Speaker:

So thank you for sharing that.

Speaker:

- Yeah, thank you. The next question,

Speaker:

and we'll start with Susan

this time and move to Asia

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and then Stan, what's,

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if anything, what surprised

you when you first, you know,

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did your first wrap

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or early on during wrap, what's

something that surprised you

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and then what's something that still kind

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of surprises you today?

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- So I think the two things

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that really surprised me when

I first did wrap one was I

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didn't know what I looked like when I was,

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well, which we just talked about.

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I like, I, I was just, it

really made me realize like,

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I really need to take care of myself

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'cause I've just lost touch with

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who I am at such a deep level.

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And, and then that was,

so that was what I did.

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My personal rep, when we did

the facilitation training,

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I mean, they were like, it is nothing

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but unconditional positive regard.

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We are not talking about

what's not working.

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We are only talking about what's working.

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We are only focusing on what's working.

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We're gonna take care of ourselves.

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And they did it so rigorously.

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And I found that to be like

really transformative to me.

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And it, and it just has changed

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how I facilitate every process I'm, I'm in

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because it just opens

the door to self-respect

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and respect for others and listening and,

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and other ways of, of being

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with people that are really human.

Speaker:

So those things were

really surprising to me.

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And, and I went to that same rap

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orientation, I think that Mark did.

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It was a zoom that Copeland

center did a, a few weeks ago.

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And every time I listen

to folks who have raps,

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I learn something

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and I learn something

new that that matters.

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And I'm always just so surprised at like

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how much more I can learn

and how many wonderful

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and cool things are going on out there.

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- That's great Susan.

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And having known you for a long time

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and worked for with you

for the last five years, I,

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I see you emulating

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that positive regard throughout,

throughout your day. So

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- Yeah, it's something

that sticks with you,

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you wanna bring to everything.

Speaker:

- Yep. Yeah, absolutely. Asia.

Speaker:

- Yeah, I think that one of the things

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that surprises me about rap, I, I know we,

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when you facilitate wrap, we

talk about how you can use WRAP

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for pretty much any and everything.

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But I think that when you

actually develop a wrap plan

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for something that doesn't seem so typical

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and it does actually work, like

for me personally, you know,

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one of the jobs that I do,

like last year, you know,

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I came up with a wrap plan to,

you know, to deal with some

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of my coworkers, you know, you know,

Speaker:

and you know, it was, it, it was funny

Speaker:

because I'm like, wow,

you know, it's something

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that's at your disposal to do,

Speaker:

but again, when you

actually put it together

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and you can actually work it

Speaker:

and see how it is beneficial to you.

Speaker:

So that surprised me

Speaker:

that it really can work in

different capacities if you,

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if you choose to.

Speaker:

And I think that what continues

to surprise me about rap

Speaker:

is kind of something that

Susan mentioned as well as far

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as like how we all can kind

of like do it differently,

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execute it differently, but

how it still, it still works.

Speaker:

You know, even though, you know,

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when you think about

facilitating, you know, Susan

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and I might facilitate it

very differently, you know,

Speaker:

but it's the same information

Speaker:

and whoever you're

sharing that information

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with, they're gonna take it.

Speaker:

And because it is individualized,

they're going to be able

Speaker:

to create their own plans and

still work it and it works.

Speaker:

- Yeah. One of the things

I I heard you say is, and,

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and have, have really

learned from this is,

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I haven't done a wrap myself

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and I always envision that

it's kind of a one and done,

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but it's not a one and done.

Speaker:

It's something you continue

to work as different issues

Speaker:

or things come up in your life.

Speaker:

- I'm glad that you mentioned that

Speaker:

because that's another

important thing about wrap.

Speaker:

Like let's just say for instance

that you create a wrap plan

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for, you know, something specific.

Speaker:

Like again, like, you know,

dealing with someone at work,

Speaker:

well every once in a while

you might wanna revisit

Speaker:

that wrap plan because it might

change, things might change.

Speaker:

So it's okay to do another

wrap plan, you know, revisit it

Speaker:

because what worked for

you last year, you know,

Speaker:

might not be the same thing

that'll work for you this year.

Speaker:

So reworking that wrap as well.

Speaker:

- Yeah. And, and you said it earlier,

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not only reworking wrap,

but working your wrap.

Speaker:

So even though I don't

get my wrap out every day,

Speaker:

everything I've set into

that wrap is affecting

Speaker:

how I'm going about my day.

Speaker:

And, and you just gotta

keep carrying it, you know,

Speaker:

it's like, it keeps it,

but, but because it's there

Speaker:

and it's clear, it's not that hard.

Speaker:

- How about you Stan?

- I think for me,

Speaker:

among many surprising things was sort of

Speaker:

what Susan was saying about

the absence of negativity.

Speaker:

I mean this unconditional positive regard.

Speaker:

And I think what, what I enjoyed the most,

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and when I first wrote a rap,

it, it was an online class

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and you know, I,

Speaker:

I hadn't heard people speak

about their mental health

Speaker:

challenges in such a way before.

Speaker:

And it was kind of just matter

of fact, this is, this is

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what happens, this is how I I deal

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with it and that kind of thing.

Speaker:

And of course, at the training

Speaker:

to be a facilitator, it was similar.

Speaker:

Some of these folks had had

some, some pretty challenging

Speaker:

episodes in their past

Speaker:

and of course they, they, they work daily

Speaker:

to overcome those.

Speaker:

But I, I found that to

be kind of surprising

Speaker:

how people spoke about their challenges.

Speaker:

You know, once you're able

to, to speak about, you know,

Speaker:

what you, your own triggers are

Speaker:

or whatever, it becomes much less scary.

Speaker:

And, and people don't often know that

Speaker:

until they start talking to people.

Speaker:

- Yeah. Thanks Dan. Just kinda wanna ask

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- You all to help me bring

this back to the folks that are

Speaker:

providing direct support

Speaker:

and our caregivers in,

in, in across the board.

Speaker:

I mean we we're talking to mostly folks

Speaker:

that provide supports to people with IDD

Speaker:

or a related condition.

Speaker:

Yet there are so many

different places where

Speaker:

caregivers need to hear

how something like wrap

Speaker:

or the tenets of wrap can help them

Speaker:

to take care of themselves.

Speaker:

So to any of you have at

least one final thought on how

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to make that connection.

Speaker:

I'll let Susan start

Speaker:

'cause she's worked in,

in our particular field

Speaker:

and probably would have the

most knowledge base there,

Speaker:

but then each of you has

probably got something

Speaker:

that translates well.

Speaker:

So Susan, if you'd be first

Speaker:

and then well then stand in Asia.

Speaker:

- I think one thing is, you

know, I was really appreciating

Speaker:

what Asia brought forth with the youth

Speaker:

and, you know, the, they're homeless,

Speaker:

they're really facing real,

real ch challenges, you know,

Speaker:

and the fact

Speaker:

that rap can still work

under very extreme conditions

Speaker:

and it comes out of, it's rooted in that

Speaker:

and it comes out of that.

Speaker:

And so I wouldn't want people to think,

Speaker:

but that's just something

you do if you have the time

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to think about yourself.

Speaker:

Like, it, it, it really is a powerful

Speaker:

and transformative tool.

Speaker:

'cause I think, you know,

when you're a d direct support

Speaker:

professional, you know,

you are really busy

Speaker:

and you also have probably a second job

Speaker:

and you might have kids

Speaker:

and you might have all sorts of stressors.

Speaker:

Your car's not working, you're, you know,

Speaker:

and I mean, I remember I

didn't have a car for a year

Speaker:

because I couldn't afford it.

Speaker:

'cause that's what the

wages were at the time.

Speaker:

You know, and, and so I

think just knowing that

Speaker:

it's a powerful tool regardless

Speaker:

of your circumstances, but

you do need to be with peers.

Speaker:

You need to be with people who

understand your challenges,

Speaker:

at least at some level that

is, is enriching to you

Speaker:

because it, you know, it,

it is about how do, how

Speaker:

how do we work together And the

facilitators, you know, need

Speaker:

to be, need to also have lived experiences

Speaker:

that mean something to you.

Speaker:

So I think that's really

important with wrap.

Speaker:

But for DSPs there's a lot you can get out

Speaker:

of it. It could really help.

Speaker:

- Stan, I was gonna have you go next.

Speaker:

- Okay. So yeah, what

Speaker:

what I would tell folks is,

Speaker:

you know, there are so many things.

Speaker:

I mean everybody is gonna

be different is different

Speaker:

for each person of course.

Speaker:

But if you can find what works

for you to be your best self

Speaker:

and try to be consistent

with that, you know, this is

Speaker:

what I tell my staff all the time.

Speaker:

We're not gonna change the world,

Speaker:

but we can consistently do good things

Speaker:

and be mindful about those things.

Speaker:

For instance, the very physical

part of what we have to do

Speaker:

to get through the day is critical.

Speaker:

Eating well and, and, you know, hydrating

Speaker:

and things of that nature go a long way

Speaker:

to preserving our mental health.

Speaker:

And people forget that.

Speaker:

And I tell 'em, you

know, you can't, these,

Speaker:

these are things you

gotta do every single day.

Speaker:

They, they add up over time.

Speaker:

And I think having things

to look forward to,

Speaker:

whether it be something

small like going to a movie

Speaker:

or something big like

going on vacation, you have

Speaker:

to have something to

keep the light coming in

Speaker:

and wrap is, is just one of many ways,

Speaker:

but wrap can be used in so

with so many different things.

Speaker:

I, I wish everybody had a wrap

Speaker:

because frankly I think

everybody needs it.

Speaker:

- Thank you. And

- I like that.

Speaker:

I think everybody needs a wrap. Alright,

Speaker:

- So give us a, a wrap now.

Speaker:

Asia actually I would like to,

you know, continue, continue.

Speaker:

You had more to add.

Speaker:

- Well, so no, I really,

really like what he said that

Speaker:

everybody needs a rap.

Speaker:

I think to me, one of the things

Speaker:

that just stands out the

most about, you know,

Speaker:

having a wrap plan is the

self-advocacy part of it.

Speaker:

You know, being able to advocate

for yourself is, you know,

Speaker:

it's, it's extremely important.

Speaker:

And as we grow and as we

evolve, again, you know, one

Speaker:

of the things on a personal level

Speaker:

that I've been experiencing

over the past year is

Speaker:

a lot of loss.

Speaker:

I've lost five family members

in my immediate family

Speaker:

within this past year.

Speaker:

And so my life is not the same.

Speaker:

And so I think that having rap is,

Speaker:

or even first of all, knowing

about rap first, you know,

Speaker:

knowing about it but then

being able to kind of come back

Speaker:

around and being in a

space to use it helps me.

Speaker:

And if I didn't know about rap

Speaker:

and if I didn't know about

certain things like, you know,

Speaker:

a self-care plan, I'm not sure

Speaker:

what I would've done dealing

with and processing grief.

Speaker:

So to me I can say rap

saved my life. Yeah.

Speaker:

- Paul, that's hard to follow that.

Speaker:

But here's what I'm gonna do

is I'm gonna ask you Asia,

Speaker:

since you are involved

with the Poetry Project

Speaker:

and being an artist myself,

I love that concept.

Speaker:

And how would people

access, give you a chance

Speaker:

for a shameless plug here.

Speaker:

How would they access

some of the poetry work

Speaker:

that you are doing and that,

Speaker:

that you are doing with your community?

Speaker:

- Well, I am on YouTube.

Speaker:

I know that Poetry for

Personal Power has a website.

Speaker:

I'm not exactly sure if

they have, you know, links

Speaker:

to the artists.

Speaker:

'cause we call ourselves

artists advocates. Okay.

Speaker:

So I'm not sure if they have links

Speaker:

to everyone's website

or anything like that.

Speaker:

But you know, if, I think

if you kind of go on Google

Speaker:

or go on YouTube

Speaker:

and type in my name Aja a, a la star.

Speaker:

A lot of different things

will pop up from just over the

Speaker:

years of me sharing poetry and art.

Speaker:

- Wonderful. I I just, I

just wanted to give you that,

Speaker:

that entree

Speaker:

and to get to our audience

with, with what you're doing,

Speaker:

because I think that that could inspire,

Speaker:

and the fact that, that, I'm sure some

Speaker:

of it has got some wrap wrapped into it.

Speaker:

You, you probably are, you know, are going

Speaker:

to be helping people.

Speaker:

But what I'm hearing, and,

Speaker:

and I'm just gonna do a little

quick sum up of, of, of,

Speaker:

again, the, the main tenets of wrap

Speaker:

that I think we're covered really well.

Speaker:

But whether you go and you find rap folks

Speaker:

and decide that you want

to em embrace rap itself

Speaker:

or not, I think these tenets are things

Speaker:

that you could explore even individually

Speaker:

or on your own, regardless

of if it's through rap

Speaker:

and that's find hope in your life.

Speaker:

Take personal responsibility, education,

Speaker:

seek education, seek

knowledge, seek learning, and,

Speaker:

and be active about that.

Speaker:

Be a self-advocate. Take care of yourself.

Speaker:

As, as, as some of our

guests have talked about,

Speaker:

how they've been able to,

you know, take over control

Speaker:

of some things that they

in the past may have.

Speaker:

Just let someone else

kind of guide them on.

Speaker:

And then it finally

support your community.

Speaker:

Support people that,

you know, need support

Speaker:

and support others who

maybe they aren't showing

Speaker:

that they need support.

Speaker:

Someone like Susan, who

looks like she's got it all

Speaker:

together, maybe inside is, is,

Speaker:

is needing a little support now and again.

Speaker:

So always make sure that you're offering

Speaker:

that little bit of support.

Speaker:

On that note, I'm gonna say

thank you to Asia, thank you

Speaker:

to Stan, thank you to

Susan for being our guests.

Speaker:

Thank you Chet, for

being an amazing co-host

Speaker:

and thank you for joining us.

Speaker:

Tune in for future

episodes about taking care

Speaker:

of our physical and mental health.

Speaker:

Episodes are available on your favorite

Speaker:

podcast streaming service.

Speaker:

This is a podcast

developed by the University

Speaker:

of Minnesota's Institute

on community integration.

Speaker:

Wellness matters for direct

support is for the health,

Speaker:

wellness, and self-care

support, retina support

Speaker:

- Workers.

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