Wellness Self Management Initiative (WSM)
What Is Wellness Self Management?
Wellness Self Management (WSM) is a curriculum–based clinical practice approach that evolved out of OMH's experience with Illness Management and Recovery (IMR), one of the nationally recognized evidence-based practices developed in recent years. Consistent with the IMR resource materials, the WSM curriculum combines a number of related and empirically–supported approaches into a comprehensive and coordinated set of practices. In addition to topics related to recovery, mental health wellness and relapse prevention, the WSM approach includes lessons emphasizing the connection between a physically healthy lifestyle and mental health. This addition is particularly pertinent in light of the recent findings showing a dramatic health crisis among people with serious mental health problems.
Important Aspects of this Initiative
The lessons learned from OMH’s experience with providers implementing the IMR resource kit, as well as the findings of a pilot project with the Urban Institute for Behavioral Health, guided us in designing a comprehensive set of system supports, resources and strategies that address many of the challenges faced by providers committed to improving the quality of their mental health services. Specifically, feedback from consumers, practitioners and program leadership emphasized the importance of creating:
- Accessible, efficient and user–friendly materials that reflect core principles of recovery such as choice, shared decision–making, involvement and hope.
- A curriculum that includes the role of physical health and a healthy lifestyle and mental health recovery.
- A training approach that addresses core skill areas including engagement and motivation–enhancing strategies; educational techniques; basic cognitive behavioral strategies and how to conduct effective WSM groups.
- Training resources that support the role of supervisors as promoters of staff development and as training facilitators for new staff and students
- An approach that supports an organization's internal capacity to make improvements, implement and sustain high–quality services, and spread WSM to other parts of the organization
- An approach that encourages creative problem solving and adaptations suited to local realities including population and culture–specific issues.
The WSM initiative has been designed to address these needs and provides the clinical, technical and social resources that are instrumental to support providers.
The Wellness Self Management Consumer Workbook
The WSM curriculum is organized into a WSM personal workbook for consumers that is research informed, accessible, efficient and infused with principles of recovery such as shared decision–making, choice and hope. This workbook is currently available in English, Spanish and Chinese.
Staff Development and Training
The training offered to supervisors emphasizes their role as facilitators of staff competencies as well as training facilitators for new staff and students. For clinical staff, numerous training sessions will be made available in each region to accommodate program operations and workforce demands. Training resources such as DVD–guided and web–based supports will also be made available to all participating agencies.
Learning Collaboratives
A very promising approach to promote widespread participation by interested providers is the use of regional learning collaboratives that promote creative problem solving, practical data collection, and the internal capacity of organizations to implement and spread WSM. The learning collaborative approach brings together quality improvement teams from 10-15 agencies that share a desire to implement, sustain and expand wellness self management services. Agencies interested in promoting wellness self management will become part of a learning collaborative in their respective regions.