Collaborative Calendars and More
Individuals with psychiatric disabilities, once confined for year-after-year to life in institutional or other primarily custodial settings, are now part of community life in rural, suburban and urban America. For many, living in the community has been an enormous benefit, offering the to resume old patterns or establish new roles for themselves beyond their disability. For others, however, living in the community has meant only a change in address rather than the chance to develop a sense of genuine participation and integration in the day-to-day life around them. The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion of Individual with Psychiatric Disabilities seeks to identify the policies, programs, and practices that promote this broader sense of connection to and satisfying engagement with community life.
The 2022 Guide to Getting Out of the House
The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion welcomes you into the new year with our 2022 Getting Out Of The House Calendar! While the past two years of the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted the way we spend time with one another, this 2022 calendar is focused on getting out of our homes and connecting with the people and places in our communities. As we head into 2022, we hope that this calendar can help you to maintain meaningful community connections and participation!
2021 Community Connections Calendar
As we head into 2021, we are hopeful that we will once again be able to safely connect with each other and participate in our communities in ways that we all have been missing! That’s why the 2021 calendar theme is “Community Connections.” Each month focuses on a different community participation goal that maintains the health and safety of everyone and offers three specific strategies that can support you to maintain your community connections: one using technology, one that is low-tech, and an in-person strategy.
Year in Review 2020
We think it’s safe to say that 2020 was a year unlike any other. We at the Collaborative started our year out typically, until, in mid-March, we left our offices on campus and started working from home. It was necessary for us to put some of our research projects on hold in order to prioritize the health and safety of potential research participants and our staff.
How does a research and training center focused on community participation continue to do work in a time when it’s vital for us to maintain physical distance and limit our participation in the community? We approached this question with earnest and open minds and with the understanding that community participation and social engagement are more important now than ever! In this document, we look back on the work that we’ve done over 2020 and highlight ways that our team continued to support community inclusion and participation of people with serious mental health issues during stay-at-home orders.
As you reflect on the past year and think about what 2021 will bring, we invite you to take some time to review some of our favorite resources from 2020!
Welcoming Places 2020 Calendar
Our 2020 edition of our yearly calendar is based on our Welcoming Places project. The Temple University Collaborative recently conducted a study in which participants identified and described a community location where they felt welcomed as a person with a mental illness. We believe that welcoming places are important for encouraging sustained participation in the community. The calendar features descriptions of welcoming places and challenges you to set goals and engage in your welcoming place! Make 2020 the year you identify your welcoming place!
2019 Self-Directed Care Calendar
Our 2019 edition of our yearly calendar is based on community participation as a medical necessity. The Temple University Collaborative recently conducted a study in which participants met with a recovery coach to develop their recovery goals and identify activities they were interested in that facilitated their mental health and wellness. The recovery coach and participants then worked together to submit requests for the resources to a managed care company for approval. Each request was assessed for medical necessity and was approved or denied based on whether or not the participant justified the request to improve his or her recovery. Once these requests were approved, participants received “freedom funds,” which they used to purchase the resource they had requested. This calendar features actual resource requests from participants to give you inspiration in creating your own ideas for enhancing mental health and wellness.
2018 Family Leisure Calendar
It’s January 2018! You know what that means. Resolutions! The time when many people think about goals for the upcoming year. Many people have health & wellness goals at the beginning of the year but end up less motivated as the year goes by. You know how it is, gyms are full the second week of January, but less busy in February. What if those goals were connected to something fun?! And gave you more opportunities to spend time with those you love?
We want 2018 to be different! Setting and achieving family leisure goals can improve the mental and physical well-being of individuals with lived experience, their family members, and even mental health providers. This calendar can help you set and stick to your goals. Designed to help you think about family leisure differently, this calendar will challenge you to identify activities that you enjoy, find free or low-cost resources in your community, and identify people who will help you stay motivated to achieve your goals.
We encourage family friendly recreation facilities to put this calendar up in the lobby to remind patrons that family leisure has positive impacts on your body, mind, and spirit. We hope mental health agencies will use this calendar to motivate consumers and staff to make family leisure a priority. Finally, we hope consumers interested in family leisure will keep this calendar handy and share it with friends and family to make leisure fun and a part of daily life.
2017 Physical Activity Calendar
It’s January 2017! You know what that means. Resolutions! The time when many people think about goals for the upcoming year. Many people have health & wellness goals at the beginning of the year but their motivation decreases as the year goes by. You know how it is, gyms are full the second week of January, but less busy in February.
We want 2017 to be different! Setting and achieving physical activity goals can improve the mental and physical well-being of individuals with lived experience, their family members, and even mental health providers. This calendar can help you set and stick to your goals. Designed to help you think about physical activity differently, this calendar will challenge you to identify activities that you enjoy, find free or low-cost resources in your community, and identify people who will help you stay motivated to achieve your goals.
We encourage fitness and recreation facilities to put this calendar up in the lobby to remind patrons that physical activity has positive impacts on your body, mind, and spirit. We hope mental health agencies will use this calendar to motivate consumers and staff to make physical activity a priority. Finally, we hope consumers interested in physical activity will keep this calendar handy and share it with friends and family to make physical activity fun and a part of daily life.