Taking Action for Whole Health and Wellbeing

The Copeland Center’s Taking Action for Whole Health & Wellbeing course is a co-facilitated group process that supports individuals in creating a personalized system for recovering, sustaining, and improving their whole health outcomes.

The curriculum is based on Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s (SAMHSA) Taking Action curriculum and other recovery publications developed with input from individuals with lived experience of recovery from mental health, addictions, and co-occurring challenges. The program integrates evidence-based and experiential peer-to-peer strategies that have demonstrated effectiveness through research and provider feedback.

Essential Elements:

• Recovery, wellness, self-care, self-compassion, and action orientation
• Focus on self-esteem, connection, hope, empowerment, self-determination, education, community inclusion, and self-advocacy
• Building a strong support system and utilizing personal and community resources
• Wellness tools, skills, and strategies for whole health, including physical health aspects such as exercise, nutrition, light, sleep, and smoking
• Spirituality, complementary, alternative, and additional wellness tools
• Developing action plans for triggers, early warning signs, and difficult times
• Healthcare, medications, crisis planning, and advanced directives
• Post-crisis and post-relapse planning
• Wellness topics: employment, meaningful activity, motivation, and lifestyle

The course is led by two trained peer co-facilitators following the Copeland Center’s evidence-based and experiential peer engagement strategies, incorporating over two decades of experience. Training includes principles from Self-Directed Care, Wellness Self-Management, Motivation Theory, and Peer Support.

Scott Metzger brought his 40 years of business management experience, as well as his own “lived experience”, to the Maine non-profit community in a variety of roles. Formerly, Scott was the Director of Recovery Services at Sweetser with responsibilities for the Peer Support Specialist in the Emergency Department at Mid Coast Hospital seven days a week, the 24/7 statewide peer Intentional Warm Line, Intentional Peer Support integrated into ACT and Behavioral Health Home Teams and the state-wide Peer Training Network. Currently Scott is an active member of the Copeland Center Board, a certified Intentional Peer Support Specialist and an enthusiast for Taking Action for Whole Health and Wellbeing. Scott is working on Wellness on Wheels, a project that supports holistic wellness and utilizes small meaningful steps known as “micro-wellness”; to move towards the life people want for themselves. Scott has combined his love of travel and biking for the goal of cycling the circumference of the lower 48, and visiting the four corners, one section at a time. This Fall, he is pedaling from Lubec, Maine to New Bern, North Carolina.

Katie Wilson is the Chief Operations Officer and comes to the Copeland Center after working with Mary Ellen Copeland, Ph.D. Over the past decade, Katie has worked to guide systems and organizational leaders to implement the evidenced based practice of peer group model programs as well as help tailor wellness and recovery programs using the Copeland Center’s network of trained educators for their organizational recovery events and services. Katie produces and hosts Doors to Wellbeing’s popular monthly Peer Specialist Webinar Series serving over 30,000 peer specialists each year. Katie is a popular speaker and trainer. Recently, she has presented at the following conferences: Peerpocalyse, VT Dept of Mental Health Conference, Peerpalooza, National Association for Peer Supporter Annual Conference, Peer Support Coalition of PA Annual Conference, and NYC Conference for Working Peer Specialists. Katie has worked for Marlboro College’s MBA program in Managing for Sustainability and the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation. Katie received her BA from Bennington College and her master’s degree from New York University’s Center for Global Affairs where she studied international human rights and mental health.