Like fashion, diets and tires, wellness and recovery programs are seldom one-size-fits-all.
The support and techniques that may help one person who is recovering from substance abuse may not be what works for another. The program that assists one person with a severe illness or mental health concerns may not fit for someone else.
That is the philosophy behind The Wellbeing Initiative, Inc.’s programming that started in Seward this month.
The organization helps people overcome challenges and make positive changes in their lives and their communities with peer-support groups and a non-judgmental focus on wellness. No referral or diagnosis is required to participate.
Marci Fehlhafer is a trained peer support leader serving as the wellness community navigator in Seward, which means she is at every session with the tools needed to address the issues and situations on participants’ minds.
“I don’t plan the curriculum,” she said. “I don’t determine what tool is going to work with that person, I provide all the tools and they can choose what works for them.”
That helps to keep the sessions fluid so they meet peoples’ needs.
“You don’t need to have any diagnosis to have an action plan,” she said.
The Wellness Initiative is offering three free peer support groups during the day on Tuesdays, but is open to the option of evening programs if there is interest.
The groups meet at the Seward Civic Center.
The Self Management and Recovery Training (SMART) group that assists those recovering from any addictive behavior begins at 9:30 a.m., the Open Recovery Group or 8 Dimensions of Wellness group explores elements of their wellness journey in a safe space meets at 11 a.m., and the Self-Advocacy or Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) group begins at 1 p.m.
No advance registration or referral is required.
Makenzie Crew is a certified CPSS ALF WRAP coordinator with the Wellness Initiative.
She said the Wellness Initiative is different than other programs because it is not a specific path or prescribed set of actions.
“We all have our own life experiences,” she said in a recent interview.
She shared that she was once encouraged to participate in a 12-step program that works well for many people, but found that program did not work for her. A peer-support group was more effective for her.
Anyone who wants to stop doing a behavior that is harmful to them can look at several approaches to self-care that could include self-advocacy and programs like Eight Ways to Self-Recovery, SMART and Wellness Recovery Action Plan, as well as a few 12-step programs.
“We provide all pathways,” Crew said. “I think everybody has something they are struggling with that they just need to talk through with somebody else.”
The Wellbeing Initiative, which operates with a Region V grant promoting behavioral health programs in a 16-county area, including Seward County, also offers weekly peer support groups at the Seward County Detention Center. Like the public sessions, those are built around the needs of participants.
For additional information, contact (531) 249-2196 or www.wellbeinginitiatives.org.
