Living Well with the Trauma of Chronic Illness

Chronic illness can be traumatic on multiple levels -- physically, emotionally, and mentally. As mental health peer specialists, many of us are serving populations that have both mental health challenges and chronic illnesses. Join Michael Buck, Advanced Level Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) Facilitator, to learn about how people with chronic illnesses use wellness planning to overcome the issues and challenges associated with HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, and other life threatening illnesses. In addition, learn how mental health peer specialists are best able to support people with chronic illness and the associated trauma. Learning Objectives: - Describe how people with chronic illness use wellness planning to maintain quality of life. - Develop a list of wellness tools to share with peers to support overcoming the challenges of chronic illnesses. - Identify actions mental health peer specialists can take to encourage people living with chronic illness to connect with others.