Mary Ellen Copeland answers your questions for WRAP’s 19th birthday celebration.
Following are some additional questions which were posed during the webinar, with Mary Ellen Copeland’s responses posted below.
Can you talk using WRAP to help people quit smoking?
There is a sample WRAP for stopping smoking in the book WRAP for Life that include many possible wellness tools and strategies people can use to stop smoking.
How can I use WRAP to eliminate disparities and expand cultural competence?
You can best use WRAP to eliminate disparities and expand cultural competence by adhering closely to the WRAP Values and Ethics at all times—in groups and with individuals.
I work on a Psychiatric Unit at a hospital where the average stay is 5 to 7 days. Can WRAP be taught or utilized in that kind of environment?
Yes. You can easily teach a person about WRAP, begin working with them on developing it, and you can refer them to a group or peers who could support them in developing their WRAP after they leave the in-patient unit. And we have many different WRAP resources available at www.WRAPandRecoveryBooks.com that can easily and inexpensively meet specific needs.
I own several WRAP books and would love to have them on my phone or tablet so I can easily take them with me. Are there any plans to make your books available on Kindle or some other e-book format?
Yes. We are working on that and will keep you posted.
I am a WRAP Facilitator and I’ve had a WRAP for many years and I feel like because I have moved to another part of the US but I feel like I have lost my support and I don’t know if I have the hope that I need to stay well. Can you suggest something to help me keep healthy and develop a support system?
Lots of people are using the internet to get support. I recommend the WRAP Facilitator group. You can go to my website at MentalHealthRecovery.com to learn about more on-line options. Contact the Copeland Center for more ideas as well. Then I suggest you refer to the sections on support in many of the WRAP Resources, and to the Loneliness Book, and begin setting up a new support system for yourself. In addition, I suggest you check out options for setting up and facilitating WRAP groups in your area.
I received my WRAP facilitators certificate from Focus On Recovery in Middletown, Ct. How do I get my name on your site? FYI: I LOVE LOVE THIS COURSE!!! Thank you so much, Marianne in CT
Oh good. I am glad you love WRAP. Contact the Copeland Center to find out how to get yourself registered.
Wondering if there’s anyone doing any research on WRAP. I have found WRAP very useful myself.
You can get information on WRAP research from the MentalHealthRecovery.com website. It has proven that WRAP is effective.
I am glad WRAP has been helpful to you. How do you get over the withdrawal symptoms?
It depends on withdrawal from what. I suggest you contact an addictions counselor or info@copelandcenter.com.
I work in crisis and have used WRAP since 2000. My WRAP plan has kept me on track. I am on the waiting list for WRAP facilitator training to teach WRAP at our agency.
People in our community are working to partner up and bring WRAP to more people. How can we emphasize the importance of peers in WRAP – that the facilitators use WRAP and share their experiences?
Contact the Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery for technical assistance with this issue.
In order to practice the WRAP every day, what it is most important?
Having a strong list of Wellness Tools, a Daily Maintenance Plan that works and Peer Support.
Will there be any (affordable) PSS trainings scheduled in the near future in Charlotte, NC?
Contact the Copeland Center for information on training.
Is the wrap plan only for people with a mental health condition?
No. Anyone can use WRAP.
I have heard of the youth WRAP and I would love to start this in the area I live. Does anyone have any ideas and fun games that can be introduced to help keep youth involved and supportive to their needs.
Yes, the Copeland Center can give you specific technical assistance with this.
How do you ask someone that is homeless or in the shelters : what do you do for fun?
Everyone needs to be able to do things they enjoy, even people who are homeless or in shelters. Using Peer Support, they can figure out what they can do that they enjoy even in their extreme circumstance. They may be able to go to the library and read, play a musical instrument that is available at a music school, go for a walk in the park, watch birds and other wildlife, talk with a friend, sing—people working together can figure out many more.
How does one find out where other trained facilitators are located?
By contacting the Copeland Center.
There are a lot of agencies that are resistant to implementing WRAP, and many who have in house staff, that do parts of WRAP. Many of these folks have not taken refresher courses. As a facilitator, I am concerned about the fidelity to the model. I have handed out the WRAP compliance manual to my agency, that was recently offered by the Copeland Center. Again my concern is that a lot of individuals are not receiving the full benefit of WRAP and by receiving it in such a fragmented manner, seem to lose the desire to go further in developing their own WRAP.
You need a lot of technical assistance with these issues from the Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery. They are very important. Please contact them right away.
What is the first book I should get to learn about WRAP?
WRAP or WRAP for Life.
There is a need for a WRAP facilitator training in south Florida, are there plans to have one soon?
Contact the Copeland Center for information on Facilitator Training.
I’m currently doing a WRAP group at a State Hospital and the most challenging issue is some of them cannot complete their WRAP plans while they are still in the group. How would you go about helping people complete their WRAP plans?
Refer them to a group or peers who could support them in developing their WRAP after they leave the in-patient unit. And we have many different WRAP resources available at www.WRAPandRecoveryBooks.com that can easily and inexpensively meet specific needs.
When can we get the new book?
Now. Go to WRAPandRecoveryBooks.com.
It’s required that I have the WRAP Workbook, but I don’t have the funds to buy one! Without it, I can’t join the program!
That does not sound fair. If they require it, they should pay for it. They are very cheap.
Can you provide your comments on the present use and apparent popularity of ECT with the medical fraternity?
I am opposed to ECT. No one should ever be forced to have ECT.
Do you ever sponsor people to become a trainer knowing that they will train many classes so you will get the proceeds for the material? I am not financially able to take the course but I know how beneficial it would be in our area.
Contact the Copeland Center for information about scholarships and other ideas on how you can get the training and get WRAP going in your area.
Mary Ellen Copeland, PhD, developed Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) with a group of people with lived experience who were attending a mental health recovery workshop in 1997. She is the original author of the WRAP Red Book, as well as dozens of other WRAP books and materials. She has dedicated the last 30 years of her life to learning from people who have mental health issues; discovering the simple, safe, non-invasive ways they get well, stay well, and move forward in their lives; and then sharing what she has learned with others through keynote addresses, trainings, and the development of books, curriculums, and other resources. Now that she is retired, and that, as she intended, others are continuing to share what she has learned, she continues to learn from those who have mental health issues and those who support them. She is a frequent contributor to this site.
