Welcome to the CASRA Newsletter

In this issue:

- one key reform that can fix U.S. healthcare

- being cut off of insurance because mental health treatment was working

- radical acceptance and resiliency

- a vision for mental health justice

- California Community Foundation Wildfire Recovery Fund

Enjoy!

We are pleased to focus the spotlight on Sustainable Wellness Solutions, formerly Consumers Self Help Center who is announcing a new name, logo, and updated vision and mission.

Executive Director, Tiffany Murphy, MS wrote in a letter announcing the changes "Over the last year, our organization has undergone a comprehensive review of our core competencies and organizational strengths. With the help and input of our peers and staff, we have chosen a name and brand identifiers that better reflect the nature of the services we provide while staying true to our roots as a peer run organization. We are proud of our rich history and wish to build on the success of
our peers so that we continue our legacy of providing the highest quality of services with kindness and compassionate care as our operational standard." Read the Complete Letter

CASRA congratulates Sustainable Wellness Solutions with the wish that the new year, new name, logo and mission, bring new possibilities.

If you have news you would like to share or a colleague you would like to spotlight because of the great work they do or just because they are a great person or both, let us know by contacting joe@casra.org.

CASRA is a statewide organization of private, not-for-profit, public benefit corporations that serve clients of the California public mental health system.

Member agencies provide a variety of services that are designed to enhance the quality of life and community participation of youth, adults and older adults living with challenging mental health issues. Read more

Our member agencies are continually looking for new employees or volunteers to join their workforce.

To see current openings and find out additional information about CASRA Member Agencies, please click below.

A benefit of membership in CASRA is receiving four hours of training for your staff. For more information, please contact joe@casra.org

If you are a CASRA member agency and would like to advertise your learning opportunity, training or event for the benefit of other CASRA member agencies, please contact us at events@casra.org.
There are a few guidelines:
-You are a CASRA Member Agency
-Your event is free of charge
and, as a reminder the Newsletter is published on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month

CASRA facilitates a number of support groups for people working at CASRA member agencies. The support groups provide people working in similar roles opportunities to share experiences, information, and challenges. They meet monthly for approximantely one hour. for more information contact the person listed for each group.

Social Rehabilitation Facilities (SRF)
Meets: First Tuesday of the month at 1 PM

Human Resources
Meets: First Thursday of the month at 11 AM

EmploymentVocational Rehabilitation Services
Meets: First Thursday of the month at 3 PM

For information regarding any of the above groups contact:
Chad Costello, chad@casra.org

Wellness Services (Well Talk)
The Wellness Services support group is now online. For more info contact Joe Ruiz, joe@casra.org

The California Association of Social Rehabilitation Agencies

Mailing Address:
3350 E. 7th Street, #509
Long Beach, CA 90804

Email: casra@casra.org

Phone: (562) 343-2621

To reach us: use our Contact Form

Column: Here’s one key reform that can fix U.S. healthcare

From latimes.com 
By Michael Hiltzik, January 8, 2025

For more than 50 years, as the economics of American healthcare and health insurance have evolved, one theory has persisted, unchanged: To promote better and more efficient medical treatment, patients must have “skin in the game.”

The idea is that requiring fees for doctor or hospital visits — through co-pays, deductibles and other forms of cost-sharing — will prompt people to think twice before seeking treatment for anything but a truly serious condition.

“On the question of whether patients should have to pay part of the cost of their covered medical care, our profession’s advice has been unequivocal,” health economists Liran Einav of Stanford and Amy Finkelstein of MIT wrote in their 2023 book, “We’ve Got You Covered: Rebooting American Health Care.” “Patients must pay something for their care, otherwise they’ll rush to the doctor every time they sneeze.” Read More

Her Mental Health Treatment Was Helping. That’s Why Insurance Cut Off Her Coverage.

From propublica.org

By Maya Miller and Duaa Dldeib, December 31, 2024

Geneva Moore’s therapist pulled out her spiral notebook. At the top of the page, she jotted down the date, Jan. 30, 2024, Moore’s initials and the name of the doctor from the insurance company to whom she’d be making her case.

She had only one chance to persuade him, and by extension Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, to continue covering intensive outpatient care for Moore, a patient she had come to know well over the past few months.

The therapist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation from insurers, spent the next three hours cramming, as if she were studying for a big exam. She combed through Moore’s weekly suicide and depression assessments, group therapy notes and write-ups from their past few sessions together.

She filled two pages with her notes: Moore had suicidal thoughts almost every day and a plan for how she would take her own life. Even though she expressed a desire to stop cutting her wrists, she still did as often as three times a week to feel the release of pain. She only had a small group of family and friends to offer support. And she was just beginning to deal with her grief and trauma over sexual and emotional abuse, but she had no healthy coping skills. Read More

Radical Acceptance Can Help Build Emotional Resiliency

From washingtonpost.com

Guest Column by Joshiua Coleman, January 2, 2025

My husband of many years recently walked out on me. I was completely caught off guard and don’t know how to make sense of it. I thought we had built a life together and now see that it was all a sham. I keep turning over in my mind where I went wrong. I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it.

Like my patient, most of us can be blindsided by traumatic events. An accident can leave someone so grievously injured that they are unable to continue the activities that gave their life joy and purpose. A romantic partner can suddenly decide they want to date other people. We can get diagnosed with an incurable illness. Someone we love can die or take their own life.

Even if we are lucky enough to escape life’s harshest outcomes, nothing insulates us from the humiliations and losses that are an everyday risk of being human.

What’s a soul to do? Read More

Peer Support and Resistance: Becky Brasfield’s Vision for Mental Health Justice

Ayurdhi Dhar interviews Becky Brasfield about the dwindling authority of psychiatry, threats to the peer support movement, and what it will take to change the mental health system.

From madinamerica.com
By Ayurdhi Dhar, PhD, January 8, 2025

Becky Brasfield has emerged as a formidable advocate for change in the complex landscape of mental health care. A certified recovery support specialist and policy researcher at the Human Services Research Institute, Ms. Brasfield has dedicated her career to elevating the voices of service users and dismantling systemic inequities. Her lived experience with psychosis, combined with her leadership in peer support, has made her a powerful critic of traditional psychiatric models that often marginalize those they aim to help.

Her resume includes service as president of the NAMI Illinois Alliance of Peer Professionals, the state’s first peer professional association, and recognition as one of Crain’s Notable Black Leaders and Executives. She has been a fellow with both the IL Care and HSRI Behavioral Health Policy programs and was appointed Commissioner of the Southeast Expanded Mental Health Services Program.

But Ms. Brasfield’s work is as personal and political as it is professional. In this interview, she speaks with Mad in America’s Ayurdhi Dhar about her path to recovery, the harmful impacts of medical gaslighting, and why the future of mental health justice depends on centering the expertise of those with lived experience. Read More

Our hearts are with all of our fellow Angelenos who have been affected by the devastating wildfires that have wrecked our community over the past few days. This unimaginable climate crisis has touched every corner of our region – affecting neighbors, family, friends, and, sadly, many of you personally.

As of January 10th, the wildfires in LA County have claimed at least 10 lives, destroyed thousands of homes and businesses, and displaced more than 180,000 Angelenos. Yet, in the face of devastation, our community stands united.

CCF has a long history of making a direct and meaningful impact on individuals and families in need, ensuring that support reaches those most affected. Since 2003, the CCF Wildfire Recovery Fund has provided over $30 million to communities affected by disasters. During the COVID-19 pandemic, CCF also launched its COVID Relief Fund, offering critical assistance to aging populations, single parents, immigrants, and others by covering essential needs like rent and utility costs and providing vaccines to individuals facing barriers to care, including the unhoused and those with language access challenges. Read More

If you or someone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, there are resources available to provide free and confidential support. Call 988 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or Teen Line at 1-800-TLC-TEEN or The Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 for LGBTQ young people.

Making Sense of Employment Research:
“Once a Peer Always a Peer”:
A Qualitative Study of Peer Specialist Experiences With Employment Following State Certification.
with guest speaker Elizabeth Siantz, PhD.

register

Register Here

The last couple of weeks have been challenging for many in southern California. There has been continuous coverage of the magnitude of the disaster, stories of loss and heartache. Through it all there have been lights shone on hope, heroism, and genuine love and compassion. This quote has helped in holding on to hope, foster confidence, and refill resiliency that we will get through and past all the darkness.

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”

Fred Rogers

Be safe. Help as you are able.