Journey of recovery

In November 2012, Sumac Place opened its doors in Gibsons as part of Vancouver Coastal Health’s mental health services continuum. This 28-bed rehabilitation and residential mental health tertiary facility for adults living with a severe and persistent mental illness has been a tremendous support for its residents and their families, focusing on the recovery model that is central to treatment there.

Sumac Place staff play a key role in delivering this treatment model, designed to provide support for residents to develop the skills needed to achieve greater independence and quality of life. Staff have also worked hard to create a culture of recovery and inclusion with residents, family members and the larger community, increasing the strength and resilience of individuals undergoing treatment.

Over the past few months, Sumac Place highlights include:

  • The Health Equity Project
  • Developing the first ever Wellness Recovery Action Plan group (WRAP) on the SunshineCoast. (http://www.mentalhealthrecovery.com/) Staff plan to host a WRAP facilitator training in the near future, to train local peer-facilitators and secure this valuable resource for the community.
  • Connecting with other mental health consumers who are not residents at Sumac
  • Starting a more intensive rehabilitation recovery unit, where residents have an opportunity to stay for up to two years and be more autonomous as well as build life skills and coping skills.

Health Equity Project addresses mental health stigma

The Health Equity Project is headed by Mary Marlow and aimed at addressing the impact of stigmatization on mental health service users and their families. Project participants used the Photovoice method, whereby mental health consumers, their families and Sumac Place staff were given digital cameras and supported in creating narratives to express their positive and challenging experiences in, and with, our mental health and addiction care system. Participants are also asked to share their hopes, dreams and wishes of what mental health and addiction care system and services would look like if they truly supported the recovery journey. The resulting art was displayed at Sumac Place during two days of visioning and intense brainstorming where participants came together to create a united vision for Sumac Place.

Tears, laughter, sharing and trust produce shared vision

The Health Equity process was full of tears, laughter, sharing and trust, the outcome of which was a common vision shared by service users, their families and service providers alike. The Health Equity Project participants agreed that our vision of Sumac Place was:  “People working together to restore hope within the hearts of individuals, to discover and develop personal strengths and overcome challenges with acceptance, compassion and joy”.

In addition to developing this fresh and expansive vision of mental-health services, staff members Daanish Ali and Colleen Sasges created a video about Sumac Place people’s perspective on the recovery model, to be used as an educational resource for VCH staff.  The next phase of the project will focus on further Recovery Model and Trauma Informed Practice education as well as creating a strategic plan for implementing our vision and mission statements.

Our residents were able to participate directly in community building by attending a barbeque hosted by the Arrowhead Clubhouse, resulting in the creation of new relationships and a greater sense of connectedness among mental-health service users on the Sunshine Coast.

Sumac Day

In keeping with our innovative programming, we’re excited to invite residents and their family members as well as the community to join us on September 13th, 2013 for “Sumac Day”, during which our Sunshine Coast community will have the opportunity to experience first hand the vibrancy of the people and culture that make up Sumac Place. Food and refreshments will be served, fun activities will be organized, and service users and providers will be on hand to answer any questions about our services.