Merriam-Webster provides four definitions for the word stigma. The first three are as follows: 1. “a set of negative and unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something”; 2. “a mark of shame or discredit”; 3. “a small spot, scar, or opening on a plant or animal.”  

 Injury is a trauma, a small opening to a vulnerability. These injuries or traumas provide experiences for us to learn and grow if we are in a supportive environment to manage the vulnerability safely and heal. 

For society’s helpers, like our veterans, those environments either do not exist, or they lack consistent access to the resources needed to allow them to heal fully. Trauma recovery requires time, attention, and commitment to heal just like physical injuries. We must ask where our veterans and first responders can go to receive services for mental health related issues. Are the services easy to find? 

At a time when the public mental health crisis is at its highest, there is no better time than the present to give non-traditional/non-clinical services a try. There are volunteer organizations and nonprofits that can help. Organizations like SAMHSA, NAMI and Lutheran Social Services are just a few examples which can be of significant help.

Let me state very clearly: non-traditional services do not replace therapy when therapy is indicated. Non-traditional services provide non-clinical services and support individuals in learning coping skills that can decrease stress and increase positive health as well as serve as an early recognition of signs and symptoms for mental health concerns. 

The Great Lakes ROTA-RC, and its partnership with the cooperative extension offices in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin is connected to a multitude of evidence-based, education resources and materials that can help you, your community, and your partnerships advocate to end the stigma for your local helpers. What better way to help those who helped others than to create space for services and support that put their health and well-being at the top of the priority list. Right now, the Wisconsin ROTA-RC partner, UW-Madison, Division of Extension, is supporting both direct and virtual education in two key programs, Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and WeCOPE (Connecting Our Positive Emotions). 

Learning to instruct these two courses has been of great benefit to me personally. The desire to serve is innate for most who work in public service. It does not go away with retirement. Instructing these two courses is my way of continuing to serve. Both courses have offered me tools to apply to my personal life as I transition into retirement as well. Having experienced the benefits firsthand from these programs, I am dedicated to serving other helper communities, like our veterans and first responders. 

Article provided by Mike Blaser, April newsletter, Great Lakes ROTA-RC Reporter

If you are in a Wisconsin county and would like more information about direct education for Military, Veterans, and their families and/or First Responders regarding WeCOPE and Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) programming, please contact the Technical Center’s email

This means fewer than half of all individuals living with a diagnosable mental health condition actually access treatment.

Many people do not seek mental health treatment because of negative attitudes and assumptions about mental health, also known as stigma. Stigma can particularly influence whether members of marginalized groups, young people, men, military professionals, and health professionals seek treatment. Stigma contributes to inaccurate perceptions that mental health struggles indicate mental weakness and permanent dysfunction. With proper resources and support, people can manage mental health issues and improve their symptoms. Increased understanding about mental health can help lessen fears and stigma. Reducing stigma makes people more likely to seek support and proper care.

In the same way a person can develop habits to maintain their physical health, they can also develop habits to maintain their mental health. Engaging in regular self-care, maintaining self-awareness about one’s emotions, and fostering supportive relationships all benefit someone’s mental health. These habits can help someone shift away from using harmful coping behaviors. Mental health disorders appear differently in people, but symptoms typically improve with professional treatment. Importantly, mental health treatments must be customized to the individual to be most effective.

View the full resource below; download and share with partners.

Article provided by Tessa Garrow, February newsletter, Great Lakes ROTA-RC Reporter

The DLS program has four pillars: parenting, health and wellness, home and safety, and resource management. With these four pillars as a guide, DLS educators develop lessons to strengthen protective factors in parents’ lives and build up life skills they had not previously been taught. These lessons are personalized to the client’s goals, developed in consultation with their child services worker. At the core of the lessons is the concept of Active Parenting coupled with hands-on learning. Some of the tools DLS educators use include Positive Parenting Program strategies, USDA MyPlate, CDC Parenting curriculum, and other cooperative Extension models.

DLS educators also prepare hands-on to-go kits to take to participants’ homes, covering topics including but not limited to mindfulness, finances, and stress management. Hands-on activities facilitated by DLS educators include role-playing different skills, assigned reading, and other knowledge application activities. Program recipients are typically enrolled in the program for six to eight months before successful completion. Ultimately, the goal of the program is to be an educational support for parents to support family unification, not a therapeutic intervention. Annual reports on the DLS program indicate around $100,000 a year return on investment when reviewing the cost of supporting a child in foster care versus the cost of investing in family reunification. To learn more about the DLS program, visit their website, butler.osu.edu .

Article provided by Heather Reister, February newsletter, Great Lakes ROTA-RC Reporter

Read Mark’s related article: A Recovery Revolution in Illinois

Who is typically involved in a ROSC Council?

“Each council has a lead organization that is supported by IDHS/SUPR. Involving people with lived experiences and those in recovery is key in the ROSC Councils. The councils bring together diverse individuals from the community, including representatives from social services, faith-based organizations, hospitals, employers, families, librarians, law enforcement, and individuals from justice systems. Employers also play a crucial role, as studies show that hiring individuals in recovery reduces overdose rates and recidivism.

Including law enforcement has been effective in reducing incarceration, increasing treatment rates for people who have drug-related offenses, and reducing stigma. Including medical professionals who work in hospital emergency departments has also been key to getting people into treatment as soon as possible after an overdose or other substance use related medical emergency. Bringing in librarians has been a way to engage with people who are homeless, who often seek shelter in public libraries.”

What are unique aspects of ROSC Councils in small towns and rural areas?

“ROSC Councils in rural areas have been able to quickly set up supports that can be harder to arrange in metropolitan areas, such as engaging local transit authorities to provide individuals in recovery with transportation to treatment and employment.”

How could other states replicate the Illinois ROSC Council model?

“The project started small in the first year and a great deal of learning occurred. In the beginning, eight providers selected to develop one ROSC Council in the county they served. Each provider worked with a coach who helped them develop the council. The providers participated in a monthly collaborative call where they learned from each other how to mobilize a community to work together to promote recovery. Each year more providers were added – leading to the 52 ROSC Councils we have today.”

For more information on the Illinois Statewide ROSC Initiative, contact

Michael Deschamps
Administrator of Infrastructure, Planning and Development,
Illinois Department of Human Services:  michael.deschamps@illinois.gov.

Nadia Klekamp
Director of Integrated Community Education
Chestnut Health Systems: nfklekamp@chestnut.org  

Learn more at the upcoming Great Lakes ROTA-RC training:

Recovery Oriented Systems of Care
January 31, 2024

Article provided by Mark Sanders, January newsletter, Great Lakes ROTA-RC Reporter

Substances, like food, influence all of our bodily systems so I see nutrition as a really powerful tool in supporting the whole-person healing of folks with SUD. Food has the ability to reconnect us with others, with our sense of self, with our culture, and our community which has benefits beyond just the nutrient content of what we’re eating. Nutrition as harm reduction certainly entails focusing on nutrient-dense food but we can’t overlook the healing that people get from cooking a family recipe, enjoying a treat or the sense of self-efficacy that comes from making health-supporting decisions on their own.

I would encourage them to become familiar with food access in their communities, learn about the food shelves in your area, the farmers’ market, mobile markets or mobile food shelves, community gardens and other resources. If we want folks to eat nutritious food, they’ve got to have access to it! I would also encourage them to consider framing nutrition as flexible when talking to their clients. I think so many people get turned off from healthy eating because it can be too rigid or dichotomous–it really isn’t! Celebrate small victories with nutrition like adding fruit as a snack or picking a side salad instead of fries. Practitioners may also look into what nutrition education is available for their clients in their communities, like SNAP-Ed or EFNEP community classes! These can help provide practical tips for meal planning, nutrition and cooking skills, often at no cost.

Article provided by Susie West, October newsletter, Great Lakes ROTA-RC Reporter

A few of the components of the elementary curriculum include Talking Circles, Active Learning Activities, Calming Activities and Guided Reflection. In addition, Celebrations of Growth are an integral part providing opportunities for students and staff to apply and celebrate a growth mindset, while Everyday Application and Extension activities allow students to practice their new skills and provide touch points for instructors and classroom teachers to integrate the concepts being learned in the classroom.

Some key steps in the secondary program include utilizing connected adult advisors and student peer leaders to enhance protective factors associated with reducing suicide through strategic messaging campaigns. Using a peer led model, students are empowered to leverage their social influence as agents of change in their school.

Other structure elements of the curriculum are:

· The program is available K-12 but does not have to be implemented at every grade level.

· The cost of training and implementation is currently covered by grant funding. There is no cost for implementation.

· The secondary program is listed as an approved program for the SAVE Students Act.

To learn more about registering for the program, visit sourcesofstrength.org. You can also reach out to PreventionFIRST! Project Consultant, Julie Cameron at julie@prevention-first.org or Kelly Roberson of Sources of Strength Ohio kroberson@prevention-first.org.

Article provided by Amanda Conn Starner, September newsletter, Great Lakes ROTA-RC Reporter

It’s when you recognize that you lost your own humanity that depression really sets in. Your focus on the icky bad awful day took away the spirit you had when you applied for the job. Do you remember, during the interview for this job, you answered a question with the following phrase, “Because I want to help people.” What happened to that feeling? Now you’ve reached a point where you do the job everyday, but without emotion or feeling. You begin to feel robotic and one day you wake up and think your humanity has been stripped from you.  Without humanity, how can one serve humanely?

There are three tools I focus on when restoring humanity to my role and my job. By focusing on these three tools, you can restore your own humanity, as well as serve humanely; driving better connections and a happier work life.

1.) Serve with empathy, 2.) Perspective seeking; seek to understand, 3.) Treat the trauma

Empathy is a difficult tool for many first responders.  It is also the first skill we tend to lose. First responders are problem solvers and look for solutions. Sometimes a solution is not needed, your presence is needed more than a solution. Empathy is very different than sympathy. Sympathy is a lack of understanding and places judgement, whereas empathy is supportive. For many first responders it’s hard to be supportive and empathetic when you have your own challenges to face during your effort to solve problems for others.

Empathic conversations take effort and practice. I cannot tell you to “be empathetic.” I encourage you, when you hear a problem, reflect to that person how you understand the frustration, or how sad this must be.  Tell them you can’t know how they feel, and you are there to help. Ask them what they need, not what you can provide. Practice listening to what the root of the problem is, not focusing on what your solution will be. Empathic listening helps people feel understood and cared for, even for a minute. Empathy is the first step to restoring your humanity by showing humanity to others.

One of the things I heard in police work for years is, “they had it coming, or they chose this.” This is one of the greatest indicators of a loss of humanity and brings me to the second tool, perspective seeking. It is easy to assume an outcome when you have no idea what precipitated the event. This is also the epitome of judgement and stereotyping.

Taking a few minutes to listen to a story, not just the words but what the environment around that story tells you. Your other senses can help you understand the perspective of the person and the problem you are asked to solve. The smells, the sounds, the appearance of the person and the environment, and the non-verbal cues that you are receiving. As an example, speaking to a person that smells unbathed may be unpleasant. Think for a second how embarrassing it must be for the person who is unbathed. What situations precipitated today that didn’t allow them to bath for a lengthy period?  What else could be contributing to today’s situation?

For the perspective taking tool, your goal is to ask yourself questions and be mindful of what could be the answer. Also notice that I said the person and the problem. After years in a role serving people, the person can become the problem for you. If you take just a few moments to think introspectively you may find that the situation is different than you judged it on first appearance. This tool also takes practice. The more you use it, you will find your connection to people will improve and you will be closer to restoring your own humanity through connection.

[1] https://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2021/04/06/suicides-first-responders/, [2] [author to provide resource upon request], [3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8344804/

Article provided by Mike Blaser, August newsletter, Great Lakes ROTA-RC Reporter

As we entered the pandemic, the issue of farm stress became a priority for several funding organizations. Wisconsin took a major leadership role on issues of economic stress as a partner on the USDA-funded North Central Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Center – a 12 state effort headquartered at the University of Illinois. Also in 2020, the Wisconsin Partnership Program (WPP) allocated funding to the Southwest Community Action Program (SW-CAP) and UW, creating the Farm Well Wisconsin program, a project that partners with farmers and community members to develop that support the health and wellbeing of farmers, farmworkers, and their families.

A final highlight was the adaptation of the WeCOPE curriculum specifically for those in rural and agricultural communities. WeCOPE is based on the idea of Connecting with Our Positive Emotions. It focuses on 11 specific skills that are easily learned and practiced. The WeCOPE skills are directly tied to the work of Dr. Judy Moskowitz at Northwestern University. The program is designed to be delivered over seven weekly sessions, though the rural version has been delivered in 90-minute sessions that showcase a handful of tools in the WeCOPE toolbox based on the interests and desires of different groups.

Article provided by John Shutske, August newsletter, Great Lakes ROTA-RC Reporter

The program was designed for communities which may not be using all their resources, have a shortage of treatment providers, experience significant barriers to recovery, or who wish to take a more proactive stance on substance use and develop an effective community-based intervention to augment and collaborate with existing recovery resources. Working with a facilitator, community coalitions create a map of their communities, identifying the gaps and barriers, along with the resources, that make up the community response to substance use. Using the map, the coalition members identify priority areas for projects, and then develop action plans to address those priority areas.

To learn more about how this program was implemented, join the webinar on August 24, 2023, hosted by the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development. The webinar will describe the experience of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians as they worked to create a recovery-oriented system of care to serve their tribe. To see program materials, visit the Community Development Extension Library.

Article provided by Anne Silvas, July newsletter, Great Lakes ROTA-RC Reporter

The Indiana Recovery Network was created through a SAMHSA grant awarded to the Indiana Addictions Issues Coalition (IAIC), a program of Mental Health America Indiana, in 2017 to build a statewide network for Recovery Community Organizations (RCOs).

“IRN now includes more than 100 recovery-focused member organizations that provide wide a variety of services, including training on recovery services, recovery residences, RCOs, and recovery engagement centers,” says Heather. SAMHSA’s four dimensions of recovery provide the guiding framework for IRN: health, home, purpose, and community.

“We continually update the website with new resources as we believe that recovery support is sustained when all the dimensions are covered,” adds Heather. “People can go to our events page to see what member organization are doing through free trainings, group services, or fun pro-social events around the state,” she explains.

Recent updates include information on grant opportunities for RCOs and Medicaid changes affecting people who may lose coverage that was extended due to COVID-19. “We also offer trainings available at no cost with support from our partner at the state Division of Mental Health and Addiction.”

Another exciting development is the RCO certification program that the IRN launched in October 2022 in partnership with the DMHA Recovery Works Program. “We are now up to 11 certified RCOs in Indiana,” says Heather.

Article provided by Heather Rodriquez, June newsletter, Great Lakes ROTA-RC Reporter

I believe that addiction is just a symptom of historical trauma. Until we get to the root cause of our pain, we won’t ever figure out the opioid crisis, we will never figure out alcoholism or any other symptom of trauma for that matter. I believe we have to get to the root cause of our issues. When we start to heal, we heal the generations before us and we heal the generations [to come]. For many families, there have been multiple generations that have been forced to be in boarding school. When we understand the impact of historical trauma like boarding school, then we understand the intergenerational trauma that happens and why those cycles continue. We start to understand the correlation between trauma and addictions, and how we cope with the pain of it all.  I also think that it’s important that we talk about forgiveness and healing and what it means to us so we can understand where we need to go on our healing path.

Article provided by Briana Matrious, April Newsletter, Great Lakes ROTA-RC Reporter

To that end, we must equip them with knowledge and tools. Once we deliver the fentanyl facts to a young person, our hope is that they will never try a pill or powder, but we realistically can’t keep all young people from ever experimenting with substances.  Fentanyl test strips, a powerful tool in the fight to keep young people alive, allows the user to test a pill or powder for the presence of fentanyl, so that an informed decision can be made before ingestion. Fentanyl education and these test strips—up to 96% sensitive at detecting fentanyl in any pill or powder—empower youth to get as close to safe as possible. And as we all know, an empowered and educated generation is the first step toward a solution to this public health crisis.

Article provided by Dr. Beth Weinstock, March Newsletter, Great Lakes ROTA-RC Reporter