Past Conferences

PSR - RPS Canada - 2009 Annual National Conference in Thunder Bay
September 22-25, 2009

Thunder Bay National Conference Places Emphasis on Recovery
More than 250 persons filled the Valhalla Inn in Thunder Bay to explore the theme, "Recovery: Practicing in Recovery," from September 22 to 25. Three keynote speakers provided stimulation for participants, and numerous workshops offered opportunities for attendees to explore the application of psychosocial rehabilitation principles in practice across the country.

Dr. Mark Ragins, medical director of Village Integrated Service Agency in Long Beach, California, was the first of three keynote speakers. Ragin said. "Recovery means you‘re able to maintain some hope, some wellness, some self-care; you‘re able to return to meaningful things in your life and you‘re able to do things for yourself and don‘t need professional treatment all the time,"

Victoria Maxwell, the second keynote speaker, has become one of North America‘s top speakers and educators on recovery from mental illness and successful return-to-work strategies. "One of the key elements of recovery is having a sense of hope that people can get better," she said.

Peter Ashenden, the Conference's third keynote speaker, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, based in Chicago. Ashenden spoke of his illness, his self-destructivebehaviors, his turning point, and how he maintains his wellness today.

Read more highlights from the September 2009 Conference, click here now.

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