Hi

One of the requirements of my contract is that I give periodic reports on the progress of the organizing for the Educational Retreat. This is the fifth one. Please note that this is an interpretive report, not minutes for the meeting.

1. Website.  Documents related to the Educational Retreat are online.
2. Agenda.  We met Wed. July 25^th at M.H. Administration. Barry was unable to make it due to schedule conflict; Tom and Jose also did not participate. Present were myself, Almalicia Castillo, Luann Hahn (Administrative Services Manager), Stephen Blum (by speakerphone), and Nancy Pena. The agenda was:
   1. Acute Psychiatry Issue
   2. Acceptances & Replacements
   3. Module Texts
   4. Tasks & Priorities
   5. Set Meeting Time(s)
3. Trauma.  I must admit that even if my rhetoric shows a few neat-o flourishes, still I’m not exactly a ‘skateboarder doing the extreme games’. The challenge of facing the reality of ‘trauma of treatment’ puts me squarely up against my own issues around that. As this organizing progresses, I come up against facts & happenings that I hadn’t so directly noted heretofore and they do indeed shake me up. IN particular, I get triggered and I have to put a disproportionate amount of my time and energy into achieving a semblance of wisdom in dealing with them.
4. Acute.  The two top managers of Acute Psychiatry [psychiatric inpatient at Valley Medical Center] Maryann Barry and Michael Meade, declined to participate in the Educational Retreat.
5. Pain.  I’m puzzled by this turn of affairs; as a client activist, I’m hardly surprised. What did move me was that I discovered on Tuesday that Annette Maguire, whom we had picked to do part of the ‘trauma of treatment’ presentation, is in long-term psychiatric lockup. Phil Winn and I went to visiting hours at both wards of Barbara Arens Pavilion (VMC long-term inpatient) as well as the Crestwood IMD, asking for her. We haven’t found her. Note that within the scope of their legal obligations M.H. Administration has been helpful. But also note that it was Annette who back last fall invited Nancy to a meeting at her home and made personal sacrifices to help us ‘put this show on the road’.
6. Volunteerism.  The 80s transformation of social work into ‘volunteerism’ v. career track paid positions has corrupted IMHO the way we relate to our moral obligations to producing a better world. As with the Jobs Now! back in 1995, I have tried to focus this Educational Retreat on constructing a production process that would operate at a higher level of integrity. As that is what is at issue here, let me state my dilemma frankly. I have trouble understanding why the evident stance of these Acute Psychiatry managers towards building a client-driven system is seen as productive. And I am frankly stunned by the bravery and sacrifice evident in Annette’s assertion of the integrity of her being; see e.g. Annette’s pepper.
7. Acceptances.  We worked on the list of acceptances and replacements. Aside from the Acute Psychiatry people mentioned above, we have done very well, although accounting for each and every participant’s intentions remains a task for me. Bob Sillen, the E.D. of SCVHHS, sent us word that he intends to participate “at least part of the day.” Of the facilitators we have found three problems, so far. Besides Annette, Coni Kalinowski wrote me indicating that she has taken a new job and is very sad she can’t make it. And Agnes Arvai Lintz indicated that much as she would like to, she is not well enough to help facilitate this retreat on top of her other duties.
8. Replacements.  We invited Florence Keller, a psychologist from the Acute Psychiatry Division, as a replacement. We also invited Wanda Alexander, the provider who holds the contract for the Central County Self-Help Center. We also selected two client activists to replace Annette and Agnes. In general, this event is attractive to people and many are interested in being involved in it.
9. Modules.  I’ve written up a text for each of the four ‘modules’, to elaborate how each of these panel presentations is supposed to go. Nancy requested originally that this be an ‘internal’ organizing committee document, at least I think while it’s a text-in-progress. Stephen and Nancy are going to help me with the wording on a couple of points, where  :-)  my rage shows through too much. This is part of a larger ensemble of support materials for the presentations at the event. A good deal of my work in the immediate future is going to be to improve the documentation for the panel presentations, the 2×2 group process, etc. This involves also consultation with the panelists because hehehe the construction of these texts is a mutual affair. I can see that as we come closer to the date of the event, my daily activity is going to involve more and more discussion and interaction with the facilitators.
10. Network.  On the good side of things, there’s the subtext of what the clients did this week in Santa Clara County. I have to report the founding of the county client network — Mental Health Clients of Santa Clara County. On Friday we set up a Steering Committee of nineteen (19) members and this is now a going concern! Furthermore this is kind of a networking focused on building the productivity of the reform process, which is something of a new twist in client organizing. Info on this is online.

Well I hope I haven’t offended anyone, but I do recognize that I’m somewhat triggered by the intensity of the events which I have described above.

We set two subsequent meetings: The first is for 12N to 1PM on Thursday, August 2^nd, the second, for 9AM on Friday the 10^th. I can be reached for input at 408-793-6476.

Andrew Phelps