Copeland Center

promotes personal, organizational, and community wellness and empowerment through education, training, and research.
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Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery

Copeland Center
PO Box 6471
Brattleboro, VT 05302
802-254-5335

Speakers

Copeland Center Trainers, Speakers & Consultants

Gina training small

Gina Kaye Calhoun, National Director for Wellness & Recovery Education

Gina Calhoun for works the Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery as National Director for Wellness & Recovery Education. Previously she worked for the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. She is a certified peer support specialist and has had the opportunity to be part of 19 certified peer specialist trainings, 7 certified peer specialist supervisor trainings and 34 WRAP® trainings. Gina’s unique experience centers around Harrisburg State Hospital (HSH). She used the services at Harrisburg State Hospital for several years before escaping to live on the streets. Gina came back to offer peer support during the closing of HSH and now works on the former grounds of the hospital complex. She attributes her recovery journey to supportive relationships that choose to focus on ‘what’s strong’ instead of ‘what’s wrong’; and for the opportunity to work in a supportive environment where she is part of a team making a difference in PA. Gina was awarded the Distinguished Advocates Award from the PA Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services, chosen as the PA state representative for the National Pillars of Peer Support Summit and had the honor to be the keynote speaker for the National Veteran’s Conference as well as the National Association of Peer Specialist Conference.

2-mattfederici002Matthew Federici, Executive Director

Matthew comes to the Copeland Center from the Institute for Recovery & Community Integration where he served as Program Director. He is an Advance Level Mental Health Recovery Educator and WRAP Facilitator through the Copeland Center For Wellness and Recovery. Matthew’s personal and professional journey in wellness and recovery includes facilitating group therapy sessions, resource management for people entering independent housing; supervising community rehabilitation residents and implementing a supported employment and education program. In addition he has been a member of family and consumer advocacy groups for several years. He has also been involved in promoting Psychiatric Advance Directives though local, state and national consumer and provider conferences and is a Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner. He received his B.A. from Alvernia College in Psychology and Communications and M.S. in Rehabilitation Counseling at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He was awarded Distinguished Advocate Award from the Pennsylvania Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services in 2002 and Exemplary Practice Award in 2007 from the Mental Health Association of Southeastern PA Board of Directors.

Carol Bailey FloydCarol Bailey Floyd

Carol Bailey Floyd is the Director of Programs for Mental Health Recovery and WRAP and has facilitated WRAP since 2003.  She enjoys training facilitators and has been involved with WRAP in various capacities around the U.S. and Canada.Embracing WRAP wholeheartedly as a way of living has enabled Carol to find balance and well-being in ways she never thought possible.  As a result, she is always enthusiastic about introducing WRAP to others – individually or in groups.She can give a two minute, five minute, two hour, three day or week long WRAP presentation!Carol is the WRAP Consultant and Trainer for the Ohio Empowerment Coalition, and with the help of Thelma Rist, is setting up WRAP activities around the state.  When the University of Illinois at Chicago conducted their WRAP Research Project, Carol was the Project Coordinator. As a DBSA (Depression Bipolar Support Alliance) facilitator, Carol has been involved for many years with their support groups and leadership activities.  She is the founder of the Laughing Club of N.E. Ohio.Carol enjoys giving presentations on many subjects – gratitude, journaling, loneliness, fun and creative wellness tools and other WRAP related topics, as well as regular WRAP overviews and other WRAP presentations.
Debbie Andersen
Debbie Andersen

Debbie Andersen is a transplanted Floridian who now lives in Frederick, Maryland. Debbie is an Advanced Facilitator & Trainer with the Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery. She is also a consultant to the Centers of Excellence in Recovery Project of On Our Own Maryland where she provides technical assistance for system transformation. Debbie’s ongoing experience of community support for her personal recovery has created a passion for the development of education and service programs based in peer relationships. She has professional experience working with youth, families and adults in a variety of settings. She is a former Executive Director of On Our Own of Frederick, a peer support center for wellness and recovery. Her strengths are facilitation skills, leadership and program development. She is an animated and engaging speaker on Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) as well as customized presentations on recovery and transformation.

Erica Buffington

Erica Buffington has been actively involved in mental health wellness and recovery for 18 years. She has given presentations in the U.S. and Canada on wellness, recovery and the WRAP in addition to conducting WRAP Facilitator Trainings. Audiences have included individuals who self-identify, family members and professionals. For 4 years (2000-2004) she coordinated WRAP activities in Minnesota through the Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Network of MN.

She is an Advance Level Mental Health Recovery Educator and WRAP Facilitator and has facilitated over forty 3 and 5 day trainings in five years. Erica has also been the instructor for the Mental Health Recovery and WRAP Correspondence Course for the past three and a half years. In addition to her activities in the recovery and WRAP areas, she has co-authored a curriculum on the elimination of seclusion and restraint. She continued to provide assistance until January 31, 2005 to the Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Network (CSN) through grant writing, curriculum development and the training of CSN staff. As of February 2005 Erica has been an independent contractor with The Copeland Center.

In 1990 Erica received a Masters Degree in Mental Health Administration and in 2002 a doctorate in the same field. Her area of emphasis has always been on recovery and individual self care through peer support.

Sarah BrownSarah Brown

Sarah Brown, a lead Advanced Level Trainer for the Copeland Center, previously worked as Prevention, Education and Outreach Specialist in the Dept. of Recovery & Resiliency for ValueOptions New Mexico and as Consumer Empowerment Specialist/Recovery Services Coordinator for Presbyterian Medical Services in Santa Fe. Sarah was the first to officially bring WRAP to New Mexico, training and supporting over seventy-five WRAP Facilitators around the state. She began as a four-hour-a-week “peer advocate” and worked her way up to a full-time program coordinator with statewide influence. Other program initiatives included journal writing and peer counseling. She now resides in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Amy Anderson
Amy Anderson
Amy Anderson is the Program Director of new drug/alcohol treatment center that she opened in February 2010. She is also a provisionally licensed drug/alcohol counselor. Amy first heard about WRAP when the company she worked for asked her to attend a workshop. She remember sitting there thinking, “Wow! This is incredible stuff! I want to take this to others.” She took the Facilitator Training and started facilitating a lot of groups and workshops. In May 2010, Amy completed the Advanced Level Facilitator’s Course. She has taken it into the local jail and is currently working with one of the Nebraska prisons to take WRAP there also. Amy says: “I love WRAP and all it can do for people. I am so looking forward to working with you in September.” Amy lives in Seward, Nebraska.

MEC at Voice Awards

Mary Ellen Copeland, President of the Board of Directors

Getting well and staying well is the focus of Mary Ellen Copeland, PhD- author, educator, and mental health advocate. Mary Ellen’s work is based on the study of the day-to-day coping and wellness strategies of people who have experienced mental health challenges. It centers on self-help, recovery, and long-term stability.

Personally, Mary Ellen has experienced years of mental health challenges and has achieved long-term wellness and stability using these strategies.

Along with many other books, Mary Ellen is author of the celebrated WRAP® (Wellness Recovery Action Plan), a simple self-help system for identifying personal resources and then using those resources to stay well and help you when you feel badly.

Her work has changed the basic tenets of mental health as she has spoken the truth that people with mental health issues can have hope, control over their lives, develop self-directed wellness plans, and recover, working toward meeting their own life dreams and goals. These strategies and skills are being used in the worldwide mental health transformation movement.

Mary Ellen is the author of many self help resources including: