Page 144 - ReAwaken Ebook 1st Ed

Liz Asser - Self directed recovery: User’s manual

Often when we find ourselves overcome by life and its

circumstances we can experience a disconnection from self which
manifests in periods of emotional distress, substance abuse and

destruction of relationships with others and ourselves. This is
often why we seek help from family, friends, counsellors or other

professionals. Realising this about ourselves can be powerful in
transforming how we self direct our recovery process. This session will explore

developing your own Wellness and Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) to determine your

goals and values and give thought to how these might be realized using what you know
has worked for you and discovering new ways of being your authentic self.

Liz Asser has been a teacher for over 25 years and currently teaches Mental Health Peer

Work at TAFE in Queensland. Liz is passionate about advocacy for person centred support
services and the employment of peer support workers. Liz’s practice as a trainer,

counsellor and champion of self determination is informed by her own lived experience
and diagnosis.

Joanne Newman - Trauma, hearing voices & becoming a

compassionate agent of change

In this workshop, Joanne will explore her journey of becoming an
agent of change, sharing what she found helpful and what has

helped others in their journey towards healing. This included the
important role of self-compassion and compassionate responses to

the experience of human distress. Joanne is a lived experience
educator, activist and advocate. She has experience of trauma,

emotional distress and hearing voices and received the burden of a psychiatric diagnosis

at age 19. Healing for her is a personal, ongoing journey, of which hearing voices is an
integral part. Discovering the Hearing Voices Movement and being a moderator with

“Drop the Disorder!” have been influential in this journey.

Joanne Newman works part-time at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in the Bunbury Mental
Health Unit as a Lived Experience Educator for Social Work. Joanne has also been a

consultant at ECU - Joondalup within Occupational Therapy and was a prime developer of
an ECU film project. She has contributed to academic research & presented at several

conferences.

144