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Autumn 2009 | Vol 13 No 1

Focus

“A home, a job, and a friend”

Work plays key role in recovery

By Chris Whittaker

It has been 20 years since I was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Education and employment resources as well as the support of mental health professionals have contributed to my journey of recovery, helping me find “a home, a job, and a friend.”

Education and work are important to people with mental illness because they can be empowering – facilitating understanding, helping us take ownership of what has happened in our lives and lowering stress with the proper support. Meaningful work allows us to create and nurture a growing support network and contribute to our communities.

In the fall of 1989 I was attending university. My parents became concerned about my behaviour and consulted their family doctor. They travelled from Parry Sound, a small town in northern Ontario, to bring me to a local hospital, where I eventually stayed for four months.

An initial “psychotic break” diagnosis from a hospital psychiatrist mystified and terrified me. I found comfort in being discharged and placed with a community supportive housing program – Wilkinson Housing and Support Services of LOFT Community Services – thanks to the efforts of the hospital occupational therapy team.

While in hospital, a student nurse introduced me to Redirection Through Education (RTE), a rehabilitation program at Seneca College in Toronto that supports people with schizophrenia. I attended an initial interview, during which I was encouraged to discuss my mental health issues. Looking back, I can see that this experience not only reignited my interest in school; it also allowed me to take ownership of my illness and position myself for broader work and educational opportunities. I began the first phase of the program in January 1990, and completed it that spring.

I applied as a returning student and was accepted into the library techniques program at Seneca that fall. It was an intense three-year diploma program condensed into a two-year time frame. I graduated in June 1992. For the next two years I volunteered at a college library, developing specialized skills in that environment.

In December 1997 I became executive director of the Consumer/Survivor Information Resource Centre of Toronto, earning a good salary. I hope this accomplishment challenges the common belief that people with mental illness are “permanently unemployable.” Working at the executive level was stressful, but my housing community support worker, family doctor and psychiatrist supported me with practical suggestions for coping with stress and anxiety.

In 2000, my career path led to the Toronto branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association, where I am now approaching my tenth year as a personal experience speaker. With my flexible hours and through the volunteer program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), I was able to do some job-shadowing, which led to my current part-time position as an information assistant at the CAMH McLaughlin Information Centre. I have been there since 2003. I meet regularly with a counsellor at CAMH’s Employment Support and Development Program to discuss job-related concerns. In addition, the Income Maintenance and Advocacy Program at CAMH linked me with income support at the provincial level.

Through volunteer work, I’m contributing to the community. I have been volunteering at the Art Gallery of Ontario for 10 years. Since 2007 I have played piano in a therapeutic recreation environment at Baycrest, a Toronto geriatric hospital. I am also involved with a community support ministry with my local church.

Professionals supporting clients with schizophrenia are in a position to help us develop manageable goals by breaking them down into modest steps and encouraging us at each transition. Quality of life can be improved through collaboration rather than a tiered mentoring relationship. For example, CAMH clinicians promote new, innovative models of recovery, such as the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP).

On my journey of recovery I’m benefiting from a clinical system that seeks my input and gives back through collaborative mental health education. Crucial support also comes from my fiancée, family and close friends and my faith. I find regular fellowship at local drop-ins such as Our Place, Progress Place and Sound Times. I am accepted for who I am. I am not defined by my illness. I am Chris, who happens to have the experience of schizophrenia.