Philosophy of Fresh Hope

Take a very close look at the next document, as it covers the philosophy and approach of Fresh Hope.  Familiarize yourself with this, as it is at the heart and center of what makes Fresh Hope uniquely Fresh Hope.

Los Objetivos de Fresh Hope (Visión)

• Equipar y capacitar a las personas (y a sus seres queridos) afectadas por un diagnóstico de salud mental para que vivan una vida plena, abundante y llena de propósito en bienestar y plenitud (mental, física y espiritual) a través de la participación en los grupos locales de Fresh Hope, que son grupos de apoyo entre pares centrados en Cristo, así como en foros en línea, oportunidades educativas y recursos de salud mental basados en la fe.
• To provide ongoing assistance to individuals and their families during times of transition, by providing Mental Health Navigators in local communities who are certified peer support specialists and certified wellness coaches.
• Animar a la iglesia cristiana a abordar la crisis de salud mental en su comunidad, desafiándola a proporcionar un "lugar compasivo, comprensivo, seguro y de apoyo" a los que luchan con retos de salud mental. Esto incluye comprender que muchos desafíos de salud mental se deben al funcionamiento incorrecto del cerebro y no son defectos de carácter, fracasos morales o una debilidad espiritual.
• To advocate on both the state and national level for continued mental health reforms to repair the issues that are “broken” in the system.
• To provide peer run wellness centers in the local communities as a positive place of encouragement, connection, empowerment and learning.
• Unirse a otras organizaciones y voces para derribar los gruesos muros del estigma cultural respecto a la "enfermedad mental".

Filosofía de Fresh Hope

Fresh Hope is a peer-to-peer Christ-centered wellness approach to mental health recovery based upon six tenets that empower people to connect both their faith and recovery principles. This approach both empowers and encourages individuals to live full and rich lives in spite of their diagnosis.

The Fresh Hope approach includes the following biases:

• Peer-to-peer support plays a very significant role in one’s successful recovery
• There is a difference between “just coping” and thriving
• When used exclusively, the medical model can lead to a “learned helplessness”
• La recuperación y el bienestar es un "retomar" la vida propia y vivirla al máximo.
• Los pares que retribuyen acompañando a otros en recuperación a veces reciben incluso más de lo que "dan".
• People who have “been there” often times understand and help more people than those who have not been “through it.”
• Faith in Christ is foundational to having hope in hopeless situations.
• La iglesia cristiana tiene que ser proactiva y llegar con esperanza a los millones de personas que sufren dolor emocional.
• The state and federal mental health systems cannot do “it all”; there are many things they could improve upon.
• Uno debe aceptar la responsabilidad personal de su propia recuperación y bienestar.
• Sometimes you have to simply “push-through” even though you feel horrible or like giving up.
• Es autodestructivo utilizar el diagnóstico de salud mental como excusa para no avanzar en la recuperación.
• Medicine is necessary.  Being over medicated is not.
• Hope not only involves faith, but a plan of how to get to the place you want to be in life based upon your gifts and abilities.
• At times, peers need to challenge one another to move forward in recovery (and many times only peers are able to do this).
• One needs true accountability to safe people who will hold them accountable in their thinking and behavior.