Our Story
Before Programs for People, Inc. was founded in 1973, former Director Iris Carroll had worked in the mental health field for many years both in state institutions and in private psychiatric hospitals. She had also seen a childhood friend go through the painful and isolating experience of schizophrenia and was struck by the stigmatizing effects of mental health challenges. She wanted to create a program in which the people served would feel accepted and retain their sense of dignity. A program that would emphasize not only problems but strengths and abilities as well.
Our staff members are referred to by their first names to create an atmosphere of openness and to reduce the feeling of secrecy and mystery that is associated with mental health treatment. We want the people we serve to feel empowered a to choose their own personal goals for change. They can select from an array of services that can help them reach their individual goals.
It is important for us that the people we serve are able to play active roles within their community instead of becoming dependent upon the program as an alternative lifestyle. Before opening the program, the staff borrowed a van and toured the surrounding community to learn about existing services and activities that might be useful for people in the process of their recovery and in the future. They also initiated the community's first "liaison system" between mental health facilities whereby specific staff members were designated as liaisons to each facility. This was to promote the smooth transition of clients from one agency to the other and to coordinate treatment.
The first services to be added were job-related. Although the people we serve want to eventually become employed, it was difficult for them to find and maintain employment for longer periods of time, due to unforeseen circumstances. They needed a program that could accommodate their challenges; thus, the Vocational Services program began.
Teams that support the community includes more than the individual themselves and our staff. It became evident that relatives or spouses of clients wanted to be involved or at least to be informed on how they were using the program.
