BRIDGES

TMHCA's Building Recovery & Individual Dreams & Goals through Education & Support (BRIDGES) was founded in 1995. Since that time, BRIDGES has been implemented in large and small communities across Tennessee. Over 3000 individuals take part in BRIDGES annually. Its success has led to its replication in 12 states and provinces in the U.S. and Canada.

BRIDGES is a self-help program that provides education and support to mental health consumers. It is available to adults who have a diagnosis of mental illness. There are two parts to the program: a set of courses on recovery taught by mental health consumers; and support groups facilitated by mental health consumers.

The 10-week education component of the program includes classes of different lengths, designed for consumers in either community or inpatient settings. Courses offer detailed information on mental illness, mental health treatment, self-help skills and the philosophy of recovery. The goal is to empower students to take an active role in their treatment and recovery. Classes include discussions and exercises to help students apply the information. Many BRIDGES courses are taught in Peer Support Centers around the state.

The other part of the program consists of ongoing support groups. BRIDGES support group meetings provide a structured way for individuals to work with one another to strengthen coping skills and deal with the realities of living with a psychidisability. These meetings supply the emotional “glue” that enables people to ease individual and group feelings of helplessness, hopelessness or guilt. The “Principles of Support” and “Emotional Stages of Recovery” provide individuals with a foundation for building and maintaining a healthy, happy life.

BRIDGES has recently expanded with the addition of Footsteps and PUENTES. PUENTES is the Spanish version of the BRIDGES curriculum. The Footsteps course is five basic workshops with information on recovery, mental health treatment and self-help skills designed for people diagnosed with serious mental illness that are in residential settings including hospitals, residential treatment centers or jails. Students that attend the Footsteps workshops are encouraged to participate and interact. Consumer/student participation enhances the goals of recovery. Footsteps course materials are complete with lecture notes, discussion questions, handouts and other supplies. A teaching team of two mental health consumers that are trained and certified by the BRIDGES program teaches the course.

For more information about BRIDGES in your area, please call us at (888) 539-0393 or email TMHCA at info@tmhca-tn.org

TMHCA BRIDGES
480 Craighead St., #200
Nashville, TN 37204
(615) 250-1176
Email: info@tmhca-tn.org

Funded in part by the Tennessee Deptartment of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities and in part by AdvoCare