Comments & References

"Gayle was able to connect with the audience and provided much sought after assistance in developing comfort rooms.  She gave us good ideas and much food for thought. She was also very responsive to the consumers who attended the Best Practices Conferences.  Representatives from KYCAN and NAMI were appreciative of her knowledge and support of their efforts."

 

                                                                Paula Travis, Training Director, Central State Hospital, Louisville, KY                                            

"Thanks for a fascinating and inspiring presentation. It was focused throughout on practical strategies and the philosophy was clearly based on experience.  Rich examples from a variety of settings were excellent. Your personal warmth and personal actualization gifts made this inspiring!"

 

                                                                Comfort Room Training Participant, (Nurse), Taunton State Hosp, Taunton, MA

     

“When Illinois began focusing on the use of restraint and seclusion reduction tools, Gayle Bluebird was highly recommended as a resource on the creation and use of comfort rooms.  She has consulted at two hospitals and is scheduled to provide training and technical assistance at three others.  We found that her expertise goes well beyond the implementation of restraint and seclusion reduction tools.  She is an invaluable resource for promoting organizational culture change around the issues of consumer involvement and consumer-staff interactions that facilitate recovery.  She has a gift for engaging both staff and consumers in a collaborative process for examining their interactions and learning from them.  I wholeheartedly recommend her to any hospital or agency that desires to evolve into a more consumer-focused, recovery-oriented, trauma-informed service system.”

 

                                                                  Daniel Giffort, Ph.D., State Project Coordinator, Illinois

                                                                 

“Gayle is a Natural Healer:  Wherever she goes, Dialogue Happens!  In her work, she gets to the heart of the matter.  She reaches in and brings out the BEST in situations and the BEST in you!”

 

                                                                 Cindy Mayhew, Recovery Specialist, Alton State Hospital, Alton, IL

 

 

"We needed to bring consumer leadership across North Carolina together to do some foundational work toward establishing a state-wide organization.  Choosing the right facilitator was the key!  We would need someone objective who could help us maintain an even bigger vision than merely rising above the separate pains endured by local and state level repression and poor services.  And we would need someone skilled at facilitating in a mind-freeing yet organized manner.  This is why I chose Bluebird.  Judging by the outcomes we achieved and by the empowering level of our discussions, we made the right choice!"

 

                                                                 Laurie Coker, Empowerment NC, Winston-Salem, NC

 

(Note:  As a result of this meeting, Empowerment NC was created.)

 

"Gayle provided a model for the staff in making the patients feel comfortable and important, which fostered an environment for them to openly share their experiences and actively participate in the exercises in dialogue/role plays and conflict resolution.  Thank you for your dedication to the recovery movement."

 

                                                                 Sandy Thompson, SAMHSA Seclusion/Restraint Grant Facilitator, 

                                                                 Alton Mental Health Center, Alton, IL

                    

(Our) committee quickly discounted a didactic presentation, as it was felt that this would have only a short term impact on staff.  They were unanimous in that staff needed,  face-to-face training in which a variety of issues would be role-played between staff and consumers. We felt that this was the best way to sensitize staff to consumers views of facility rules and their enforcement, a chronic source of friction.  We also felt that role-playing would be an ideal medium in which to present staff on staff issues of; anger management, conflict resolution and de-escalation techniques.  I must admit that during your role-playing I was concerned about covering all the topics on our agenda.  I then realized that during the role-playing we actually did cover them.  I enjoyed working with you.  I think having someone coming in fresh without "baggage" helped the staff accept and enjoy interacting with you. 

 

                                                                 Michael Novinski, Project Director, Seclusion & Restraint, Tinley Park Medical Center, Chicago, IL

 

 

 

Gayle's keynote address '"Paving New Ground: Peers Working in Inpatient Settings" presented at the first Peer Specialist conference in Denver, August, 2007,  was right on target!   It was entertaining and at the same time  provided valuable information our conference attendees could use.  Congratulations on another great presentation! 

 

                                                                 Steve Harrington, Director, National Association of Peer Specialists, Ada, Michigan