Goodwill’s Rose Gustkey Passes Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association Certification Exam

JOHNSTOWN, PA, October 4, 2013—Goodwill of the Southern Alleghenies announces that Rose Gustkey has successfully passed the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association’s (PRA’s) certification examination, thereby satisfying all of the requirements of the psychiatric rehabilitation program and has been conferred the designation of Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner (CPRP).

According to the PRA, practitioners in the U.S. and Canada consider the CPRP as the crowning achievement of their careers. The association states that more than any other credential or degree, the CPRP signifies a deep commitment to the principles of person-centered recovery that form the core of the psychiatric rehabilitation ethos. Practitioners who have earned the CPRP, act as a role model for others in their field. Their commitment to best practices and the Practitioner Code of Ethics reflects on the entire field of psychiatric rehabilitation as both a professions and as a set of principles for ethical and knowledgeable practice.

Goodwill’s Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services is a component of its state-licensed Recovery and Community Integration Program that is designed to assist individuals 18 and older who are recovering from a serious mental illness to obtain the skills and supports they need to achieve independence in the community. Based on the Boston University Model of Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Goodwill’s Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioners provide a variety of services to help a person develop, reach, and maintain his/her individual rehabilitation goal. Goodwill provides services at the agency’s headquarters in Johnstown and within the community.

Goodwill staff members who have previously earned the CPRP certification are Trish Fisher, Program Director, Recovery and Community Integration; and Psychiatric Rehabilitation Specialists Jason Werner, Courtney McDermott, Melissa Shinholt, and Colleen Wolfhope.

For information about Goodwill’s Recovery and Community Integration Program, please contact Trish Fisher at (814) 536-3536, ext. 229 or tfisher@goodwilljohnstown.org.

Goodwill Industries of the Conemaugh Valley (GICV), Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1962 to empower individuals and families with employment barriers to achieve their fullest potential in the community through work services. Headquartered in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, GICV serves individuals with disabilities and disadvantages, dislocated workers, youth, and other job seekers throughout south central Pennsylvania in the counties of Bedford, Blair, Cambria, Huntingdon, Indiana, Somerset and a portion of Westmoreland by providing education and career services as well as job placement and postemployment supports. GICV is a community-based member organization of Goodwill Industries International, a 179-member network in the U.S., Canada, and 13 other countries. Learn more at www.gicv.org.