Ventures PROS helps people find a better place mentally

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When Susie Short’s therapist told her about Rochester Rehabilitation’s Ventures Personalized Recovery Oriented Services (PROS) program she was adamant that the program was not for her. She was in a bad place mentally and couldn’t see herself improving with the program.

“And then I got to an even worse place and she brought it up again, so I decided to give it a shot,” Short recalled. “I’m not good at walking into new places, period, but walking in there I felt like I walked into home. The minute I walked in there my shoulders dropped. It felt very comfortable.”

As a graduate of the PROS program, Short said she learned how to be more assertive and walk in the door even though it might scare her.

“I just wanted to be a regular person again,” she said. “I needed a place to live that was my own apartment. I wanted to be employed, to be able to have a better relationship with my daughter and other people as well.”

Now she has all of those things. Her relationships have improved. She began a job at Worldwide News as a cashier and now serves as the closing manager. And last year she moved into her own apartment.

“I was really against (the program) because I thought I can do this on my own, I’ll figure it out. But I know now that even if something is really scary it can turn out to be amazing,” Short said. “Even though I’m not a client there anymore they’re still very supportive and I know if I need anything I can reach out to them and they’ll be there for me in a minute.

“I was very determined, and it’s easy to reach your goals when you have their support,” she added. “I wouldn’t be who I am today, I wouldn’t have the things that I have without them.”

Rochester Rehab’s Ventures PROS program is one of three in Monroe County that serve individuals who have mental health issues through classes that address a number of symptoms and solutions.

“The PROS program is for anyone who has a mental health diagnosis … and they’re in a place of recovery where they want to make a change in their lives,” said Lisa Turnquist, director of the Ventures PROS program. “They want to make a change in their living, work or social life and work on symptom management as well. They may want to move into a different home. They may want to become more independent in their living environment. They may want to go back to work or volunteer.”

The Rochester Rehab Ventures PROS program began in 2012 and currently has some 150 participants. Individuals must be at least 18 years old to enroll in the classes and must have a mental health diagnosis. Participants can be referred to the program in a number of ways including through therapy, by primary doctors or social service organizations, and clients can self-refer.

“They provide services that are called psychosocial rehabilitation services, which are either you’re teaching someone a skill they never had or they’re relearning a skill that they once had so they will have that skill again,” explained Cindy Kelly, vice president of mental health services for Rochester Rehabilitation.

Ventures PROS offers roughly 90 group classes each week — currently either online or hybrid — that include topics such as managing depression, managing anxiety, communications, anger management, creative art skills and much more. Also offered are programs that address substance abuse and workforce development.

“It’s the IPS (Individual Placement and Support) model where we don’t look at are you ready to work, we say if you want to work let’s find a job that fits you and then we’ll give you the support you need,” Turnquist explained. “That’s the model that the state is pushing right now, which is a great model. Because if you wait until you’re ready for a job you’re going to wait around for a lifetime.”

Kelly said the program is a bit like going to school or college in that individuals can choose among the dozens of classes they want to attend.

“I think on average about 50 percent of individuals attending are really focused on a vocational goal,” she said. “Vocational can also mean maybe once they graduate they may do volunteer work, they may go back to school or they may be pursuing competitive employment. We have a pretty great success rate with that service, where they assist individuals in looking for jobs, or they will help place an individual then follow them once they have a job and provide job coaching to individuals.”

Charmaine Brothers started her journey with Rochester Rehab Ventures PROS in October 2019. She said prior to that she was at a standstill in her life, and the classes she has taken have helped her to move forward.

“My long-term goal is to get into school and complete a bachelor’s degree in psychology because I want to be a therapist for individuals, mainly kids, who have special needs,” Brothers said. “PROS has been great with giving me that motivation to complete those goals and get back to being myself.”

Brothers enjoys the program because the participants and advisers make her feel comfortable.

“Everybody is great and friendly, and no judgment, which is what I love the most about it,” she said. “Everybody comes from different walks of life. Everybody is welcoming and they make me feel welcome.”

Turnquist added: “It’s hard work opening up in groups like that. Susie and Charmaine had to open their souls and talk about the problems they were having and had to be really vulnerable. That takes a lot — a lot of trust and a lot of guts.”

Most insurance will not pay for the Ventures PROS program, with the exception of Medicaid or Medicaid managed care, Turnquist noted.

“Other insurances, the commercial insurances, have not agreed to pay for us so it’s private pay,” she said. “So that’s a shame.”

The pandemic has taken its toll on agencies like Rochester Rehabilitation, but also on the clientele it serves.

“I think one of the things that’s really been hard about the pandemic is the social isolation that people have faced,” Kelly explained. “I think that for many people that are already depressed and anxious it’s made those things more difficult.

“I think the staff have done a fantastic job of figuring out how to get the services out to people and maintaining those services for them. I think it speaks to the commitment of the team and the staff and obviously Lisa’s leadership,” she added.

[email protected] / 585-653-4021 / @Velvet_Spicer