Mental health peer-led health promotion programs are a promising approach to help adults with serious mental illness better manage their chronic medical conditions. Whole Health Action Management (WHAM) is a self-management program delivered in weekly group sessions followed by one-on-one meetings with a peer health educator. WHAM helps participants select a person-centered goal and pursue it by following weekly action plans that utilize personal logs and one-on-one peer support, along with engagement in weekly support groups. In a randomized controlled trial, WHAM participants experienced improvement in patient activation, self-perceived health, hopefulness, and employment status compared to people in the study’s control condition. WHAM participants also expressed high satisfaction with the program, and the majority rated their physical health as better than before the program. Designed to complement traditional behavioral health treatment, WHAM content and instructional strategies respond to documented needs of service recipients, and can be delivered by trained and certified peer specialists. Attend this webinar to learn about WHAM, how it was developed, and how to use it in your program or organization.

Learning Objectives

• Describe the Whole Health Action Management health promotion program’s purpose, organization, and contents.
• Discuss how Whole Health Action Management uses person-centered goal planning and weekly action plans to improve physical health and emotional well-being.
• Identify and access information about Whole Health Action Management and the training that is required to become certified to teach it.

Target Audience

Counselor, nurse/nurse practitioner, psychiatrist, physician (non-psychiatric), physician assistant, psychologist, peer support/peer specialist

Instructional Level

Intermediate; Advanced

Estimated Time to Complete

Estimated Duration: 1.0 hour
Program Start Date: August 28, 2020
Program End Date: August 28, 2026

Ongoing Interdisciplinary Discussion Board

After completing the course, engage with colleagues in the mental health field through SMI Adviser's Webinar Roundtable Topics discussion board. This is an easy way to network and share ideas with other clinicians who participate in this webinar. Access through the discussion tab.

How to Earn Credit

Participants who wish to earn AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, CE credit for psychologists, or a certificate of participation may do so by completing all sections of the course, including the evaluation. A multiple-choice quiz is provided based on the content. A passing score of 75% must be achieved. After evaluating the program, course participants will be provided with an opportunity to claim hours of participation and print an official CME certificate (physicians), CE certificate (psychologists), or certificate of participation (other disciplinies) showing the completion date and hours earned.

Continuing Education Credit

Physicians

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The APA designates this enduring event for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Psychologists

The American Psychiatric Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The American Psychiatric Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

Continuing education requirements vary from state to state. Many state boards grant reciprocity with national accrediting organizations and other state boards. It is the responsibility of each professional to understand the requirements for license renewal or check with the state or national licensing board and/or professional organization to become more familiar with their policies for acceptable continuing education credit. Social workers and Psychologists should contact their regulatory board to determine course approval.

Faculty and Planner Disclosures

Instructor

• Judith Cook, PhD, is a Professor of Psychiatry and Director, Center on Mental Health Services Research and Policy at University of Illinois at Chicago. She is an internationally recognized authority on mental health services research, specifically the study of clinical and rehabilitation outcomes of children and adults receiving community-based care. Dr. Cook reports no financial relationships with commercial interests. 

Planners

• Teri Brister, PhD, LPC, National Alliance on Mental Illness. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests. 
• Amy N. Cohen, PhD, American Psychiatric Association. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests. 
• Tristan Gorrindo, MD, American Psychiatric Association. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.

Reviewers

• Teri Brister, PhD, LPC, National Alliance on Mental Illness. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests. (Reviewed on 9/5/2023)
• Amy N. Cohen, PhD, American Psychiatric Association. Reports no financial relationships with commercial interests. (Reviewed on 8/24/2023)
• John Torous, MD, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. Torous has no relevant financial relationships to disclose. (Reviewed on 8/18/2023)

Accessibility for Participants with Disabilities

The American Psychiatric Association is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website to people with disabilities.  Please contact the American Psychiatric Association at 202-559-3900, if you require assistance seven (7) days prior to the start of a live webinar.

Technical Requirements

This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using any of the following:

• The latest and 2nd latest public versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari
• Internet Explorer 11+

This Web site requires that JavaScript and session cookies be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be: Adobe Flash, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Windows Media Player.

Optimal System Configuration:

• Browser: Google Chrome (latest and 2nd latest version), Safari (latest and 2nd latest version), Internet Explorer 11.0+, Firefox (latest and 2nd latest version), or Microsoft Edge (latest and 2nd latest version)
• Operating System: Windows versions 8.1+, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) +, Android (latest and 2nd latest version), or iOS/iPad OS (latest and 2nd latest version)
• Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher

Minimum Requirements:

• Windows PC: Windows 8.1 or higher; 1 GB (for 32-bit)/2 GB (for 64-bit) or higher RAM; Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content
• Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher with latest updates installed; Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor; 512 MB or higher RAM; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content

For assistance: Contact educme@psych.org for questions about this activity | Contact SMIadviserhelp@psych.org for technical assistance