Crisis Services
ASERT does not offer crisis services through our Resource Center. If you or someone you love is experiencing mental health distress or thoughts of suicide please call or text 988 for support.
Using the Integrated Supports Star to Problem Solve
The Integrated Supports Star is a tool that was developed by the UMKC Institute for Human Development and is one of many tools that are available at https://www.lifecoursetools.com. It is a tool that encourages us to solve problems by looking for ideas in five different categories: Personal Strengths & Assets, Relationships, Eligibility supports, Community Supports and Technology. This tool can be used so many ways! It is often used to help a person or family to list a variety of resources to help address a particular problem. It can also be used for planning by a group of people who are addressing a particular goal. One benefit to using integrated supports is that it helps us to have a well rounded response to any problem, increasing our options in any given moment.
With COVID-19 leading to so many changes in our lives today, many people are using the Integrated Supports Star to think of how to respond personally and how to guide others with different types of resources. Attached are two examples of Integrated Supports Stars that have been developed and are being used in Pennsylvania: one by Ambassadors from Self-Advocates United as One (SAU-1) and the other developed by the Allegheny County Administrative Entity together in order to assist individuals, families, Supports Coordinator Organizations, providers and other professionals during this time of need.
Additional examples of Integrated Supports Stars developed by people around the country have been uploaded onto the Facebook page for the National Community of Practice for Supporting Families which can be accessed at: https://www.facebook.com/supportstofamilies/
Please share the tools with your contacts and change the tools to be tailored to your life or your community!