How We Inspire Hope
The Mission Of The Thomas M. Wernet Center is:
About the Thomas M. Wernert Center
TMWC offers a safe and welcoming environment for members, much like that of a club or community center, with opportunities to socialize, receive support, obtain mental health education, engage in meaningful activities, and have fun. Isolation can be detrimental to a person’s recovery efforts and peer staff and other members are often the only people members can rely on to foster hope and empower recovery. The many support programs and activities offered at TMWC are important and assist in recovery from mental illness.
Established in 1993, TMWC offers hope and encouragement through the power of peer support to those who have lived experience with mental illness. Those who work at TMWC have a deep understanding of what members are going through and are here to provide emotional support, comfort, and education. Peer support relationships are different from clinical relationships. They are based on mutual sharing of lived experience with mental illness among peers. This best practice in mental health recovery is based on one peer sharing with another peer how they have been successful on their journey of recovery.”
About Our Logo
Transformation, hope, and wisdom are character traits that have been associated with the dragonfly for centuries. Thomas M. Wernert Center has chosen the dragonfly symbol as part of our logo to convey our vision of recovery. The qualities represented by the dragonfly help people in recovery develop a strong sense of self that is not connected to a mental illness diagnosis, and helps us to not self-stigmatize or place stigmas on others. The dragonfly is a beautiful reminder to take positive risks so you can move forward with living your best life.
History
The Thomas M. Wernert Center is proudly named for a man who valued and advocated for the power of peer support in an individual’s journey of mental health recovery. For more than 30 years, Tom served as Executive Director of the Lucas County Mental Health Board, during which time he oversaw the creation of mental health centers and drug and alcohol recovery services for Lucas County residents. Tom also instrumental in establishing Hospice of Northwest Ohio, Rescue Mental Health Services and the Consumers Union of Lucas County, renamed the Thomas M. Wernert Center for Mental Health Recovery and Support in July 2004. Tom was married to Rose Anne Wernert and together they had three children. He died in 1999.Board of Trustees
Thomas M. Wernert Center relies on the experience, vision, and leadership of its volunteer board of trustees. Comprised of TMWC members and professionals from within the community. Trustees are knowledgeable about and supportive of TMWC programs and services, and they are dedicated to helping increase the agency's visibility in the community.
Are you interested in serving on the TMWC Board of Trustees?
Are you a community member or business leader who is looking for a meaningful way to give back to the community? If so, then this may be the volunteer opportunity for you.
The Thomas M. Wernert Center (TMWC) in Lucas County is looking for individuals interested in serving on its board of trustees. Our current group of trustees, made up of community members and TMWC members, are dedicated to the mission of helping individuals on their journey toward mental health recovery and wellness through peer-to-peer programs and services.
TMWC is part of the broader community mental health and recovery services system in Lucas County. Funded by the Mental Health and Recovery Services Board of Lucas County, private contributions, fundraising, and grants, TMWC is certified by the Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services as a Consumer/Peer Operated Service. This certification means that as peers, staff know first-hand the challenges of living with mental health recovery and wellness. We are looking for trustees who will champion the importance of peer-support mental health recovery and the programs and services provided by TMWC. In addition to the standard roles and responsibilities of a board member, TMWC seeks trustees who will be fully engaged in identifying and securing the resources and partnerships necessary for TMWC to advance its mission.
Contact Executive Director Patricia Robb (419-242-3000, ext. 112) if you want to learn more about this important community resource.
What is Peer Support?
Peer support is the "process of giving and receiving encouragement and assistance to achieve long-term recovery." Peer supporters "offer emotional support, share knowledge, teach skills, provide practical assistance, and connect people with resources, opportunities, communities of support, and other people," (Mental Health America).
The Thomas M. Wernert Center is the only stand-alone peer support center in Lucas County. Our staff share their lived experience with members, providing non-clinical peer support.
"Peer support offers a level of acceptance, understanding, and validation not found in many other professional relationships (Mead & McNeil, 2006). By sharing their own lived experience and practical guidance, peer support workers help people to develop their own goals, create strategies for self- empowerment, and take concrete steps towards building fulfilling, self-determined lives for themselves," (SAMHSA, 2017).
Peer Support Workers:
- Inspire hope that people can and do recover;
- Walk with people on their recovery journeys;
- Dispel myths about what it means to have a mental health condition or substance use disorder;
- Provide self-help education and link people to tools and resources; and
- Support people in identifying their goals, hopes, and dreams, and creating a realistic plan and goals for getting there.
Research has shown benefits of peer support may include:
- Increased self-esteem and confidence
- Increased sense of control and ability to bring about changes in their lives
- Increased engagement in self-care and wellness
- Increased empathy and acceptance (camaraderie)
- Increased sense of hope and inspiration
- Increased social support and social functioning
- Decreased psychotic symptoms
- Reduced hospital admission rates and longer community tenure
- Decreased substance use
Work With Us
Are you interested in joining our dedicated staff and helping make a difference in the lives of our members?Learn More