VIRTUAL-Illness Management & Recovery (IMR) Training Overview

VIRTUAL-Thursday, April 2, 2026, 9:00am-12:00pm-$119 including CEUs
Illness Management & Recovery (IMR) Training Overview
Kerrin Westerlind, LICSW

The trainer will walk participants through an overview of the Illness Management and Recovery practice including the importance of integrating a recovery-oriented philosophy into their practice.

IMR is an Evidence-Based Practice, with numerous adaptations, that has been around for almost twenty years. It was created for people who experience symptoms related to Schizophrenia, Bipolar, Schizoaffective, and Depression.  IMR is a manualized treatment that supports people in setting personalized goals, and application of various skills learned in the eleven topic areas covered in the treatment. Practitioners use a variety of best practices that support this process in IMR, including Psychiatric Rehabilitation, CBT, Motivational Enhancement and Educational strategies.

IMR is a model based on empowerment, as the materials and structure help people envision their future with hope and possibility. IMR teaches participants skills in problem solving, goal setting, and self-management strategies.
Open Sky Community Services uses a model of IMR in which practitioners also develop and work on their own IMR goal.  With over 15 years of applying IMR in this manner, trainers can walk you through this adaptation and structures to support it.  Our trainer emphasizes a balance between personalized, creative interventions and fidelity to the practice and aims to help all participants develop their unique style as an IMR practitioner. 

Following this training the participants will understand:

• The core ingredients of the IMR practice.
• The main take-home messages of the practice.
• Key elements of fidelity to the IMR model.
• Examples of what the IMR looks like in practice.
• Ideas on providing this treatment in various settings.

Kerrin Westerlind, MSW, LICSW, is a Clinical Director at Open Sky Community Services.  For over twenty years, Kerrin has assisted interdisciplinary teams in the implementation of Evidence Based and Best Practices. Kerrin is an expert in Illness Management and Recovery (IMR) and has provided groups, training, consultation and implementation support to agencies across the United States.

Ms. Westerlind has training, consultative and leadership experience in a wide range of treatment models utilized in community mental health settings.  Kerrin’s professional interests include working with people who experience psychosis, trauma-related experiences and focusing on the provision of recovery-oriented and empowering group experiences.  Additionally, her work extends to using trauma informed care principles in culture transformation, to promote healing, growth, and resilience for those using and providing services. Within this realm she has cultivated trainings, experiences, and provided consultation for enhancing employee well-being and helping practitioners and caregivers find ways to integrate self-care, joy, and community care into their life within and out of work.  

Her experience in the mental health field includes over 25 years of work in a range of settings from residential, supported housing, day treatment, outpatient, community-based services for adults and adolescents and clubhouse models.  A shift in her areas of focus this year has led to her overseeing the PBS Implementation within Open Sky Community Services.