By
Kurt Sass
I
must admit, I was a little bewildered for quite some time while reading “The
Fool,” Jeffrey V. Perry’s book of, by the book cover’s own description, “Poetry
and Other Works.”
The
reason for my initial confusion was because the book was given to me to read to
review for New York City Voices, and
for the first 95 percent of it I saw practically no writings concerning mental
health. Most of the poetry and essays had to do with the topics of God and love.
While these writings were very well written, with a style showing engagement,
fluidity, strength and insight, I still could not fathom how a review of this
book would benefit New York City Voices
readers.
That
is until I read what Mr. Perry called his “Bonus Material.” Buried within the
final 15 pages of the book are two essays about mental health peers, one in
particular on the topic of the peer as
provider.
After
reading the essay, I would have no qualms in stating that I feel that Mr. Perry
is so well versed on the subject the he could pen an entire book on the subject
alone. As a mental health peer provider, many of his points truly hit home and
got me thinking about items I haven’t (but should) be thinking more about. He
writes about the obligation and responsibilities we have as peer providers, and
that we should not simply be satisfied in “getting in the door.” He adds that
we should also critique ourselves and be very careful not to fall into the same
traps as many non-peer providers, such as acting with our peers only in a
“clinical” mode, or forgetting where we came from.
Mr.
Perry went on to give an example of what helps him as a peer provider. He wrote
that when he sees someone going through a trauma he goes back to his days on
the Bowery and remembers that what worked best in his own recovery were those
who did their job well and with an open mind.
To
sum up, if you like good poetry about God and love, this book is for you. If
you want to read a great essay about mental health peers, this book is for you.
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