Author: Steven Loney, MBA
Our Vision
We strive to change the narrative for people who have a lived experience with mental health. Our members and employees work side by side to change the narrative on how persons with a lived mental health experience are viewed and accepted within our community. We believe everyone impacted by mental health symptoms has the right to equity and personal choice, this is the core of who we are.
Our Mission
Promoting Hope and Recovery through Mutual Respect, Trust, and Empowerment.
Our Values
Ensuring a safe and trusting environment for dreams to be discovered
“Believe Mental Health Recovery is Possible”
Our humble beginning centered on including voices of people with mental health experiences, creating opportunities for learning, friendships, and personal discovery of one’s fullest potential. We started as a small Clubhouse with a few members and one employee. Building from the ground up required vision, passion, help and contribution from the clubhouse members who are essential to its operation and function. Our founding principle is equity, by providing opportunity for wellness where each person finds purpose and confidently expressing one’s path in life.
We believe mental health recovery is possible for everyone, our passion and dedication to the dreams of those seeking recovery has guided Kiesler to grow into the wellness center it is today.
Our vision is to offer our community a unique systems delivery model centered on the needs of our community and consumers. We continue to seek input from program participants, community stakeholders and the Department of Health and Human Services to create an innovative model of Wellness built for Itasca County residents. Kiesler is unparalleled in Minnesota’s mental health services. As we have grown and expanded our services, we continue to hold our core values close.
Kiesler Wellness Center continues to expand to provide our model of services to a greater number of people in our community. Our person-centered collaborative team approach to recovery transcended traditional models by focusing on a peer driven approach to wellness built in our clubhouse. Kiesler was among the first in Minnesota to train and hire persons with a lived mental health experience. With the support of Northland Counseling Center and the Blandin foundation we trained and hired 12 people who had previously received mental health services: known today as our Certified Peer specialists.
Our philosophy of wellness has deep roots, such as teamwork keeps the clubhouse moving forward, everyone contributes something, and building on a person’s talents and skills creates intrinsic value self-esteem and self-efficacy. We focus on finding the positive in everyone each day and how everything we do affects our behavior, moods, feelings and relationships.
We accept each individual for who they are and what they have experienced in life placing them at the center of choice and opportunity. Mental health recovery is an individual journey to discover ones best self. Resources and guidance through learning, teaching, role modeling and participating occur through the events, projects and peer leadership a person encounters at Kiesler Wellness Center.
Our Recovery Beliefs
- Strive to create a space everyone belongs.
- Listening to voices of those who have a lived experience with mental health.
- Understand the cultural differences and how it impacts mental health recovery journey.
- Peer Driven learning from each other understanding how individual experiences give us a unique perspective on life and mental health recovery.
- A person is not their mental health diagnosis.
- Each person is respected for who they are- Everyone is someone’s child or is a mother or father with valuable life experiences and strengths.
- Everyone has a right to find their purpose in life and are worthy to live their best lives.
- Non-judgmental space where you are accepted for who you are and what you have experienced. “don’t try to change me”.
- Work on the goals each person finds most important first. What you or I find important is based on our life experiences not theirs.
- Always build on positive strengths.
- Everyone has the ability and contribute no matter how big or small.
- A safe place to learn new skills.
- Ensure that resources are available.
- Work towards community integration and become part of your community.
- Teach others how to advocate for community causes such as ending suicides.
- A safe place free from violence, threats, harassment, and exploitation.
- Notice the small things – focus on small positive steps in progress.
- After a setback in recovery or goals focus on what was learned from the experience.
- Give your attention fully to the person, be aware and present.
- We are all human and strive to use humility and be humble.
- Awareness of the power a recovery story can have and the lessons we learn.
- Work is healing – pride in accomplishment builds esteem.
- Role Model behaviors and expectations.
- Learn from one another.
- Build a positive community.
- Encourage self-care in all areas of life.
As we move into the future, our dedicated Kiesler members and employees continue to innovate and advocate to change the narrative on mental health; with efforts to erase social injustices of bias and discrimination of those who are impacted by mental health.
Frank Kiesler
Kiesler Wellness Center, known as Kiesler Clubhouse from 1994 until May 2017, was proudly named after Dr. Frank Kiesler. The name Kiesler embodies our vision to innovate approaches to providing mental health services—person-centered, recovery focused, and wellness driven. Dr. Frank Kiesler was a trailblazer of mental health services and always knew how to treat the person, not just the symptoms.
Services offered out of Kiesler Wellness Center
- Community participation and Leadership
- Social Engagement and experiential learning
- Employment Placement (NOW)
- Certified Peer Support specialists (PSS)
- Adult Mental Health Rehabilitative Services (ARMHS)
- Kiesler Clubhouse
- Behavioral Health Homes (BHH)
- Certified Family Peer Support (CFPS)
- Therapy – upon request
