| Mental Health Recovery Is a FACT, even though | | | | basic learning skills and confidence to go on to |
| Mental Health Recovery as a concept is still unheard | | | | employment or further education should be regarded |
| of in many parts of the world. Recovery is a journey | | | | as a high priority. Basic Maths, English and IT skills have |
| of healing and transformation for a person with mental | | | | become a modern day necessity. |
| health problems and the process of mental health | | | | During an individual's Recovery journey s/he will need |
| recovery is complex and is different for each individual. | | | | to implement their own personal recovery tools. Use of |
| "Recovery is a process not a place. It is about | | | | such recovery tools will enhance wellness, enable |
| recovering what was lost: rights, roles, responsibilities, | | | | empowerment and provide competency for recovery |
| decisions, potential and support. It is not about | | | | and for maintaining their ongoing wellness. |
| symptom elimination, but about what an individual | | | | The Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) was |
| wants, how s/he can get there and how others can | | | | developed by Mary Ellen Copeland. It is a major |
| help/support them to get there. It is about rekindling | | | | wellness planning tool which will enable individual users |
| hope for a productive present and a rewarding future | | | | to identify their own personal wellness resources |
| - And believing that one deserves it. Recovery | | | | (wellness toolbox) as well as identifying individual's |
| involves people having a personal vision of the life they | | | | triggers, early warning signs and "relapse signatures", |
| want to live, seeing and changing patterns, discovering | | | | thus giving a means to monitor and manage problems, |
| symptoms can be managed and doing it, finding new | | | | symptoms and life in general, as well as giving the |
| ways and reasons, doing more of what works and | | | | opportunity to write advanced directives in case of a |
| less of what doesn't. Recovery is about reclaiming the | | | | future, major relapse. |
| roles of a "healthy" rather than a "sick" person. | | | | The adoption of Mental Health Recovery and the use |
| Recovery is about getting there" - Laurie Curtis (1998). | | | | of WRAPs should transform many Mental Health |
| As has been observed for many years, the primary | | | | Systems - and not before time! Comprehensive |
| key to mental health recovery has been the individual's | | | | training of mental health staff is essential to implement |
| own desire for such a recovery. The Recovery Model | | | | the Recovery model and to assist consumers in |
| stimulates, harnesses and supports this desire. | | | | creating and applying their Wellness Recovery Action |
| The Mental Health Recovery Model of care focuses | | | | Plans (WRAPs). |
| on the person, not the symptoms or the illness. Instead | | | | In many ways this may be looked on as a recovery of |
| of the narrow medical model, there is presented a | | | | the Mental Health Services. Hopefully this will allow |
| model for psychosocial rehabilitation. Since first | | | | many professionals to undergo a recovery of the |
| presented, professionals from all four corners of the | | | | dreams and ideals they had when they first came into |
| globe have begun to express interest in this alternative | | | | the services and provide them with a new vitality to |
| model for mental health recovery: - A dream come | | | | put them into practice. |
| true, a non-pathological, holistic approach for recovery. | | | | To conclude, while Mental Health Recovery is a |
| Surely all mental health care systems will adopt this | | | | compex journey and is different for each individual, it |
| model. | | | | remains possible for anyone with the right information, |
| For many clients, an important part of mental health | | | | desire and supports to achieve it. The goal of |
| recovery is sharing experiences and coping-strategies | | | | Recovery is a full integration into all aspects of |
| and Recovery Groups can provide a forum for this. If | | | | community life. The individual may still experience |
| professionals want to set up such groups they must | | | | symptoms but will have the tools to manage these |
| be prepared to take part as an equal member and | | | | and manage life in general within the community, in |
| must be prepared to relax some personal boundaries, | | | | much the same way that many a diabetic can |
| within the rules of confidentiality of the group. | | | | manage their symptoms and lifestyle without the need |
| The role of employment in mental health recovery is | | | | to be a hospital patient. |
| now becoming widely recognised and, providing the | | | | |