Nine principles of a recovery-based approach to mental health care

A recovery-based model towards mental health care moves away from the medical model with its focus on pathology, illness and symptoms. It concentrates instead on our health, strengths and wellness. It also allows us consumers to build the best and fullest life possible—as we define it—whether or not we have ongoing problems or recurring symptoms. Recovery also provides us with opportunities for work, education, friendships, spirituality, parenting, dating, leisure, etc.

Here are nine principles of the recoverybased approach:

• Hope is central to recovery. We can enhance our lives when we see how we can take more active control over our lives and see how others have moved forward.
• We can, and do recover from mental health problems. Recovery and rehabilitation should, therefore, be integral to mental health care and treatment.
• It’s important for professionals to encourage and facilitate our own self-management. However, what works may be very different for each one of us.
• Mental health services are generally not good at promoting recovery. Professionals are generally not trained in a recovery-oriented approach. But they should support us in trying to achieve the goals we set for ourselves, even if they believe our goals are not realistic.
• The relationship between professionals and patients moves away from being expert/patient to being ‘coaches’ or ‘partners’ on our journey of discovery. As patients, we can expect clinicians to listen to us on general life issues and provide us with the information, skills and support we need to manage our condition and become active and responsible in our own recovery. We must expect help from them to access what we think we need to live meaningful lives.
• None of us can recover in isolation. We need to be able to take on meaningful and satisfying social roles within our communities, rather than in segregated services.
• Recovery is about discovering—or rediscovering—a sense of personal identity, separate from our illness or disability.
• The development of recovery-based services emphasizes the personal qualities of staff, as much as their formal qualifications. Staff need to cultivate their capacity for hope, creativity, care, compassion, realism and resilience.
• Family and other supporters are often crucial to recovery and they should be included as partners, wherever possible. However, peer support is central for many of us in recovery.

In general, recovery is a process—a process of re-establishing our identity other than that of patient—of gaining the knowledge, insight and wisdom to direct our own treatment, and of being empowered to make decisions to develop meaning and purpose in our lives. Ultimately, recovery is a very personal and self-defined journey.

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