Recovery into Practice

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Introduction
Publications
Research and Practice
Videos and Presentations
Organisations
Links


Introduction

Recovery practice is about enabling and assisting the active participation of people in their own recovery journey. This approach involves assisting people to find the time, space and opportunity to identify their own recovery journey and embark on it.

It asks the “helping community” to work in ways that are fundamentally different. Recovery practice is not something that is considered as an afterthought or bolted onto existing practices.
It asks us to think of our value framework and invites us into an “expansive space” with people in distress.
Inviting people to create their own opportunity within their space, where the goal is to enjoy a wholelife (where citizenship is more real, with more meaning and purpose in their lives).
This approach requires the “helping community” to intuitively work in ways that can hold a space for this to occur. Providing traditional and fixed models do not provide the opportunities for this to occur. In fact they may only serve to contribute to shutting down the space where people can have opportunities to commence and continue their recovery journey.

Recovery practice is therefore as much a learning process for practitioners, carers, and the wider community as it is for people in distress.

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Publications (date ordered)

Developing a Recovery Oriented Service Provider Resource for Community Mental Health Organisations:  Literature Review on Recovery by NSW Consumer Advisory Group & Mental Health Coordinating Council (2009). This comprehensive literature review addresses how to develop a recovery oriented service resource for community mental health organisations.  Starting with exploring the historical background to recovery and ways to define it.  It then looks at barriers and challenges to recovery orientation, principles for recovery orientated service delivery and what needs to happen to make recovery orientated services a reality.  It also provides case studies and recommendations.

Our Lives in 2014: A recovery vision from people with experience of mental illness (2004) published with assistance by Mental Health Commission, New Zealand. This booklet outlines the New Zealand vision for mental health recovery over 10 years.  It focuses on: explanation of terms; the vision; enhancing personal power; gaining a valued place in your community; and services that support people to lead their own recovery.

Destination Recovery: Future responses to mental distress and loss of well-being (2008) published by Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand This document lays out a vision and a proposal on how to achieve it.  The vision is that everyone should experience not only good mental health, but be able to cope with the stresses of life, enjoy fulfilling relationships and a productive working life.  The document argues that mental health services have a major role to play in bringing good well-being for everyone.  However, this can only happen if services are transformed.

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Research and Practice

The Acute Crisis: Towards a recovery plan for acute mental health services in New Zealand by Mary O'Hagan Published by Mental Health Commission, New Zealand.This report presents a way acute mental health services in New Zealand need to be reformed.  Outlining the findings of an evaluation of acute services, the paper argues a need for reform, presenting a way forward and elements of good acute services. 

The Service We Need: Mental Health service users' expectations for the future (2008) Published by Central Potential - Te Rito Māia This document describes the non-government organisation, Central Potential that is run by mental health service users.  It provides a description of its current approach, philosophy and structure and then focuses on the wishes, needs and aspirations for the service in the future.  This paper is an inspiring description of how a peer support service exists.

Experiencing a Recovery-Orientated Acute Mental Health Service by Goldsack, S., Reet, M., Lapsley, H. & Gingell, M. (2005) Published by Mental Health Commission, New Zealand. This research paper/report provides a description of the first recovery focused intensive home treatment service in New Zealand.  The work takes a collaborative whole life approach.

Stopovers On My Way Home From Mars: A journey into the psychiatric survivor movement in the USA, Britain and Netherlands by Mary O'Hagan Funded by The Winston Churchhill Memorial Trusts, Mary O'Hagan's book describes her journey of exploration of the psychiatric survivor movement in the USA, Britain and the Netherlands.  Drawing on personal stories, this interesting book explores: Our Madness; Our Movement and Our Management.

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Videos and Presentations

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Organisations

Windhorse Associates – Integrative Mental Health This service believes that it is possible to significantly recover from life-disrupting psychiatric distress (conventionally known by such diagnoses as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression, severe anxiety and psychosis). Their approach offers mindfulness-based therapeutic skills and recovery orientated treatment, while living in the surrounding community.

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Links

Mad in America website This website provides a resource and a community in rethinking psychiatry care.  Features include news, stories of recovery, access to source documents and informed writings of bloggers.  Bloggers include people with lived experience of using psychiatry, peer specialists, psychiatry, psychologists, social workers, program managers, social activites, attorneys and journalists.

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