Supporting Recovery

Overview

Supporting a service user/patient with a recovery plan  is a holistic, person-centred approach.

For a person to be at a stage to consider recovery they will need to think about whether they believe it is possible to recover and the most effective way to recover. In most cases a person can recovery to some degree.

Goals for recovery often include helping the individual to look beyond their current limitations and encourage them to strive for and achieve personal ambitions and inspire them that recovery is possible.

The steps to recovery will be described to you as part of your training but broadly they cover four main elements; hope, self identity (self image), meaning (or purpose) and personal responsibility.

People with their own experience of poor mental health (peers) can directly contribute to the recovery of others.  Through peer involvement discussions can take place regarding  whether the person may benefit from mutual self-help groups, peer support specialists or peer run programmes.

Why is this important

Supporting recovery is part of a support workers role.  Understanding how to empower the person to move towards the idea of recovery and developing a recovery plan will provide the individual with hope. The individual needs to be in a position to be able to take personal responsibility for their recovery for it to be effective and lead a life that is meaningful to them – whatever that looks like.

One of the primary goals of mental health services is to support personal recovery.  Through developing individuals to understand that in order to recover they need to be able to develop self management skills in their own life and use mental health services as and when they are in need.

Skills Review

Having completed this sub-topic I will understand the importance of these skills.

• I am able to encourage a patient/service user to consider a recovery plan and talk appropriately about my own experience in order to encourage and provide hope.