Consensus about the value of recovery-based health systems and programs grows, but how are they best implemented?

The goal of many mental health services and treatments is now recovery. This wasn’t always the case. In the past, mental health professionals told people with mental illness and their families that most illnesses got worse over time. People were told to lower their expectations. But now recovery is the goal—and it can mean anything from the complete absence of the symptoms of mental illness to living a full life in the community while learning to live with ongoing symptoms. [Source: Canadian Mental Health Association]

What is the “recovery model” and how does it differ from old school approaches? And how can a recovery model be implemented?

We speak with Chris Summerville, who is CEO of the Canadian Schizophrenia Society, and with Michael Walker, a psychologist who is working to implement the recovery model within the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.

Part One (Chris Summerville)  318_june_16_2011_sm

Part Two (Michael Walker)  319_june_16_2011_sm

RELATED ▪ Out of the Shadows at Last: Transforming Mental Health, Mental Illness and Addiction Services in Canada [a report from the Canadian Senate]

▪ Toward Recovery and Well-Being: A Framework for a Mental Health Strategy for Canada [a report from the Mental Health Commission of Canada; opens to PDF]

▪ The Social Construction of Mental Illness and Its Implications for the Recovery Model by Michael Walker [opens to PDF]

▪ Putting the Recovery Model Into Practice by Michael Compton