Principles Of Recovery Oriented Mental Health Practice

Recovery oriented mental health practice: 

• recognizes that recovery is not necessarily about cure but is about having opportunities for choices and living a meaningful, satisfying and purposeful life, and being a valued member of the community

• accepts that recovery outcomes are personal and unique for each individual and go beyond an exclusive health focus to include an emphasis on social inclusion and quality of life

• empowers individuals so they recognise that they are at the centre of the care they receive. 

2. Real choices 

Recovery oriented mental health practice: 

• supports and empowers individuals to make their own choices about how they want to lead their lives and acknowledges choices need to be meaningful and creatively explored

• supports individuals to build on their strengths and take as much responsibility for their lives as they can at any given time

• ensures that there is a balance between duty of care and support for individuals to take positive risks and make the most of new opportunities.

3. Attitudes and rights

Recovery oriented mental health practice:

• involves listening to, learning from and acting upon communications from the individual and their carers about what is important to each individual

• promotes and protects individual’s legal, citizenship and human rights

• supports individuals to maintain and develop social, recreational, occupational and vocational activities which are meaningful to the individual

• instils hope in an individual’s future and ability to live a meaningful life.

4. Dignity and respect

Recovery oriented mental health practice:

• consists of being courteous, respectful and honest in all interactions

• involves sensitivity and respect for each individual, particularly for their values, beliefs and culture

• challenges discrimination and stigma wherever it exists within our own services or the broader community.

5. Partnership and communication

Recovery oriented mental health practice:

• acknowledges each individual is an expert on their own life and that recovery involves working in partnership with individuals and their carers to provide support in a way that makes sense to them

• values the importance of sharing relevant information and the need to communicate clearly to enable effective engagement

• involves working in positive and realistic ways with individuals and their carers to help them realise their own hopes, goals and aspirations.

6. Evaluating recovery

Recovery oriented mental health practice:

• ensures and enables continuous evaluation of recovery based practice at several levels

• individuals and their carers can track their own progress

• services demonstrate that they use the individual’s experiences of care to inform quality improvement activities

• the mental health system reports on key outcomes that indicate recovery including (but not limited to) housing, employment, education and social and family relationships as well as health and well being measures.