Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

CMHS Consumer Affairs E-News
February 16, 2006, Vol. 06-20

SAMHSA Issues Consensus Statement on Mental Health Recovery

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration today unveiled a consensus statement outlining principles necessary to achieve mental health recovery. The consensus statement was developed through deliberations by over 110 expert panelists representing mental health consumers, families, providers, advocates, researchers, managed care organizations, state and local public officials and others.

"Recovery must be the common, recognized outcome of the services we support," SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie said. "This consensus statement on mental health recovery provides essential guidance that helps us move towards operationalizing recovery from a public policy and public financing standpoint. Individuals, families, communities, providers, organizations, and systems can use these principles to build resilience and facilitate recovery."

The 10 Fundamental Components of Recovery include:

. Self-Direction: Consumers lead, control, exercise choice over, and
determine their own path of recovery by optimizing autonomy,
independence, and control of resources to achieve a self-determined life.
By definition, the recovery process must be self-directed by the individual,
who defines his or her own life goals and designs a unique path towards
those goals.

. Individualized and Person-Centered: There are multiple pathways to
recovery based on an individual's unique strengths and resiliencies as well
as his or her needs, preferences, experiences (including past trauma), and
cultural background in all of its diverse representations. Individuals also
identify recovery as being an ongoing journey and an end result as well as
an overall paradigm for achieving wellness and optimal mental health.

. Empowerment: Consumers have the authority to choose from a range of
options and to participate in all decisions-including the allocation of
resources-that will affect their lives, and are educated and supported in so
doing. They have the ability to join with other consumers to collectively and
effectively speak for themselves about their needs, wants, desires, and
aspirations. Through empowerment, an individual gains control of his or her
own destiny and influences the organizational and societal structures in his
or her life.

. Holistic: Recovery encompasses an individual's whole life, including mind,
body, spirit, and community. Recovery embraces all aspects of life,
including housing, employment, education, mental health and healthcare
treatment and services, complementary and naturalistic services (such as
recreational services, libraries, museums, etc.), addictions treatment,
spirituality, creativity, social networks, community participation, and family
supports as determined by the person. Families, providers, organizations,
systems, communities, and society play crucial roles in creating and
maintaining meaningful opportunities for consumer access to these supports.

. Non-Linear: Recovery is not a step-by step process but one based on
continual growth, occasional setbacks, and learning from experience.
Recovery begins with an initial stage of awareness in which a person
recognizes that positive change is possible. This awareness enables the
consumer to move on to fully engage in the work of recovery.

. Strengths-Based: Recovery focuses on valuing and building on the multiple
capacities, resiliencies, talents, coping abilities, and inherent worth of
individuals. By building on these strengths, consumers leave stymied life
roles behind and engage in new life roles (e.g., partner, caregiver, friend,
student, employee). The process of recovery moves forward through
interaction with others in supportive, trust-based relationships.

. Peer Support: Mutual support-including the sharing of experiential
knowledge

and skills and social learning-plays an invaluable role in recovery. Consumers encourage and engage other consumers in recovery and provide each other with a sense of belonging, supportive relationships, valued roles, and community.

. Respect: Community, systems, and societal acceptance and appreciation of
consumers -including protecting their rights and eliminating discrimination
and stigma-are crucial in achieving recovery. Self-acceptance and
regaining belief in one's self are particularly vital. Respect ensures the
inclusion and full participation of consumers in all aspects of their lives.

. Responsibility: Consumers have a personal responsibility for their own self
-care and journeys of recovery. Taking steps towards their goals may
require great courage. Consumers must strive to understand and give
meaning to their experiences and identify coping strategies and healing
processes to promote their own wellness.

Hope: Recovery provides the essential and motivating message of a better future- that people can and do overcome the barriers and obstacles that confront them. Hope is internalized; but can be fostered by peers, families, friends, providers, and others. Hope is the catalyst of the recovery process.

The National Consensus Statement on Mental Health Recovery is available at SAMHSA's National Mental Health Information Center at www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov or 1-800-789-2647.
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The Center for Mental Health Services is a component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, United States Department of Health and Human Services.