Caring, Partnership, Meaningful Engagement

“Mental health advocacy joins the abolition of slavery, votes for women, and feminism and gay rights as another example of emancipation within Western society”

(Barker et al, 2010)

“The doctors suggest peculiar names to experiences that are exceedingly peculiar to be understood”

(Nike, 2013)

This essay aims to examine, through a student nurse perspective, some of the eventual challenges in implementing a recovery-focused approach in Mental Health Services. This will be done by analysing concepts consolidated in the Literature about Recovery and their application to practice, in the light of some existentially important experiences lived by Nike in a Trust committed to a Recovery Approach and Strategy (NELFT, 2011) [Names and locations were changed in order to keep confidentiality, as by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) guidelines (2008)].

The process of Assessment will be the primary focus, being an essential component for effective implementation of a Recovery Approach towards the person’s wellbeing (Slade, 2010). Special attention will be given to how much the practitioner’s ethos and engagement may influence a Recovery process to be put in place, especially considering the Assessment/Deliberational approach from a Consultant and an Assistant doctor as occurred in the Study Case. And not least, a generic approach to care will be discussed throughout the text, mostly focusing on nursing practice, but valid to any professional/lay-person committed to embrace recovery as means to promote a fulfilling life journey with/towards health.

This work strongly relates to three important authors whose works, nominally or not, developed important scope for a Theory of Care towards Recovery:

i. Patricia Benner, whose phen...

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Slade M (2009) Personal Recovery and Mental Illness – A guide for Mental Health Professionals. Cambridge: University Press.

Slade, M. (2010). Mental illness and well-being: the central importance of positive psychology and recovery approaches. BMC Health Services Research,10(1), 26.

Shepherd, G., Boardman, J., & Slade, M. (2008) Making Recovery a Reality. London:

Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health. Slade, M., Leamy, M., Bacon, F., Janosik, M., Le Boutillier, C., Williams, J., & Bird, V. (2012). International differences in understanding recovery: systematic review. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 21(04), 353-364.

Szasz, T. (1961) The myth of mental illness: foundations of a theory of personal conduct. New York: Paul B Hoeber.