From Recovery Programs to Recovery-Oriented Practice? A Qualitative Study of Mental Health Professionals' Experiences When Facilitating a Recovery-Oriented Rehabilitation Program

Abstract

IntroductionThe recovery model has influenced mental health services and fostered new standards for best practice. However, knowledge about how mental health care professionals (HCPs) experience recovery-oriented programs is sparse. Aim/QuestionThis paper explores HCPs' experiences when facilitating a recovery-oriented rehabilitation program. The research question is how do HCPs experience a change in their attitude and practice when applying recovery-oriented programs? MethodsThis paper draws on semi-structured in-depth qualitative interviews conducted with 16 HCPs experienced in facilitating a recovery-oriented rehabilitation program in either the USA or Denmark. ResultsThree themes emerged from the HCPs' reflections on changes in attitudes and practices: “Hopeful Attitude” captures a change in the HCPs' attitude toward a more positive view on the future for clients' living with mental illness; “A New Focus in the Dialogue With Clients” thematizes how the HCPs focus more on the individual's own goal for recovery rather than disease-induced goals in the dialog with clients; “A Person-Centered Role” comprises a shift in the professional role whereby the HCPs value the client's own ideas in addition to the professional's standards. ConclusionThis study supports the theory of the recovery model by its empirical findings and indications that when facilitating a recovery-oriented program, HCPs experience recovery-oriented changes in their attitude toward life with mental illness, and it alters their professional practice toward a stronger focus on client's own goals during treatment. More studies are needed to further clarify how changes in HCPs' attitudes translate into changes in mental health practices.