Recovery

Abstract

We introduce the new meaning of recovery and reflect on its potential to develop current thinking and practice in mental health with adults, and look at its implications for service providers and service users. We analyse the relevance of this concept to the context of the UK government’s policy to move disabled people, including mental health service users, from ‘welfare to work’. The social and economic climate that drives this policy agenda and the implications for society of the focus on employment are outlined, as we reflect on the role of work in supporting or hindering the recovery process and identity re-formation, in part through the experience of the first author. We conclude by suggesting how practice can enable a process of returning to ordinary living, including employment, that supports recovery through a process of shared responsibilities.