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The purpose of this paper is to review the literature in terms of the conceptualization of the recovery concept among cultural and ethnic minorities drawing on the connectedness, hope and optimism about the future; Identity, meaning in life, empowerment (CHIME) framework; highlight the cultural adaptations of supported housing – a prominent recovery-oriented intervention, as it was implemented in a multicultural western country; and delineate the future implications for research, policy and practice in regard to mental health recovery interventions for cultural and ethnic minorities.

An online search was performed to identify recent empirical studies published in English in peer-reviewed journals.

Included studies confirmed what the authors of CHIME had initially reported: spirituality and support networks could act as enablers or inhibitors in the recovery process of mental health services users with diverse cultural backgrounds. The stigma surrounding mental illness is a key challenge that skews the recovery experience. Other cultural-specific factors include linguistic peculiarities of the maternal language and gender. The cultural adaptation of a recovery-oriented intervention was feasible and effective but also challenging.

By studying the cultural variations of mental health recovery, the intention is to inform mental health practitioners and other key stakeholders of the distinct cultural components that influence the recovery process, thereby promoting the development of culturally sensitive, accessible and effective recovery-oriented interventions. It is worth noting that providing culturally appropriate mental health services could be viewed as a human right issue for minority groups.

The purpose of this paper is to summarise the development of a recovery-oriented and socially inclusive acute care clinical psychology service in one of the NHS Trusts based in East Anglia. It demonstrates the service's compliance with relevant national policies and guidelines, and addresses some of the criticisms directed at acute mental health care in recent years. Both achievements and difficulties are reflected on.

The paper employs an organisational development case example related to applicable clinical practice model, based on national guidelines and policies, in order to demonstrate that it is possible to develop and implement a recovery-oriented clinical psychology practice in acute inpatient mental health care. This is based on the authors, experiences as a public sector clinical psychologists specialising in complex, severe, and enduring mental health needs.

Clinical psychologists may effectively contribute to the development of psychosocially informed and recovery-based multidisciplinary attitudes towards emotional difficulties of individuals admitted to psychiatric wards.

Future service development project of similar nature ought to implement standardised measures (e.g. ward atmosphere scales) to increase validity of findings.

Despite limited, and continuously decreasing, resources in the NHS it appears possible to develop and establish a successful and objectively replicable provision of recovery-based psychological services across an entire acute care mental health pathway.

Recovery-enhancing clinical psychology interventions should not be limited to those receiving care from community-based services only. Building psychologically informed understanding of mental health needs should be employed on inpatient wards too, in order to counterbalance the dominating biomedical models of mental illness.

Dissemination of examples of effective psychosocial practice in acute mental health settings appears largely underrepresented.

Despite the high prevalence of co-occurring disorders and the need for systems of care to integrate mental health and addiction services, integration remains a challenge. The purpose of this paper is to address this challenge by focussing on shared processes of recovery.

After reviewing commonalities between mental health and substance use recovery, integration of treatment with recovery supports under the rubric of a “recovery-oriented system of care” is described. Philadelphia's Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services is then used as an example to illustrate strategies for achieving two forms of integration: mental health and addiction and treatment and recovery supports.

Viewed through the lens of people with mental health and addiction challenges, the services and supports that promote recovery are very similar. One of the common themes that emerged was the need for these services to go beyond helping people manage their symptoms or achieve abstinence, to also helping them to rebuild their lives in their communities. In addition to co-location and increased collaboration, service providers must possess common values, a consistent approach, and a shared vision for the people they serve.

Systems need to find innovative and effective ways to integrate recovery support services with treatment and other interventions, hopefully transforming existing services in the process.

In the process of developing a truly integrated behavioral health system, a shared vision across all sectors of the system must shift away from the field's historical focus on illness and problems to a new focus on strengths and possibilities.

This paper aims to evaluate the impact of an eight-week gardening and woodwork group programme on individuals’ recovery goals in an adult community mental health setting.

Seven individuals participated in the research. The programme was designed and facilitated by two occupational therapists (the authors) and one horticulture and trade skills facilitator. The goal attainment scale was used as a quantitative outcome measure as it allowed individuals to collaboratively set occupation-focused recovery-oriented goals. Due to the small sample size, descriptive statistics were used to analyse this data. Qualitative feedback was gathered through participant feedback forms when the programme ended.

Quantitative findings indicate positive results for individuals’ progression towards their recovery goals, with six out of seven participants either achieving or exceeding their goals. One person who attended only one out of eight groups had “worse than expected” goal achievement.

While there is evidence for the use of gardening and woodwork group therapy in mental health settings, most studies have relied on symptom-focused questionnaires or qualitative results rather than quantifiable recovery-oriented measures (Cipriani et al., 2017; Kamioka et al., 2014; Parkinson et al., 2011). It is hoped that this paper begins to bridge that gap and also outlines how recovery principles, gardening and woodwork can be incorporated into occupational therapy group programmes. This is of particular merit during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to a greater need for group intervention in outdoor settings, where social distancing can be comfortably facilitated.

The purpose of this paper is to undertake a preliminary evaluation of a novel intervention – Recovery Inspiration Group, which uses recovery stories to promote hope and inspiration for recovery among people with complex mental health difficulties.

The Recovery Inspiration Group was delivered to women on a specialist personality disorder inpatient unit, who were concurrently participating in a dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) Programme. In total, 12 service users participated in the RIG and as part of the intervention, wrote down key reflections after hearing each recovery story. A thematic analysis of these reflections formed the primary basis of the evaluation. Descriptive statistics derived from a service user feedback survey (n=6) supplemented the qualitative findings.

Three themes were identified in the qualitative data, suggesting that participants had engaged with recovery-oriented reflections and experiences: recovery stories as validating and inspiring; Generalisation of DBT skills; shifting perspectives of recovery: doing better rather than being better. The survey results unanimously endorsed the RIG as a worthwhile and validating experience, which participants would recommend to other service users.

Recovery Inspiration Group appears to be a low-cost and easily replicable intervention with the potential to promote hope and inspiration for recovery among people with complex mental health difficulties.

Recovery Inspiration Group is a novel approach to harnessing the wisdom of people with lived experience of mental health difficulties, to foster hope among users of mental health inpatient services.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on individuals who experience mental health difficulties with the services they receive from “support workers” as part of a personal recovery model, this study will obtain individuals reflections, experiences and opinions on how support helps them stay well and facilitates their personal recovery process. Recovery is seen through the lens of the CHIME framework (Connectedness–Hope–Identity–Meaning–Empowerment).

The sample size included 13 people who experience mental health difficulties and are receiving support from mental health care services. The structured interview was designed based on the INSPIRE measurement and the CHIME framework structure. The qualitative content analyses, discursive framing approach and CHIME as a framework made it possible to examine the key activities of recovery-oriented support work revealed in the data.

Participants valued the enhancement of hope provided by support workers and also expressed it was important as they were non-judgemental. Identity and meaning in recovery could be enhanced by sharing powerful stories about the individuals’ own life and health experiences, and those of support workers or others. Inclusive behaviour in public spaces and trying out new interest-based activities together were considered as empowering.

This research helps to understand the value of personal recovery support activities given the societal changes (tension between survival vs self-expression values) and highlights the need for value-based recovery-oriented education and practice.

Over the past decade, the push for recovery-oriented services has birthed a growth in the recruitment of peer providers in mental health services: Persons who live with and manage their mental health challenges and are employed to support persons currently using mental health services. The aim of this paper is to compare the responses of government and non-government organisations to the implementation of peer provision.

Employing a qualitative study design, 15 people who supervised peer providers or who were strategically involved in peer provision were recruited using snowball sampling. Participants completed an in-depth interview that explored how peer provision services operated at their organisation and factors that shaped the way peer provision operates. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using Moore's Strategic Triangle. Synthesised member checking and researcher triangulation ensued to establish trustworthiness.

The way in which peer provision operated sat along a continuum ranging from adoption (where practices are shaped by the recovery ethos) to co-option (where recovery work may be undertaken, but not shaped by the recovery ethos). Political and legal mandates that affected the operational capacities of each organisation shaped the way peer provision services operated.

The findings of the study highlight the need to reconsider where peer provision services fit in the mental health system. Research investigating the value of peer provision services may attract the support of funders, service users and policy makers alike.

In employing Moore's strategic triangle to evaluate the alignment of policy (the authorising environment) with the operational capacity and practice of peer provision services (the task environment), this study found that organisational response to peer provision is largely influenced by political and legal mandates externally. The successful implementation of peer provision is mediated by effective supervision of peer providers.

Recovery is an important concept within mental healthcare policy. There is a growing expectation that clinicians adopt approaches that align with the recovery principles, despite significant disagreements about what recovery-oriented interventions might look like in practice. It is also unclear how recovery may be relevant to personality disorder. This paper aims to discuss these issues.

In total, 16 clinicians were interviewed at two mental health services in Melbourne, Australia. These clinicians had specialist training and experience in the treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and provided insight regarding the meaning and relevance of the recovery paradigm in the context of BPD. Thematic analysis within a grounded theory approach was used to understand key themes identified from the interview data.

Thematic analysis suggested that clinicians understand recovery in three distinct ways: as moving towards a satisfying and meaningful life, as different ways of relating to oneself and as remission of symptoms and improved psychosocial functioning. Clinicians also identified ways in which recovery-related interventions in current use were problematic for individuals diagnosed with BPD. Different approaches that may better support recovery were discussed. This study suggests that practices supporting recovery in BPD may need to be tailored to individuals with BPD, with a focus on cultivating agency while acknowledging the creative nature of recovery.

Clinicians are in a strong position to observe recovery. Their insights suggest key refinements that will enhance the ways in which recovery in BPD is conceptualized and can be promoted.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the adoption and implementation of computer-assisted therapy (CAT) using Breaking Free Online (BFO) in a social care and health charity working with people affected by drugs and alcohol dependence, Crime Reduction Initiatives (CRI).

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with service managers, practitioners, peer mentors and service users. Data were thematically analysed and themes conceptualised using Roger's Diffusion of Innovation Theory (Rogers, 1995, 2002, 2004).

A number of perceived barriers to adoption of BFO throughout CRI were identified within the social system, including a lack of IT resources and skills. However, there were numerous perceived benefits of adoption of BFO throughout CRI, including broadening access to effective interventions to support recovery from substance dependence, and promoting digital inclusion. Along with the solutions that were found to the identified barriers to implementation, intentions around longer-term continuation of adoption of the programme were reported, with this process being supported through changes to both the social system and the individuals within it.

The introduction of innovations such as BFO within large organisations like CRI can be perceived as being disruptive, even when individuals within the organisation recognise its benefits. For successful adoption and implementation of such innovations, changes in the social system are required, at organisational and individual levels.

The learning points from this study may be relevant to the substance misuse sector, and more widely to criminal justice, health and social care organisations.

This study is the first of its kind to use a qualitative approach to examine processes of implementation of CAT for substance misuse within a large treatment and recovery organisation.

Discovery Colleges are new, exciting innovations. The purpose of this paper is to describe the process of developing and implementing the first pilot of a Discovery College for young people in Ireland. This paper aims to assist in providing direction for future comparable projects.

The author takes a narrative approach to highlight the rationale for introducing the Discovery College model into an Irish context and to outline the project phases and participant feedback.

The pilot project is outlined and the key learnings are explained.

Recovery Education is a growing model both nationally and internationally, and this pilot was an innovative project, the first of its kind to bring Recovery Education to a younger audience in Ireland. This paper aims to assist in providing direction for future comparable projects.