Digest This: Recovery-based approach to mental health care

We’ll discuss recovery-based mental health care, how it works, how consumers view it, how communities approach it, and how it is changing mental health policy.

Digest This is a weekly, hour-long online discussion hosted by WHYY’s Health and Science team. Join us every Tuesday at noon. Log in at lunchtime to pose questions to experts and our reporters, voice opinions, and connect to people with similar concerns.

THIS WEEK’S TOPIC: Recovery-Based Approach to Mental Health Care

Mental Health care is moving toward a recovery-based model. Rather than focusing on managing symptoms, this approach aims to allow people affected by mental illness to lead the best and most fullest life possible. Recovery is also based on self-determination, respect, and the reduction of discrimination. Some experts are concerned though that “recovery” is an idea that is not well-defined and that different groups have different ideas about what it means. We’ll discuss recovery-based mental health care, how it works, how consumers view it, how communities approach it, and how it is changing mental health policy.

When: 12:00 noon Tuesday, December 15th

Where: Right here. Click the blue button in the right sidebar to join the chat.

Moderator: Maiken Scott

This week’s guests:

Lori Breen, LSW, is the Coordinator of the Veterans Empowerment Center, a Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center, at the Philadelphia VAMC. She has been developing Recovery-oriented initiatives and programs in collaboration with people who use mental health services for over ten years.

 

 

Dr. Arthur Evans, Ph.D., is the Director of Philadelphia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Mental Retardation Services, his office has changed the way the city of Philadelphia delivers mental health services to incorporate the principles of recovery.

 

 

Prof. Mark Salzer is the Principal Investigator and Director of the University of Pennsylvania Collaborative on Community Integration: The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center Promoting Community Integration of Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities