info & resources

The Recovery Approach to Mental Wellness:

> Wellness Family Recovery Plans
> Caring for the Caregiver

by Karyn Baker MSW RSW
Executive Director
Family Outreach and Response Program (FOR)
Toronto Ontario Canada www.familymentalhealthrecovery.org

Traditionally, families have not been given information or strategies for helping their relative or themselves in the “recovery” philosophy of recovering wellness. As a result, families have often felt at a loss to best help their relative.

The Family Outreach and Response Program (FOR) in Toronto, Canada focuses on supporting families in developing a reflective perspective of the mental health system to create “a recovery environment” in their family.

Key aspects of the Recovery approach include:

• > Hope is the cornerstone to recovery – it is almost impossible to recover without hope and a key aspect of the family’s role is to “hold the hope”;
• > Avoid creating learned helplessness by being overly-involved;
• > Support risk-taking and giving the relative the dignity and freedom to fail like any other human being;
• > Try to let go of controlling relative’s choices – this is their recovery journey;
• > Stop viewing everything from a problem orientation and start building on strengths;
• > Madness is an aspect of human experience;
• > Coercion or forced treatment are for extreme times and are last alternatives;
• > Explore alternatives that support self-determination, teamwork and social/personal activity
• > Families highlight the importance of the group process in learning about recovery, finding solutions that work for everyone and learning about their own behavior.

FOR helps families create Wellness Family Recovery Plans to better focus on strengths and family resources to face mental health challenges when they occur.

For also believes that families deserve skills that will help them take care of themselves through managing their own distressing emotions. The definition of family member is broad and includes any significant person in the life of someone recovering from extreme emotional distress. The full family approach acknowledges the impact of a loved one’s illness on family members and provides support for the emotional/stressful experience of family members, and family member caregivers – focusing on family member self-care.

The following presentations will provide an introduction to Wellness Recovery Planning and Family member Self-Care.

Please click on the presentations below to get a full-screen view in a new browser window:

“Wellness Family Recovery Plans”

Caring for the Caregiver: Acknowledgement and Awareness for the wellness of the Family Caregiver

BACK TO THE ROAD TO RECOVERY FOR FAMILIES