Experiences and recovery

This is the story of the beginning of the National Schizophrenia Fellowship, later renamed Rethink in 2002. It tells of how a group of remarkable people, faced by the tragedy of severe mental illness in their own families, came together determined to do something about it.

This publication describes mental health recovery as experienced and understood by people themselves.

This fourth volume in the Rethink Recovery Series presents the REFOCUS Manual, which describes an intervention aimed at increasing the focus of community adult mental health teams on supporting personal recovery. The intervention is in addition to standard care and has two components: recovery-promoting relationships and working practices. The REFOCUS Trial will test the effectiveness of the intervention.

The publication is authored by the REFOCUS research team and describes a mix of strategies used to achieve increased recovery-focus in services, including information sharing, personal recovery training and team reflection. It provides a useful resource for professionals across the mental health world who are thinking about how to embed recovery in practice.

Worksheets which accompany the 'Recovery programme for depression'. 

Based on lived experiences of 55 people this booklet provides learning points on how to assist recovery. While recovery is an individual journey, many people, in many different ways, are involved in making it happen. The booklet offers practical guidance specifically for people experiencing mental health problems, family and friends, and mental health professionals.

A resource for school nurses and other staff working with young people