Centre for Mental Health

10 top tips for recovery-orientated practice

There are steps that each professional can take to move towards recovery-orientated practice. We have developed 10 top tips for changing your culture to enable recovery:

After each interaction, ask yourself 'did I'...

• actively listen to help the person make sense of their mental health problems?
• help the person identify and prioritise their personal goals for recovery?
• demonstrate a belief in the person's existing strengths and resources?
• identify examples from my own lived experience which inspires and validates their hopes?
• pay particular attention to the importance of goals which enable the person actively to contribute to the lives of others?
• identify non-mental health resources relevant to the achievement of their goals?
• encourage self-management?
• discuss what the person wants in terms of therapeutic interventions, respecting their wishes wherever possible?
• behave at all times so as to convey an attitude of respect for the person and a desire for an equal partnership, indicating a willingness to go the extra mile?
• while accepting that the future is uncertain continue to express support for the possibility of achieving these self-defined goals - maintaining hope and positive expectations?

These top tips are from Making Recovery a Reality. You can download and distribute the PDF version below.

Download ten top tips for recovery (155 KB)