Illness Management and Recovery
The goals of the Illness Management and Recovery Program are to help people:
- Learn about mental illness and strategies for treatment
- Decrease symptoms Reduce relapses and hospitalizations
- Make progress towards goals and towards recovery
The program consists of a series of weekly sessions where specially trained mental health practitioners help people who have experienced psychiatric symptoms develop personal strategies for coping with mental illness and moving forward in their lives. The program can be provided in an individual or group format, and generally lasts between three to six months. The Illness Management and Recovery Program strongly emphasizes helping people set and pursue personal goals and helping them put strategies into action in their everyday lives. Throughout the program people are encouraged to define what recovery means to them and to identify what goals and dreams are important to them. As people gain more mastery over their psychiatric symptoms, they gain more control over their lives and become better able to realize their vision of recovery. The information and skills taught in the program are organized into the following nine topic areas, which are covered in educational handouts:
- Recovery Strategies
- Practical Facts about Mental Illness
- The Stress-Vulnerability Model
- Strategies for Treatment Building
- Social Support
- Using Medication Effectively
- Reducing Relapses
- Coping with Stress
- Coping with Problems and Symptoms
- Getting Your Needs Met in the Mental Health System
The knowledge, strategies, and skills that people acquire in the Illness Management and Recovery Program help them gain more control over their lives and to find their own individual paths to recovery.