Mental Health, Service User Involvement and Recovery

As the momentum for personalization and recovery approaches grows, service users are increasingly participating as partners in all aspects of health and social care delivery, planning and professional training. This book provides a timely overview of user involvement and recovery in mental health by critically examining their origins and development in current policy and practice.Written cooperatively by service users and academics, this book conveys a vital connection between recovery and involvement, offering a framework of values and helpful strategies to promote meaningful user participation. By sharing their personal narratives and contributing their views, service user authors demonstrate how taking control of their own care facilitates a swifter and more satisfying recovery. The book further acknowledges the bilateral value of user involvement in the development of mental health services, student learning, collaborative research and challenging social stigma, providing examples and critical appraisal of how this is currently being implemented.With a strong, positive emphasis on the benefits to all stakeholders, Mental Health, Service User Involvement and Recovery offers guidelines for good practice that will be relevant to health and social care practitioners, service users, students, researchers and educators.'This interesting and challenging book requires practitioners to reflect on their own actions and the systems within which they operate. The focus of the book on considering service user roles in recovery and service development is useful and approached in an innovative manner. I found the chapters written by service users to have a significant impact, and will certainly be recommending this book to my students. The insight into one service users' experiences of acute mental distress and hospital admission, and how they engaged within and led their own recovery process, is illuminating reading.'- Gill Ince, Senior Lecturer in Mental Health Social Work, Northumbria University' …a timely and valuable addition to the growing literature on user involvement in mental health services in the UK…this book should be welcomed by all who work in and contribute to the rapidly changing mental health services and education today.'- Mike Wrigley, Senior Lecturer in Mental Health, University of the West of England'This book offers an exciting alternative to the traditional medical model of care and has the potential to transform it. I was particularly inspired by the chapter involving users and carers in the classroom and will introduce them in teaching communication skills with small groups.'- Paddy Healy, Bachelor of Nursing and Midwifery Programme Manager