What is Recovery?
The term "recovery" came into popular use in the mental health field in the 1980s, when persons with mental illnesses and their families began advocating for services focused on hope, healing and quality of life. Recovery can refer to a person's individual experience or the way mental health services are designed and delivered.
What is Resilience?
"Resilience" refers to the ability of a person to succeed and thrive, despite experiencing poverty, neglect and other traumas. This concept especially applies to children and youth who are able to bounce back due to "protective factors." These protective factors come from the support of a loving family member, special mentor or other professional. They can also be inherent to the person. Through programs that serve children and youth, ValueOptions® works to enhance and build protective factors in those we serve.
Basic principles of recovery and resilience
ValueOptions® has integrated the concepts of recovery and resiliency into all aspects of care and services for children and adults with mental illnesses. The ValueOptions® public service centers are committed to ensuring that:
- Individuals with mental illness and their families have a voice in shaping both services and mental health policies.
- Individuals with mental illness have opportunities to share their recovery experience with others. Trained consumers and family members serve as peer specialists and support others with mental illness to reach recovery. These trained specialists are employed as advocates, case managers, program directors and self-help leaders.
- Services focus on approaches that encourage healing and result in the highest quality of life for each individual.
- The goal of care is always the least restrictive environment. ValueOptions® understands that individuals with mental illness are best served by programs that keep them close to their families and in their communities, whenever possible.
- Create community conditions that accept persons with mental illnesses and integrate them into community life. ValueOptions® works with community leaders to erase the stigma of mental illness through education, advocacy and support.