Recently I opened my paycheck envelope to find the following message about Best Practices.  The message from New Passages to all employees discusses the correlation between Illness Management and Recovery. I was struck by how simple and obvious this seems and yet how difficult it is to implement sometimes. 

At New Passages, we are working hard to help staff and consumers understand the basic principles behind a Recovery Model and to use them in the treatment process.  Look at the following goals of Illness Management and Recovery and tell me what you think. 

• Instill hope that change is possible
• Develop a collaborative relationship with a treatment team
• Help people establish personally meaningful goals to strive towards
• Teach information about mental illness and treatment options
• Develop skills for reducing relapses, dealing with stress, and coping with symptoms
• Provide information about where to obtain needed resources
• Help people develop or enhance their natural supports for managing their illness and pursing goals