SOWK 3060 Lecture 13: Lecture reading 13
Document Summary
Research concerning first-person accounts of recovery from severe mental illness are very few: those that exist show that the treatment relationship has a central role in helping to bring about recovery. What clients find helpful: what participants in the research regarded as most helpful in their treatment"" relationships with mental health professionals were demonstrations of empathy, respect, and a general person-to-person investment. Qualities of professional helpers: several of the participants emphasized regular contact and collaboration with supportive professionals as vital to their recovery processes, elements identified as truly therapeutic in these relationships were described as unique, dynamic, and resilient. Overall, helpful relationships seemed to consist jointly of equality and collaboration, the nature of which shifted corresponding to changes in, and development of, the treatment relationship itself. Being seen: throughout their personal narratives, informants highlighted the importance of being seen within their relationships with their mental health care professionals.
