On Fri, 9 Feb 2001 08:59:10 -0800, John Mudie wrote:

.. how do we assist each other in recovering.

John, I think of ‘recovery’ as just another buzzword of the system. I think of it interchangeably with ‘stabilization’ and ‘rehab’. Sort of like calling us ‘consumers’ instead of ‘patients’ or ‘clients’. The language is important but the fundamentals are mostly the same.

I believe the term ‘recovery’ is popular nowadays because of the perception by some that the symptoms of Mental Illness are something that can be worked around in order for a person to lead a productive life. I, personally, am not sold on that concept but I believe it is better than much of what the system is pushing.

What can you do to promote ‘recovery’? First of all, I would suggest that you remember that you are working for the system. Helping clients is not always the first priority of those working for the system. I’m not saying it won’t be your first priority, but it won’t be for some of those employees around you. It would be difficult for me to deal with this fact. Remember that to do good for the clients you will sometimes have to eat a lot of manure from the system.

I’m not sure how much room you will have to do things on your own. You may just have to do what you are told. In any case, the best thing you can do is to treat all the clients as significant persons and respond to their concerns. Respect (on both sides) will go a long way toward fostering a relationship that will be beneficial for the clients.

Not sure this is very responsive to your question but it is my soapbox today.  :-)