Road to Recovery

An Exploration of the Experiences, Perceptions and Challenges of Implementing the Recovery Model into a Forensic Psychiatric Outpatient Setting

Abstract

In providing the care and control of individuals found Not Criminally Responsible on Account of Mental Disorder (NCRMD), forensic psychiatry attempts to balance the protection of society from potentially dangerous individuals with the treatment of the mental illness and the rights of the individual. A new approach in mental health care is called the ‘Recovery Model’. The Recovery Model is based on the understanding that there should be a ‘recovery in’, not a ‘recovery from’ serious mental illness. In clinical practice, this means that treatment decisions should be made in collaboration with patients and should include their personal circumstances, such as criminality, family relations, socioeconomic standing, culture, and aspirations. The enduring concepts that intersect with these goals are elements of hope, personal responsibility, self-advocacy, education and support, as well as the belief that a person is able to draw on their strengths to address and work through their weaknesses. However, there is little research on implementing the Recovery Model in forensic mental health settings. This project provides an in-depth exploration and evaluation of the Recovery Model as it is practiced at a forensic psychiatric outpatient clinic with individuals found NCRMD. Ten participants, including both individuals found NCRMD and psychiatric professionals, took part in semi-structured interviews. This presentation compares the strategies and goals of the Recovery Model with the strategies and goals of rehabilitative/clinical recovery, and examines the experiences, perceptions and challenges of implementing the Recovery Model in a forensic psychiatric setting.

Discipline: Sociology

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Michael Gulayets