Promoting Recovery in Vancouver Community Mental Health Services: Engaging Stakeholders in Becoming a More Recovery-oriented Mental System

The recovery literature proposes that consumer involvement in organizational decision-making promotes recovery, hope and self-determination. With these outcomes in mind, this book provides an example of an ethically approved collaborative qualitative action research project involving consumers, staff, family members and management of adult services at Vancouver Community Mental Health Services (VCMHS). The project enhances the organization's emerging commitment, reflecting a growing international interest in psychosocial rehabilitation and recovery, to provide consumers with recovery services and to bring decision-making closer to them. Data from face-to-face interviews and a powerful café style focus group are outlined. The project collaboratively engaged participants (including consumers of mental health services, family members, staff and management of VCHMS) in articulating a plan that is mutually beneficial to, and practicable for, all stakeholders. The conclusion is that VCMHS wishes to involve consumers in organizational decision-making to become a more recovery-oriented system.