Contributing to 'a sense of purpose' - Evaluating consumer recovery progress after attending a therapeutic-recreation intervention programme: A quantitative analysis.

INTRODUCTION: The recommended objective for mental health plans and policies is the adoption of recovery approaches to mental healthcare. Mental health recovery is no longer defined by symptom resolution but as a journey towards a meaningful life from the consumer's own perspective. Recovery approaches focus on consumers' strengths, feelings of well-being and the achievement of personal goals. Designing recovery-oriented interventions is crucial for supporting people in their personal recovery journey. AIM: This study sought to evaluate how attending a recovery-oriented intervention impacts the recovery of attending people living with serious mental illness. METHODS: A quasi-experimental approach was utilised to examine changes in self-reported recovery progress in a purposive sample of consumers living with enduring mental illness (N = 105). Recovery progress was evaluated via the Recovery Assessment Scale - Domains and Stages (RAS-DS). Data were collected at entry and exit to a therapeutic recreation programme grounded in principles of recovery-oriented care and social contact theory. Pre-post scores were analysed via a repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance (RM-MANOVA) per the four RAS-DS recovery domains. RESULTS: After attending the therapeutic recreation programme, consumer recovery scores significantly increased in the functional, personal, and social recovery RAS-DS domains as measured by 'Doing Things I Value', 'Looking Forward', and 'Connecting and Belonging' (respectively). No changes were observed to consumers' clinical recovery progress, as assessed via the recovery domain 'Mastering my Illness'. CONCLUSION: The results of this study demonstrate that therapeutic recreation camps can provide a recovery-based approach to mental healthcare, with positive effects on the three areas of: a purposeful life; connection and belonging; and optimism and hope. Recovery Camp has been previously identified by the Productivity Commission as having potential person-centred recovery benefits for mental health consumers. The results of this study now establish these benefits as evidence based and can be used to guide mental health practice and policy for the implementation of therapeutic recreation camps for mental health recovery.

Connection and recovery in the COVID-19 age: An analysis of changes in goal-setting throughout the pandemic by consumers living with enduring mental illness.

Goal-setting is a tool that empowers consumer recovery. Though the pandemic has affected consumer goal-setting, the nature and extent of this impact have not been examined in a recovery setting. The aim of this study is to assess whether the recovery goals of individuals with serious mental illness changed in association with the COVID-19 pandemic. In this mixed-methods design, data were collected from a purposeful sample of consumers (nTOTAL = 355) aged 19-67 years (MAGE = 44.56, SD = 13.05) attending Recovery Camp, a 5-day therapeutic-recreation programme for individuals living with severe mental illness (e.g., PTSD, schizophrenia). Consumer-set goals were examined across 5 programmes prior to March 2020 (nPRE = 126) and 11 following (nPOST = 229). Goals were set on day one, with attainment self-scored on day five. Chi-squared goodness-of-fit tests compared goal proportions per domain; tests of independence assessed changes in goals pre- and post-pandemic. Six goal domains were identified: Approach-Based Recovery, Avoidance-based Recovery, Novel Physical Activities, Relationships, Health, and Recreation/Relaxation. Irrespective of the pandemic, goal attainment was consistently high across all programmes (86.56%). Approach-based Recovery goals were predominant pre-pandemic, but were significantly reduced post-pandemic (p = 0.040). Goals related to Relationships and Novel Physical Activities took precedence throughout the pandemic. Post-COVID-19, consumer recovery goals reveal increased desire for connection, novelty-seeking, and positive behavioural change.

Exploring the benefits and challenges of being a consumer educator in nursing education: A scoping review.

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: The mental health needs of individuals are increasing following the COVID-19 pandemic, with a need to focus on the education of nurses to be equipped to respond. Stigma around mental health still exists for nursing students, with the implementation of mental health education by an individual with lived experience having a known positive effect on stigmatizing attitudes. Research on consumer involvement in nursing education identifies that the consumer role is often varied and casual, with no existing review on the consumer experience. WHAT THE PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: The study emphasizes the importance of consumer involvement in nursing education. Alongside the literature focussing on the student benefits, this review highlights both the benefits of being an educator, and the challenges of being an educator from the consumer's perspective. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The knowledge around the consumer perspective mapped in this review has the potential to impact and transform education protocols for consumer involvement in education. This can maximize on the meaningful contribution that lived experience has within mental health nursing education. This review enforces the need for an awareness of the challenges consumers face in their role as an educator, and highlights the need for further understanding of how to overcome these challenges. There is also an opportunity to capitalize on the benefits identified by consumers in their role within nursing education and sharing their lived experience. ABSTRACT: Introduction While the mental health needs of populations are increasing, the targeted training of mental health professionals, specifically nurses, is required. Stigma surrounding mental health from nursing students exists, highlighting educational gaps. To address this, the involvement of consumers in undergraduate education has resulted in a positive effect on the stigmatizing attitudes of nursing students. There is still a limited understanding, however, of the consumers experience in this process. Aim To explore the experiences of individuals living with mental illness in educating nursing students. Methods The Joanna Brigg's Institute's (JBI) methodology for scoping reviews was used to search CINAHL, Medline, PsychInfo, Web of Science and Scopus including grey literature. The eligibility criteria for participants included individuals (a) diagnosed with a mental illness; (b) over 18 years of age; and (c) who participated in the educating of nursing students surrounding mental health in any context. Articles were only considered that were in the English language, and no time constraint was enforced during the search strategy for article selection. The search yielded 2640 results, of which 26 articles were included. Results Results found two prominent categories, including both benefits and challenges of being the educator from the consumer perspective. The benefits included: (a) the person behind the diagnosis; (b) reciprocal relationships; (c) positive effects on well-being; (d) unique contribution; and (e) purpose in storytelling. Challenges identified included: (a) vulnerability; (b) voyeuristic; (c) lack of preparation; (d) negative effects on well-being; (e) support; (f) not a real consumer; (g) variation of involvement; and (h) acknowledging consumer perspective. Discussion As consumer-led education for mental health nursing curriculum becomes mandated, amplifying the voice of the consumer in nursing education is crucial. While the benefits and challenges voiced by consumers in their involvement in mental health nursing education have been outlined here, further knowledge focussed on the consumer's experience as an educator outside the classroom setting, and in clinical practicum, alongside consumer involvement in specialized mental health education sessions, could aid in transforming consumer involvement. Implications for practice This review offers an incentive for nurse educators to capitalize on the benefits of educating for consumers to promote a meaningful contribution, while also practicing with an awareness of voiced challenges.