Recovery & Serious Mental Illness

Veteran Voices

Supporting and encouraging a Veteran’s recovery

Tass met her husband, Anthony, after his service in the Marines. Whenever they left the house, she noticed he was on edge. He would jump up and talk while sleeping. Tass recognized how important it was to support her husband during his recovery and how effective treatment can be.

Video source: Make the Connection

Strength-Based Assessment

First Step in Recovery Planning - Understanding the Client's Strengths:

Taking a strengths-based approach to psychological assessment means identifying and prioritizing a client's positive abilities and resources within the assessment process. The assessment process is Veteran directed and he or she remains an active participant throughout. For example, the Veteran engages with the clinician in the process of identifying his or her strengths. Listed below are resources to support the integration of Veteran directed strengths-based assessment into one's practice.

• Read about assessment of recovery, recovery attitudes, and recovery related areas such as hope, well-being, and community living in the PDFs Review of Recovery Measures and Compendium of Recovery Measures.

• A list of assessment tools for measuring outcomes in psychosis compiled by the VA VISN 22 MIRECC, including tools for measuring life satisfaction and quality of life.

Action Planning

Treatment planning in the context of recovery oriented care means attending to whole health and wellness. This includes consideration of each Veteran's social engagement, spirituality, relationships, and community engagement.

Recovery action planning is goal oriented. The components of a recovery action plan include:

• Collaborative assessment of each Veteran's strengths, resources, and goals

• Veteran-directed planning: the goals are established and written in the language of the Veteran

• Shared decision-making: collaboratively determining steps towards or actions directly relevant to each Veteran's client's goals and concerns

• Crisis planning

Referring to VA

In order to support the rehabilitation and recovery of every Veteran with a mental illness, VA has identified recovery as a guiding principle for its entire mental health service delivery system. Recovery is a journey that involves developing hope, self-direction, empowerment, respect and peer support.

Mental Health Service Delivery at VA Medical Centers and Outpatient Clinics emphasizes recovery-oriented Psychosocial Rehabilitation. Such programs and services for Veterans with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) often include:

• Resources for family involvement and engagement

• Intensive Case Management

• Peer Counseling

• Social Skills Training

• Wellness Management and Recovery

• Evidence-based psychotherapies

Visit the VA Recovery Services in Mental Health website to learn more about these services

Connect to Services at Your Local VA Medical Center or Vet Center:

• VA Program Locator: The program locator can help you find your local VA Medical Center.

• Vet Center: Eligible Veterans can also find support and resources at Readjustment Counseling Centers. To learn more about the services provided at these centers please see their website.

Online Resources

Practitioner Resources:

• Illness Management and Recovery: SAMHSA developed practitioner guide and tools to guide the process of wellness and recovery action planning.

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Wellness Initiative: Find resources and information about wellness through this initiative.

• Wellness and Recovery Action Planning (WRAP): This website provides WRAP information and resources including examples of WRAP exercises and resources for peer support.

Consumer Resources:

• The National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse

• Make the Connection Facebook Page: Connect with Resources and other Veterans coping with mental health concerns