Mental healthcare has traditionally been focused on stabilizing clients, with the goal of reducing symptoms, managing crises, and preventing relapses. However, in recent years, there has been a growing recognition that this focus on stability may not be enough. Mental healthcare needs to shift its focus from stability to recovery.
Why We Need to Make the Shift
One reason why this shift is necessary is because stability is often a temporary state. Clients might be stable for months or even years, but then something happens – a stressful life event, a change in medication, or simply the passage of time – and their symptoms return. In contrast, recovery means that clients can achieve and maintain long-term improvement in their mental health. It’s a more sustainable and desirable outcome than mere stability.
Another reason why we need to shift our focus to recovery is because it emphasizes the client’s agency and empowerment. Stability can imply a passive role for the client – they’re just trying to maintain the status quo. Recovery, on the other hand, requires clients to be actively engaged in their own care. They need to set goals, develop a plan for achieving those goals, and take responsibility for their own progress. By empowering clients in this way, we can help them develop a sense of self-efficacy and confidence in their ability to manage their mental health.
Finally, a focus on recovery can result in better outcomes for clients. Research has shown that recovery-oriented care can reduce symptoms, improve quality of life, and increase engagement with treatment. It can also lead to improved physical health outcomes, as individuals with better mental health tend to have better physical health as well.
The Barriers to Focusing on Recovery
Several barriers exist to implementing a recovery-oriented approach in mental and behavioral health. One of the main obstacles is resistance to change by mental health professionals and organizations that have historically focused on stabilization. This resistance can stem from concerns about the feasibility or effectiveness of recovery-oriented approaches.
Another obstacle is the lack of standardized measures and evaluation frameworks for assessing recovery-oriented care. Mental health professionals may be hesitant to incorporate a recovery approach until there are standards and guidelines in place.
Limited funding for mental health services is another problem. Recovery-oriented care typically requires more time and resources than stabilization-focused care, which may make it difficult for mental health organizations to fully implement recovery-oriented practices. Many mental health problems are chronic and require ongoing, if not lifelong, access to care, something our current healthcare system is simply not designed to handle.
On the client side, limited insurance coverage and out-of-pocket costs can considerably limit the amount of time they spend receiving care. All too often, clients stop receiving care because they simply can’t afford it. Even when care is covered by insurance, they might only get a certain number of sessions reimbursed, even if they’re not fully recovered.
Finally, there may be cultural and societal biases against recovery-oriented approaches to mental illness. Stigmatization of mental illness can undermine efforts to promote client-centered care and emphasize client empowerment. This is especially true for clients who undergo mental health crises that impact their behavior; if a client acts erratically or against their best interests during a crisis, some providers may be less likely to empower them during care.
How to Begin the Transition
So, how can we shift mental healthcare’s focus from stability to recovery? One key step is to involve clients in the process. We need to listen to their needs and goals, and tailor our interventions accordingly. This might involve using evidence-based approaches such as motivational interviewing or shared decision-making to help clients get more involved in their own care.
Another step is to shift our metrics and evaluation frameworks away from simply measuring stability. Instead, we need to focus on recovery-oriented outcomes, such as clients’ ability to manage their symptoms, achieve their goals, and improve their overall quality of life. This is why using an EHR with configurable documentation and reporting can help: as your understanding of mental health grows, you can make changes in your EHR instead of working with outdated metrics.
By emphasizing recovery, mental and behavioral health providers can help clients achieve sustainable improvement in their mental health, empower them to take an active role in their own care, and achieve better outcomes overall.
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