Wellness & Recovery

Wellness

The concept of wellness is a positive approach to life and health that maximizes the individual’s potential.  It implies a movement toward health rather than away from illness.  Wellness implies balance, harmony and health.  The mind body connection is emphasized and the person is empowered by choice.

Recovery

"The concept of recovery is rooted in the simple, yet profound, realization that people who have been diagnosed with mental illness are human beings.”
~ Pat Deegan, Ph.D.

The concept of recovery has been defined primarily through the writings of people who have been diagnosed with a mental illness. Pat Deegan and Esso Leete were among the first to write about their experiences and their belief that recovery is possible. They defined recovery as a deeply personal, non-linear experience, which begins with acceptance of the illness and occurs as the individual develops a new sense of self, which incorporates the reality of having a severe mental illness. Professionals such as William Anthony. Ph.D define recovery as a deeply personal and unique process whereby individuals with psychiatric disabilities change their life goals, attitudes and feelings by incorporating the illness.