Development and Evaluation of the Wellness Management and Recovery Program

The Role of the Wellness Management and Recovery (WMR) Program in Promoting Social Support

“…Although the more broad objective of this was to complement the ongoing WMR program, the specific focus of this research was to assess how the WMR program affected the social support of the groups' participants, thereby promoting mental health recovery (Bullock, Sage, Hupp, O'Rourke, & Smith, 2007;O'Rourke, 2007;Wellness Management and Recovery Website, 2007 (Bullock et al, 2007;O'Rourke, 2007;Wellness Management and Recovery Website, 2007).…”

“…Bridgeway, Inc., and Gathering Hope House) are also run entirely by consumers; they are consumer-operated sites. Thus, the WMR programs implemented at these five agencies are facilitated by both a consumer staff member and a consumer co-facilitator (Bullock et al, 2007;O'Rourke, 2007;Wellness Management and Recovery Website, 2007).…”

“…Wellness , Developing Relationships and Building Social Supports, and 10) Planning for Wellness (Bullock et al, 2007;O'Rourke, 2007;Wellness Management and Recovery Website, 2007).…”

“…These interactions have been found to positively impact individuals on several psychological factors: empowerment, self-efficacy, hopefulness, and adaptive coping strategies (Yanos et al). According to pre-and post-qualitative data from consumers in the program, a key aspect to the success of the WMR program is the group interaction and discussion (Bullock et al, 2007).…”

“…The literature has shown the importance of social support to an individual's treatment and recovery from SMI, but for the WMR program this specific variable has not been examined in depth. The WMR program extensively measures an individual's level of recovery from SMI; however, Bullock et al (2007) did not include any measure of social support in their research protocol, although authors (such as Corrigan & Phelan, 2004;Frese & Davis, 1997;Pevalin & Goldberg, 2003;Wilson et al, 1999) repeatedly describe the important role that social support plays in the recovery process of an individual with SMI. Inclusion of a social support measure as part of the assessment that occurs prior to, and following completion of, the WMR program has provided a better understanding of the role the WMR program plays in affecting an individual's social support.…”