The legacy of William (Bill) A. Anthony: Past, present and future.

Abstract

William (Bill) A. Anthony was a pioneer in the field of psychosocial/psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery. He established the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Boston University and served as the editor/ coeditor of the Psychosocial Rehabilitation Journal (later Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal). He helped to clarify ideas, principles, policies, and practices that promoted the right and ability of people living with psychiatric disabilities and mental health challenges to aspire to and achieve their own vision of a meaningful life. This introductory article briefly overviews Bill's contributions to psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery of people with mental health challenges and his influence on recent work in this field, a sample of which is presented in the current special section dedicated to him. To conclude, the article overviews this special section, which reports on studies in the United States and elsewhere, addressing supported education, recovery colleges, photovoice to promote community integration, and policy developments in Israel. Impact and ImplicationsThis article summarizes the seminal impact of Bill Anthony's body of work on the field of psychiatric rehabilitation and recovery. Additionally, it traces the broad implications of his vision and contributions to the field, to the four articles presented in the special section, as examples of current work that will lead to future developments built upon his legacy.