The Recovery literature tells us that hope, agency and opportunity are key to living well with mental health problems. As a collaborative and active therapy, with a focus on an individual’s goals and aspirations, CBT can contribute to recovery from the most serious and disabling conditions.
A Recovery approach supports people to lead a
'satisfying, hopeful and contributing life even with limitations caused by the illness … [and develop] meaning and purpose in one’s life beyond the catastrophic effects of mental illness.' (Anthony, 1993)
At the University of Southampton we are interested in learning from people’s direct experience of mental health problems. We run some joint teaching and make use of 'digital stories’ and other forms of personal narrative, in which service users describe their experiences of mental ill-health and recovery.
We are committed to service user involvement in the development and delivery of our programmes, and endeavour to strengthen this year on year.