Recovery In Social Work

Case management, post-discharge, is an integral part of working with clients who suffer from severe mental illnesses. Post-discharge is when the real opportunity to recover begins. Being able to recover and learn how to cope, is a very real option for those who struggle with mental illness if they have the proper supports and plans in place. Recovery can be defined in social work, as the clients new found, self-defined success within the community (Kondrat &Early, 2010). It is therefore, our job as social workers, to create and develop post-discharge plans for our clients that will help them strive and learn how to navigate their communities successfully, while living with a mental illness. This paper will examine the importance of case management

As professionals, it is well known that every one of our clients will be different. They will have different strengths, weaknesses, needs, wants, and barriers. This creates a serious need for individualized care, unique to each client. Mental health clients, possess an even stronger need for case management. Clients with mental health issues will almost always need a strong sense stability and support when working towards recovery. As social workers, it is important for us to work from a lens of the recovery model while doing case management. The recovery model, encourages clients to be actively involved in the development of their treatment plans and to help apply hope and self-determination to the client (Regehr, Glancy, 2009). This is often a different approach than is taken in medical settings. Often, it is reported that clients do not have much say in their course of treatment while they admitted to the hospital. On the contrary, the recovery model encourages the clients to realize their own strengths and building on them to create a road to recovery that is achievable for them (Regehr & Glancy, 2009). Forming a case management plan, from the basis of the recovery model, empowers the client and increases the chances of a successful reintegration into the

The social worker must work very closely with their client and the clients support system to develop a case management plan that will set the client up with the highest likelihood of success. In the case of John Smith, after much consideration, he is best suited to maintain a healthier lifestyle, become engaged with Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, join the UNBC gaming club, and to maintain his psychotropic medication regime. If John works to balance and achieve all of these goals, he will be able to manage his symptoms of schizophrenia then best and be able to live a productive and happy life, while coping with the restraints of his mental