Wellness Recovery Action Plan

Released in 2008, as a sequel to W.R.A.P. - compiled by Mary Ellen Copeland, PhD, psychologist, The WRAP Story presents 82 first-person accounts of recoveries, written by people who used W.R.A.P. themselves or with clients. A fascinating overview of how patients can help themselves using wellness recovery action planning tips and tools as presented in the W.R.A.P book. If you or a family member or a friend or a client suffers with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, dysthymia, schizophrenia, psychosis, or another mental condition, you can use WRAP tools to help yourself recover and keep well. Note that Wellness Recovery Action Planning is compatible with any other treatment(s) - meds, talks or other therapies. Review of The WRAP Story follows - The WRAP Story [WRAP = Wellness Recovery Action Plan] First Person Accounts of Personal and System Recovery and Transformation compiled by Mary Ellen Copeland, Ph.D, 2008, Peach Press, Vermont review by Robert Sealey, BSc (author of Finding Care for Depression, 90-Day Plan and www.searpubl.ca) The WRAP Story, an anthology, has 82 stories written by people who recovered from mental illnesses: depression, anxiety, ADD, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. These heartwarming accounts share strategies for recovering which Vermont psychologist, Mary Ellen Copeland, PhD studied, researched, developed, wrote about and taught, even when she had her own problems with depression and a bipolar diagnosis. Story #1, in the first chapter, explains where WRAP came from. When Mary Ellen Copeland was ill, she struggled with symptoms. As her life unraveled, her family did not know how to help. After several hospitalizations and trials of strong and stronger medications, Mary Ellen asked her psychiatrist, `How do people recover, get well and stay well?' Her doctor said there was no such information, but he learned that you do not say no to Mary Ellen Copeland. She wanted recovery information so badly that she developed it herself. She kept going when people said that her research methods would not work. She continued when people said that she could not get published or put on a workshop. She wrote and taught so well that patients started to recover and tell other patients. Her latest book, an astonishing compilation of recovery stories, shares Mary Ellen's own recovery as well as her research and development of self-help tools and recovery strategies. She encourages recovered patients to pay forward what they learned. My story appears as #7 in the chapter about using wellness recovery tools. After decades of problems with a bipolar II mood disorder, migraines, anxiety and other diagnoses, I was sick, suffering and deteriorating. My healthcare professionals offered quick labels and easy meds, but those shortcuts did not help. I was victimized by substandard care, misdiagnoses, mistreatments, lies and smiles. As a trusting patient, I wanted an accurate diagnosis and restorative treatments. Then I needed tips and

This book is an excellent guide to taking control of your illness and your life in a way that works best for you. Write your WRAP and then pass this book on to someone else who could benefit from it.

I recently started up a Mental Health Wellness and Recovery program using this book as a guide. So far it has been a great success. This book provides the details needed to set up a Wellness Recovery Action Plan. It also has a wealth of other information and resources. This book can also be used by individuals who want to take responsibility for their own health, no matter what the illness.

This WRAP book and its do-it-yourself plan are easy to use for any kind of upsetting symptoms or stressors. The plan walks you through the steps of deciphering what you need to have a good quality of life, and what to do when you see it slipping away. It is simple, powerful and easily shared with your supporters, who can have a role in helping when you need them. I have been trained to teach this plan, and 100% of the time the people I introduce it to walk away thrilled to have a new resource and a structure to help deal with difficult times. You won't be disappointed in this purchase.

The Wellness Recovery Action Plan teaches people with psychiatric symptoms step by step how to make a plan to manage their symptoms, from daily maintenance activities, through early signs of trouble, to signs that things are breaking down, to making a crisis plan for a time when they may need the help of other people to temporarily make decisions in their lives. This process is appropriate for people with any kind of symptoms, or for people dealing with stress or life crises. The format is simple and clear, and there are lots of suggestions to help the reader with their plan. There also short sections in the book about journaling, peer counseling, building a support system, relaxation, diet, exercise and other tools that they can use with the W.R.A.P I have made my own W.R.A.P. and use it in my life to help me manage my symptoms. I also teach it to other people in Recovery Education classes based on the model developed by Mary Ellen, where it is very successful. You can't go wrong with this book!