Recovery Advisors. Supporting the process of recovery and social activation of people experiencing a mental crisis
Project title
Recovery Advisors. Supporting the process of recovery and social activation of people experiencing a mental crisis.
Name of Beneficiary/Beneficiaries
The Maria Grzegorzewska University; partner: Brodno Association of Friends and Families of People with Mental Disorders POMOST
Name of programme
Operational Programme Knowledge Education Development
Competition
Third Mission of the University
Project value
PLN 1 008 852.00
Funding value
PLN 901 842.00
Project delivery period
from 01/01/2019 until 31/03/2022
Get to know our team
dr hab. prof. APS Paweł Bronowski – Project Manager
dr hab. prof. UJ Hubert Kaszyński
dr hab. prof. APS Beata Hintze
Sylwia Kluczyńska, PhD in Psychology
Lidia Zabłocka Żytka, PhD in Psychology
Marcin Sękowski, PhD in Psychology
Monika Zima Parjaszewska, PhD Ed.
Mariusz Fila, M. Ed.
Arkadiusz Korycki, M. Sc.
Marzena Pietrusińska, M. Psych.
Agnieszka Cierpucha, M. Psych.
Małgorzata Gawron
More than 150 people with experience of mental health crisis received Certificates of Recovery Advisor upon completion of the Course. They now provide telephone advisory services to other patients, work in counselling centres and psychiatric health care facilities. They give destigmatisation lectures. Intensively support the development of the self-help movement:
Video
Two book publications on coping with the disease and the work of the Recovery Advisor by Project participants were published: "Oblicza Depresji" (Difin Publishing House) and "Ja się nie chowam - jestem CHADOWA" (Wydawnictwo APS).
Project participants were involved in the preparation of a virtual exhibition on the work of people after a mental health crisis. It also includes interviews with Project participants about their experiences of coping with the disease and working for the benefit of others:
Materials
Virtual exhibitionWhat problem does our project solve?
The main objective of the project was to prepare and conduct a Course enabling people with experience of mental disorders to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to support others suffering from the disease. Thanks to the participation in the Project, a group of more than 150 people obtained the Certificate of Recovery Advisor.
For people suffering from mental disease, opportunities for improving qualifications and acquiring knowledge are severely limited. This also applies to knowledge and skills related to supporting the recovery process and gaining and maintaining employment. Participation in a training course on modern support methods can be considered particularly useful for people with mental disease. A comprehensive course covering a range of issues in recovery and social activation enabled both knowledge of the subject matter and skills to be acquired for practical application.
Today, the Recovery Advisors, in addition to helping other people suffering from the disease, share their knowledge with professionals from the treatment and social care system.
The Course curriculum was prepared in a cooperation with people suffering from mental disease (members of the TROP Support Group for People Experiencing Mental Crisis) and the Project Partner. Thanks to this, the most important needs and expectations of the beneficiaries were identified. These concern: rules for supporting the recovery process, increasing knowledge and skills needed on the labour market (e.g. using the OFFICE package and self-presentation), acquiring public speaking skills, strengthening interpersonal skills. The focus was mainly on competences related to supporting other people with the disease. After participating in the project, people with mental crises increased their chances to obtain employment (or voluntary work) as the Experts by Experience in the self-help movement or in social care, treatment and community support programmes.
The course comprised 100 hours of training. The classes were divided into 6 theme modules:
- Empowerment and recovery
- How to protect your rights and get support
- How to feel useful - activities for the benefit of others
- Social entrepreneurship
- Advising and supporting others who are suffering from a disease
- Using modern information technologies
Participants in the programme could also benefit from individual psychological support.
The activities carried out as part of the Project were subject to ongoing and ex-post evaluation. Its outcomes showed that participation in the Programme, in addition to the acquisition of new skills, had a positive impact on the level of psychological well-being of those benefiting from it.
Experiences gained from conducting the Course and evaluation data enabled the development of a Guide for Higher Education Institutions on the implementation of the Courses for people experiencing a mental health crisis.
Who will benefit from the outcomes of the project?
The outcomes of the project primarily benefit people with experience of mental disorders. Thanks to the project, they gained extremely useful competences and knowledge to support other people suffering from the disease. Their personal resources significantly increased and their situation on the labour market improved. The training of a large group of people with mental disorders and their further activities for the benefit of others is also an important contribution to combating the stigmatising social attitudes towards this group.
What was the most challenging aspect of the implementation of the project for us?
The main problems encountered during the implementation of the project were related to the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic. The epidemic caused difficulties in recruiting participants and made them concerned about the possibility of being infected with the virus while attending the Course (when conducted in person). This issue was resolved by additional recruitment and by conducting a part of the Course on-line.
Our advice to other Applicants
Higher education institution is an excellent environment for implementing innovative methods to support people in particularly vulnerable situations. People experiencing mental disorders are such a group. We encourage you to take advantage of the opportunities available to higher education institutions, particularly in providing an access to programmes that enhance qualifications.