Wellness Recovery Action Plan: Overview

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Wellness Recovery Action Plan Overview

• Presented by Katie Wilson, M.S.
• Director of Marketing Special Projects
• The Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery
• June 2, 2010

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Key Concepts

• Hope
• Personal Responsibility
• Education
• Self-Advocacy
• Support

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There is Much to Hope For!

• You can get well and stay well for long periods
  of time!
• You can work toward and meet your goals
• You dont need nor will you benefit from dire
  predictions about the future

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Personal Responsibility

• You are the expert on yourself.
• You know what you want and need.
• It is up to you to take personal responsibility
  for your own wellness and your own life.

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Education

• Learn all you can about yourself so that you can
  make good decisions about
• Treatment
• Lifestyle
• Career
• Relationships
• Living Space
• Leisure Activities
• All Aspects of Your Life

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Self Advocacy

• Go for it with courage, persistence, and
  determination
• Express yourself clearly and calmly until you get
  what you need for yourself

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Support

• Support from family, friends, and care providers
  is definitely helpful. Being effectively
  supported will help you feel better and enrich
  your life.
• You will benefit from having at least 5 good
  friends or supporters you can call on when you
  want or need . . . .

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WRAP

• Will help you stay as well as possible
• Help you keep track of difficult feelings and
  behaviors and develop plans of action to help you
  feel better
• Tell others what to do for you when you feel so
  badly you cant make decisions, take care of
  yourself, and keep yourself safe

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WRAP

• You and only you decide
• If you want to write a WRAP
• How much time it takes you
• Who you want, if anyone, to help you with it
• How you use it
• Who you show it to
• Where you keep it

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WRAP

• To develop your own Wellness Recovery Action Plan
  begin by developing a list of personal
• WELLNESS TOOLS

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Wellness Tools

• Wellness tools are things you do to keep yourself
  well, and the things you do to help yourself feel
  better when you are not feeling well.

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Wellness Tools

• You may have discovered them yourself or learned
  about them from others.
• Most of them are simple, safe, free and
  non-invasive.

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Wellness Tools

• Exercise
• Light
• Relaxation Techniques
• Peer counseling
• Journaling
• Video Chatting with friends
• Eating a healthy meal
• Anything you enjoy

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Daily Maintenance List

• Write down how you feel when you feel well.

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Daily Maintenance List

• Some words that others have used
• Bright Happy
• Outgoing Optimistic
• Humorous Competent
• Athletic Industries
• Content Responsible
• Reasonable Withdrawn

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Daily Maintenance List

• You may also want to include on this page any
  specific things you want to work in your WRAP
  like
• Building Your Self-Esteem
• Going Back to Work
• Getting a Different Jobs
• Any goal you want to work on

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Daily Maintenance List

• Make a list of things you need to do for yourself
  every day to keep feeling well

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Daily Maintenance List

• Be specific
• Get up at 7am on weekdays so I can get to work on
  time
• Go for a walk
• Write in a journal
• Spend half an hour enjoying a fun, affirming
  creative activity
• Drink 5 glasses of water

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Daily Maintenance List

• Next make a reminder list for things you might
  choose or need to do any day.
• Reading through this list daily and doing those
  things that need to be done reduces stress in
  your life and helps keep you on track

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Daily Maintenance List

• Ideas of things that might be included on this
  list are
• Calling your counselor
• Being in touch with family
• Doing the laundry
• Paying bills
• Taking a hot bubble bath

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Triggers

• External events or circumstances may make you
  feel like you are getting ill.
• These are normal reactions to life events - but
  if you dont respond to them, they may actually
  make you feel worse.

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Triggers

• Examples
• Problems at work
• Financial problems - a big bill
• Feeling left out
• Anniversary of a loss or trauma
• People shouting
• Having to talk to someone I dont know

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Triggers Action Plan

• After your list of Triggers, develop a plan that
  you feel will keep you from feeling worse if a
  triggering event occurs.

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Triggers Action Plan

• Sample Plan
• Get one thing done that I know I can do well
• Talk to a supporter
• Play my guitar for an hour
• Do a breathing exercise
• Make sure I do everything on my daily maintenance
  list

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Early Warning Signs

• Early Warning Signs are internal and may be
  unrelated to reactions to stressful situations.
• They are subtle signs of change that indicate you
  may need to take some further action.

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Early Warning Signs

• Examples
• Forgetfulness
• Being impatient
• Spending money impulsively
• Feelings of hopelessness
• Thinking something bad is going to happen

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Early Warning Signs Action Plan

• Sample Plan
• Spend at least 1 hour involved in an activity I
  enjoy
• Get plenty of rest
• Tell a support how I am feeling
• Distract my mind from anxious thoughts
• Drink some water

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When Things are Breaking Down or Getting Worse

• You may begin to feel even worse - very
  uncomfortable - but you are still able to take
  some action on your own behalf.
• This is a very important time. It is a necessary
  to take immediate assertive action to prevent a
  crisis.

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When Things are Breaking Down

• Examples
• Unable to sleep
• Obsessed with negative thoughts
• Avoiding Eating
• Feeling oversensitive or very fragile
• Risk taking behaviors like fast driving

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When Things are Breaking Down Action Plan

• The plan needs to be clear and directive, with
  many things you must do and fewer choices
• Sample
• Arrange for at least 3 days off of work
• Call my doctor or care provider and ask for their
  advice
• Do 2 peer counseling sessions, 3 deep breathing
  exercises, 2 focusing exercises

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Crisis Planning

• It includes
• What you are like when you are well
• Indicators that others need to take over
• Who takes over and who doesnt
• Information on your healthcare providers and
  medications

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Crisis Planning

• Home/Community/Respite Plan
• Acceptable and Unacceptable Hospital Facilities
• Things others can do to help
• Things that others might do that would make you
  feel worse

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Crisis Planning

• A list of chores and tasks for others
• Indicators that the plan is no longer needed
• Signatures of key people

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Post Crisis Planning

• The time you are healing from a crisis can be
  very important
• Although you may feel ready to begin taking care
  of yourself again, you may still be dealing with
  difficult feelings or symptoms, as well as the
  aftermath of the crisis

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Post Crisis Planning

• Address Issues and Create a Timetable for
  resuming responsibilities
• Proactively make decisions about the following
  issues that make sense to you

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Post Crisis Planning

• How would you like to feel when you have
  recovered from the crisis?
• Who do you want to support you through this time?
• Where will you go afterward?
• Who would you like to stay with you?

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Post Crisis Planning

• List
• Things you can ask others to do for you
• Things the can wait until you feel better
• Things you need to everyday
• Things and people you might need to avoid
• People you need to thank or apologize to
• Signs you can return to your daily maintenance
  list

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WRAP

• Perhaps you have started to work on your own plan
  or are helping someone else develop their plan.
• If so, give yourself some credit for the work you
  are doing. You nay even want to give yourself a
  reward from time to time.

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The Copeland Center

• Offering WRAP Facilitator Training
• August 16-20 - Chicago, IL in connection with
  NAOPS conference
• September 20-24 - Brattleboro, VT

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Books Resources

• Books by Mary Ellen Copeland are available on
• mentalhealthrecovery.com

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Book Special!

• The WRAP Story
• On sale now!
• 14.95 (reg. 19.95)
• mentalhealthrecovery.com

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Wellness Retreat

• Experienced Advanced Level WRAP Facilitators
  will be leading a wellness retreat in southern
  New Hampshire in October 2010.

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• For more information, visit
• http//copelandcenter.com
• Mentalhealthrecovery.com
• Mentalhealthrecovery.com/webinars.php