What is mental health recovery?
The concepts that define recovery in mental health, and how to start your journey to better wellbeing.
Living with a mental health condition can feel overwhelming at times, but recovery is about much more than reducing symptoms. It’s about regaining a sense of control, building confidence, and finding ways to live a meaningful and fulfilling life.
At Priory, we believe recovery isn’t a one-size-fits-all process. Everyone’s journey looks different, and the support you need should be as individual as you are.
What does recovery mean in mental health?
When we talk about recovery in mental health, it doesn’t mean being ‘cured’. Instead, it’s about learning how to manage your condition, improve your wellbeing, and live a life that feels purposeful to you.
Recovery can involve:
- Understanding your strengths and challenges
- Developing tools to cope with difficult emotions and situations
- Reconnecting with the things and people that matter most
- Building confidence to make your own choices and decisions
It’s about focusing less on symptoms and more on your overall wellbeing, helping you take positive steps towards the life you want to live.
Key concepts of mental health recovery
There are five core concepts that underpin recovery in mental health:
Hope - Believing that things can improve, even during difficult times, is the foundation of recovery.
Personal responsibility - Taking ownership of your wellbeing and recognising the role you play in your own journey.
Self-advocacy - Feeling able to speak up for yourself, ask for what you need, and make informed choices about your care.
Education - Learning about your condition and exploring strategies that help you manage it more effectively.
Support - Having people around you, friends, family, professionals, or peers, who encourage and stand alongside you.
Principles of recovery-oriented care
At Priory, we follow recovery-oriented principles to ensure that every person we support feels heard, respected, and empowered. These include:
- Recognising the uniqueness of each individual and tailoring care to personal goals
- Encouraging real choices and supporting people to take positive steps forward
- Promoting dignity, respect, and equality, while challenging stigma and discrimination
- Building strong partnerships through open, honest communication with individuals and their families
- Regularly reviewing progress to ensure treatment and support remain effective and meaningful
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Mental health recovery at Priory
Our teams of therapists, psychiatrists and psychologists are highly experienced in helping people take meaningful steps forward. If you’re unsure where to start, you can choose to have a comprehensive private mental health assessment. This can help us understand your needs and recommend the most suitable approach for you.
We offer different treatment formats to fit around your life, including inpatient treatment, day care programmes, outpatient sessions and online therapy. Treatment plans are shaped around the individual and may include evidence-based techniques such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) or eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR), depending on what will be most helpful for your situation.
Alongside managing symptoms, our focus is on helping you develop coping strategies, build confidence and find a renewed sense of purpose, supporting you to move forward with hope. You’re not alone in this, and with the right support, recovery is possible.
Take the next step
You don’t have to face mental health challenges on your own. With the right support, recovery is possible and life can start to feel brighter again.
Start your mental health treatment with Priory today, speak to one of our specialists and take the first step towards positive change.
