DDN December 2021 December 2021 | Page 18

RECOVERY

CHIMES OF FREEDOM

Tamara Ivanova / iStock

Recovery is the process of becoming well . In terms of general health , it is often considered a return to healthy function following an illness or accident . In mental health this does not accurately reflect recovery for people who see it as an ongoing endeavour instead of an end destination . Here recovery is more ideological and involves taking positive action to implement lifestyle changes that improve wellbeing .

The concept of recovery as a lived experience was first popularised in Alcoholics Anonymous ( AA ), through the 12- step programme it advocates . Its success resulted in the proliferation of 12 step programmes to other areas of addiction , for example , Narcotics Anonymous ( NA ) and
The G-CHIME model of recovery offers huge potential for both clients and practitioners , say Lisa Ogilvie and Jerome Carson
Gambling Anonymous ( GA ). Moreover , the positive testimonies of people in addiction recovery describing experiencing a meaningful life encouraged health professionals to start looking at where people with mental health problems could also embark on a process of personal change . One that could build resilience for living a happy and satisfying life , irrespective of the limitations presented through illness .
BROAD VIEW Recovery as an approach in mental health takes a broader view of the person than is seen in traditional psychiatry , one that does not aim to treat symptoms or adjust for deficits , instead promoting selfmanagement and the re-assertion of control . A substantial body of knowledge now exists on the use of recovery-based approaches within mental health services . This importantly has the backing of empirical evidence to demonstrate its efficacy . A review of the material resulted in a valued and respected framework for understanding personal recovery known as CHIME : Connectedness , Hope and optimism about the future , Identity , Meaning in life , and Empowerment .
This framework lists five significant and supporting components of recovery and has become an important tool for gauging recovery in addition to offering a model for developing interventions and evaluating clinical endpoints . The CHIME model has proved to be adaptable , for example , C-CHIME considers using creativity to promote recovery , CHIME-A is an adaptation specifically for adolescents and children , and CHIME-D considers recovery in terms of the difficulties overcome .
GROWTH This presented the opportunity to consider what can be appropriated from this model and returned to where the idea of recovery started – addiction . One such study used CHIME-D to look at recovery in terms of the difficulties overcome , however this found that difficulties did not generally fall into their own classification , instead being more relevant to the other components of CHIME . Here we discuss an adaptation to the model that includes a sixth dimension important to addiction recovery , Growth , resulting in G-CHIME .
If the five components of CHIME fit so succinctly with addiction recovery , then why adapt the model to incorporate a dimension for growth ? Perhaps this is best explained by the stages of change model commonly referenced in the field of addiction , where personal growth is recognised through a series of changes that demonstrate an individual ’ s disposition to learn , improve and continue to develop , rather than remain in the same mental and emotional state .
This willingness to adapt and learn , to personally grow , is a
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