Welcome to our new column “Take Two.”

“Take Two” will remind you to “Take a two minute break” from whatever you are doing to read and learn about emerging issues, new research, and personal stories from experts and leaders in the recovery and resilience movement. The weekly column will be written by written by Recovery and Resiliency Advisor Tom Kelly.

This week’s topic – Empowerment

Greetings Fellow Friends, Advocates and Colleagues,

In this week’s “TAKE TWO” I would like continue exploring the ten fundamental components or principles of recovery as described in the National Consensus Statement on Mental Health. In past TAKE TWO messages we have explored “Hope”, “Peer Support”, “Responsibility”, “Strengths-Based” and “Self-Direction”. Last week we looked at the component focusing on “Respect”. This week I would like to take a look at the component of “Empowerment”.

Empowerment: Consumers have the authority to choose from a range of options and to participate in all decisions—including the allocation of resources—that will affect their lives, and are educated and supported in so doing. They have the ability to join with other consumers to collectively and effectively speak for themselves about their needs, wants, desires, and aspirations. Through empowerment, an individual gains control of his or her own destiny and influences the organizational and societal structures in his or her life.(1)

“When you face your fear, most of the time you will discover that it was not really such a big threat after all. We all need some form of deeply rooted, powerful motivation — it empowers us to overcome obstacles so we can live our dreams.” – Les Brown

“The principles of empowerment and recovery require a clear and concise understanding and commitment to those principles if we are to be effective helpers. We also need to be aware of our attitudes and beliefs about mental illness and the people affected by these disorders. Our attitudes and beliefs will define how we respond to persons with mental health difficulties.

“Providing services in mental health, as in any helping field, means we have chosen to serve people with mental and emotional health challenges. Serving others effectively demands that we put our personal agendas, attitudes, biases and fears aside and let ourselves be directed by the people we have chosen to serve.

“For those of us that have landed in the mental health system by circumstance rather than by choice, it is essential that we also perform a thorough examination of our beliefs and values.

“While nominally applying a “strengths approach” to their service provision, some mental health services seem to focus on illness management, on controlling the person’s deficits and disabilities, rather than building a real life of pursuing hopes, dreams, goals, challenges, achievements and overcoming setbacks.” (2)

“The rehabilitation view of recovery is that people can regain some social functioning, despite having symptoms, limitations, medication, and remaining mentally ill … To say that the person’s mental illness is a permanent condition is to forever ostracize the person from society and say that they will never be able to regain a major social role.” (3)

“Many of us who have been psychiatrically labeled have received powerful messages from professionals who in effect tell us by virtue of our diagnosis our futures are already sealed.” (4)

“Power is not something that we can bestow on another person. It is something he or she already has within and will struggle to retain. Empowerment means that we acknowledge the personal power each person has to make positive decisions and to take responsibility for them, a simple exercise in treating others with dignity and respect.” – Gail Pursell Elliott

Empowerment is an important principle that we must focus upon. It is through empowerment that individuals gain control of their destiny!

REFERENCES:
(1). National Consensus Statement on Mental Health Recovery. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. www.samhsa.gov

(2). Peters, H., Empowerment and Recovery in Mental Health. Partnership for Consumer Empowerment. 2003. Retrieved from: http://www.manitoba.cmha.ca/data/1/rec_docs/753_pce_workbook.pdf June 5, 2009.

(3). Fisher, D. (1999). A new vision of recovery: The empowerment vision. National Empowerment Center. Retrieved June 9, 1999 from the World Wide Web: http://www.power2u.org/vision.html

(4). Deegan, P.E. (1995). Recovery as a journey of the heart. In L. Spaniol, C. Gagne, M. Koehler, (Ed.), Psychological and Social Aspects of Psychiatric Disability. (pp. 74-83). Boston University: Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation. Boston. Massachusetts.

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