Social supports are neglected in the "short definition." Being 'self-directed' is often the problem!
Richard Finkbiner, Ph.D.
shared this idea
8 comments
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Jennifer Williams RS/CAADAC
commented
@anonymous....With all due respect, maybe you'd like to read the previous posts. And since I'm responding to your rather nasty comment, none of us would be in the "field" if we didn't care. Some of us wouldn't be in this field if we hadn't been through our own struggles with mental illness and/or substance abuse. I think you are missing the point here. The reason for this forum is to gain insight from collaboration.
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Anonymous
commented
Friendship is real. Peer support is real. "Self-directed" is NEVER "the problem". The Problem is the terrible lack of alternatives to mainstream psych services...services that are a miserable failure. Self-directed certainly DOES require outside funds. Does Ms. Williams believe that people marginalized by the labels and driven to poverty by the disabling "treatments" have the money available to fund their own self-directed recoveries? This is NOT about your g-d "field". This about the lives of human beings who have a right to make their own choices about their health.
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Jennifer Williams RS/CAADAC
commented
Yes, but "self-directed" does not require outside funds, such as grants, etc. Please remember that this is a definition that will be used to "define", loosely, our field, to other members of the community.
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Joelene DeMarcos
commented
I'll take self directed ANY DAY. There's nothing wrong with self directed. Nothing.
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Corinna
commented
See my blog on my Please Cut Our Budgets! We'll tell you how. This outlines 7 ways to build increased level of effective social supports for people with mental health labels. All seven ideas can be implemented right away with no investments or increased expenditures. http://corinnawest.com/please-cut-our-budget-well-tell-you-how/
Also please vote for my comment about a complete definition of recovery that includes symptom reductions as well as building a new life.
http://feedback.samhsa.gov/forums/129063-definition-of-recovery/suggestions/2176441-full-recovery-incorporates-both-personal-and-clini?ref=title -
SoandSo
commented
Hear, hear. Self-directed = living under a bridge for many of us. It can take months to years for the 'fog to lift' enough for healthy personal decisions to be possible. Even after this, people who really live recovery confer with peers and accept advice and guidance. "Self-directed" sounds like a cop-out for letting someone continue to kill themselves with drugs or alcohol if that's what they say they want to do.
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Kris
commented
This is a great comment! Regarding addiction, being "self directed" is absolutely a big part of the problem - and a common thread among alcoholics and drug addicts. I believe meaningful social connectons are vital, as well as the concept of a spiritual path. That being said, one succinct definition of recovery that encompasses both substance and mental health disorders is a tall order - and it may not be possible to develop such a statement that would speak to all who seek and are in recovery.
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Richard Finkbiner, Ph.D.
commented
Many others have voiced this concern. The definition should include a phrase such as: " ...so that individuals are empowered to create meaningful (social) connections to peers, family, and community." (Empowerment is sometimes seen as difficult to define conceptually, but see Catanneo & Chapman, 2010 American Psychologist, 65, 646-659)
