Wellness Recovery Action Plan
They say it’s important to treat people kindly because everyone has their own struggles they refuse to share with the world. When the lights go off and the crowd begins to leave, behind every smile is an individual with a clouded mind. You may also see employee action plan examples.
Wellness Recovery Action Plan Template
We’ve seen stories of people struggling with mental health issues, not to mention various addictions to narcotics and other kinds of harmful (or even prescription) drugs that have taken a huge toll in one’s physical and mental health. You may also like career action plan examples.
As most of society continue to turn a blind eye to the situation that many individuals have been affected by, several nonprofit organizations and health institutions make it a priority to address these issues accordingly. You may also check out budget action plan examples.
The primary goal of these volunteers and self-help groups is to assist others in overcoming their own health issues and moving on to fulfilling a life filled with dreams and aspirations. This is usually accomplished with the help of a wellness recovery action plan.
Blank Wellness Recovery Action Plan Template
Community Wellness Recovery Action Plan Example
What Is a Wellness Recovery Action Plan?
A Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) is a personalized wellness and recovery system that is specially designed for people coping with various physical and mental health challenges. This recovery model is authored and created by educator and mental health advocate Mary Ellen Copeland and The Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery. A WRAP is an evidence-based practice that comprises of a self-designed wellness and crisis plan development program.
A wellness recovery action plan is also a holistic and pliable program that may be modified according to the user’s mental health recovery practices. Persons dealing with the effects of trauma, addictions, diabetes, and fibromyalgia can greatly benefit from this general plan. This can also be adapted for families, veterans, and kids to use.
Some elements of a wellness recovery action plan are even centered toward peer support and peer education. Participants of the said program are highly encouraged to manage their own wellness and recovery in such a way that is comfortable and suitable within their means. You may also see sales action plan examples.
Wellness Recovery Action Plan Calendar Example
Personal Wellness Recovery Action Plan Template
Benefits of a Wellness Recovery Action Plan
The effects of various mental health disorders have always been a sensitive topic among members of our community. Apparently, anxiety, depression, and even acts of suicide were nothing more than selfish stunts that victims pulled to gain attention. In fact, for years, it was considered as a taboo that people, most especially conservatives, refused to acknowledge as a genuine problem of our society. You may also like marketing action plan examples.
Unfortunately, many individuals who struggle with severe anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses are ashamed of their conditions and dismiss their feelings and behavior all because they were never medically diagnosed by a healthcare professional. Failure to seek help from a medical practitioner, or even from a loved one, can lead to grave consequences in one’s mental health. You may also check out SMART action plan examples.
Results can sometimes be fatal, and you may end up hurting yourself or the people around you in ways you never thought you were capable of.
But with television shows like Dr. Phil and Shameless, along with the controversial Netflix original 13 Reasons Why, discussions on drug and alcohol abuse and mental illness have gradually made themselves known as an ongoing problem that individuals of any age continue to struggle with alone. You might be interested in how to make an action plan.
Like in the movie It’s Kind of a Funny Story about a 16-year old boy who checks himself into a mental-health clinic, along with the thousands of calls received by the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on a daily basis, something as simple as a wellness recovery action plan can go a long way in turning a person’s life around. You may also see restaurant action plan examples.
A wellness recovery action plan can help people decrease and prevent troubling feelings and behaviors that prompt them to hurt themselves through self-infliction or other self-harming actions.
The plan aims to increase a patient’s personal empowerment through activities that can boost their self-esteem, improve their quality of life, and attain their personal goals and dreams. These activities are specially designed to help a person feel better whenever they are experiencing difficulties related to their condition and to prevent such difficulties from occurring. You may also like strategic action plan examples.
Apart from self-management, a wellness recovery action plan also focuses on the patient’s natural environment, particularly the people that surround them. The document contains an advance directive that allows family members and friends to assist and care for the patient when he or she cannot do so effectively due to an increase in symptoms and a decrease in self-care abilities. You may also check out team action plan examples.
However, keep in mind that taking care of someone who is coping with an addiction or a mental health challenge is far from easy. It requires a great amount of patience and commitment to perform. These caregivers or supporters also need to fully understand one’s condition for them to provide the proper guidance that a patient desperately requires. You might be interested in corrective action plan examples.
Raising awareness on various addictions and mental health disorders through different campaigns is also another way to educate the public.
There are also support groups organized by your local community centers, hospitals, and churches that are open to members who suffer from certain health conditions. These groups are often led by two facilitators who have undergone a sufficient amount of training to extend their professional guidance toward those in need. You may also see project action plan examples.
Here, open forums, lectures, peer discussions, and other interpersonal exercises are conducted to encourage one-on-one and group interactions.
Relapse Prevention Wellness Recover Action Plan Example
Simple Wellness Recovery Action Plan Example
Is a Wellness Recovery Action Plan Effective?
People who suffer from addiction or mental illness aren’t always that obvious. You sometimes find them smiling with friends, greeting instructors or colleagues enthusiastically, or even trying to help other people with mental health issues overcome their difficulties. You may also see business action plan examples.
Needless to say, the signs aren’t always there, as most people choose to fight their demons behind close doors. Some people even use alcohol and painkillers to escape the problems they face on a regular basis. Substance abuse is a serious problem in our society. While certain drugs can be used to “control” one’s condition and to reduce the triggers that cause it, it can also amplify the effects when used abusively. You may also like emergency action plan examples.
But you can’t just tell an alcoholic to stop drinking and expect them to turn their life around on your command. You can’t tell a person with a serious drug addiction to stop taking pills the next day.
Humans often react viciously to these sudden changes, forcing the body to gradually deteriorate or even shut down completely. This is why people who want to improve their way of life need to take the appropriate actions that healthcare professionals recommend. You may also check out printable work action plan examples.
Numerous research studies have proven the positive impacts of a WRAP approach. Participants in the said program have shown significant improvements in different areas of their life such as
- reduction in severity of symptoms and episodes of mental illness,
- increased feelings of hopefulness and self-confidence,
- willingness to seek for help when necessary,
- better goal orientation,
- the ability to trust and rely on others for help,
- improved self-advocacy, and
- better overall physical and mental health.
Although the wellness recovery action plan was initially designed and used for people with mental health conditions caused by trauma and other personal factors, it was slowly adapted to suit the needs for people coping with chronic health issues (e.g., diabetes, arthritis, cancer, ALS, and asthma) and life issues (e.g., relationships, career, decision-making). You might be interested in printable employee action plan examples.
Military personnel and veterans dealing with anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and substance-use disorders are also encouraged to participate in the program.
Wellness Recovery Action Plan Example
Wellness Recovery Action Plan Guidelines Example
Steps in Developing a Wellness Recovery Action Plan
A wellness recovery action plan is a structured system used to monitor uncomfortable or distressing symptoms experienced by a patient. This is used to help reduce, modify, or eliminate such symptoms through a series of planned responses. This also includes a guide for how you want others to respond when your symptoms have made it difficult or even impossible for you to continue to make decisions and keep yourself safe. You may also see community action plan examples.
Though the WRAP is usually developed by the person who experiences the symptoms, the individual is also given the option to have supporters and/or healthcare professional assist them in creating the wellness recovery action plan. You may also like work action plan examples.
When creating a WRAP, you need to have the right supplies to complete it. This includes a Wellness Toolbox containing a list of resources you can use to develop the plan.
Anything from contacting friends and supporters to focusing on relaxation and stress-reduction exercises would do. While you can choose to create the plan digitally through a PDF or Word document, it’s always best to secure a hard copy of your general action plan using a three-ring binder or any kind of writing instrument. This makes it easier for you to carry around and find whenever the circumstance you are in calls for it.
Generally, a wellness recovery action plan is composed of six main sections.
1. Daily Maintenance List
A daily maintenance plan is composed of three parts:
- A description of yourself when you are well
- The Wellness Tools that you need to use every single day to help maintain your wellness
- A reminder list for things you might need to do
Reading through this list on a day-to-day basis will help keep you on track.
2. Triggers
For the second section of your action plan, you need to identify specific events or “triggers” that, if they happened, might make you feel ill or worse than what you’re normally comfortable with. Similar to an asthma action plan, these triggers may lead to a series of reactions that would worsen your symptoms.
For instance, getting in an argument with a close friend could cause a stir of emotions inside of you. These are everyday events that, if not dealt with properly, will likely cause your symptoms to take a turn for the worse.
3. Early Warning Signs
Despite your best efforts at reducing symptoms, triggers can eventually lead to those subtle changes which indicate that you may need to take some further action to bring your condition back under control. These signs are often internal and are sometimes unrelated to stressful situations. You may also see free employee action plan examples.
For most people enduring a severe form of anxiety, insomnia and feelings of nervousness are just some signs you should be cautious about.
When this happens, using your Wellness Toolbox to calm yourself down may be effective.
4. When Things Are Getting Worse
Once your symptoms have become uncomfortable, serious, or even dangerous to you and others, you need to take immediate action to prevent a crisis.
On this part of your simple action plan, make a list of symptoms that indicate that things are close to the crisis stage. You may be showing signs of extreme depression for no exact reason. Others even begin hallucinating by seeing figures that aren’t really there or hearing sinister voices inside their heads. If any of signs disturb your natural state, be sure to take the necessary actions immediately.
5. Crisis Plan
In the crisis plan, you need to identify those signs that will let others know that it’s time for them to take over. This could be a parent or a partner who is completely familiar with your condition. Remember to include the name of the person being granted the authority to take responsibility and make decisions on your behalf. You may also see printable SMART action plan examples.
Healthcare information, a list of activities that must be carried out during this time, and the things that others can do to help should also be specified in the plan.
Take note that you may not be in the right state to make decisions for yourself (nor will you be permitted to) no matter how personal or sensitive it can be, so it’s important to choose someone that you can rely on the most to be your right-hand supporter during this difficult time. You may also like school action plan examples.
6. Post-Crisis Plan
This part of the plan should be thought of in advance assuming that a crisis does occur. This should paint a clear picture of what one can do to get better and stay well for their own benefit.
Wellness Recovery Action Plan Treatment Example
Wellness Recovery Action Plan Worksheet Example
Whether you’re someone experiencing psychiatric symptoms or a healthcare professional seeking to help others in their journey toward recovery, these guidelines for developing an effective wellness recovery action plan is sure to come in handy. You may also see 90-day action plan examples.
Make sure to review your plans regularly, take note of your current state, and update the WRAP whenever you need to. As you become more familiar with the plan, you will know how to respond efficiently and effectively during moments of difficulty. You may also like corrective action plan examples.