Did You Know

Psychiatric Rehabilitation is a comprehensive strategy for meeting the needs of individuals with severe and persistent mental illness. The goal of psychiatric rehabilitation is to enable individuals to compensate for, or eliminate the functional deficits, interpersonal barriers, and environmental barriers created by the disability, and to restore the ability for independent living, socialization, and effective life management.

Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services are provided to assist individuals to develop, enhance, and/or retain the following:

• Psychiatric stability,
• Social competencies,
• Vocational competencies,
• Educational competencies,
• Independent living competencies.

Through the development, enhancement, and retention of these competencies, individuals may experience more success and satisfaction in the environments of their choice (residential, vocational, educational, social) and function as independently as possible in these environments.

Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practice is guided by the basic philosophy of rehabilitation that people with disabilities need opportunities to identify and choose for themselves their desired roles in the community with regard to living, learning, working, and social environment. A key element of rehabilitation is experiencing a valued role in the community and obtaining and using the power to make choices about one's life.

For more information on psychiatric rehabilitation see:

• Psychiatric Rehabilitation (1999), Carlos Pratt et al., Academic Press.
• Best Practices in Psychosocial Rehabilitation (2000), R. Hughes & D. Weinstein (eds), International Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services (IAPSRS).

Core Principles of Psychiatric Rehabilitation
(Developed by the International Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation Services)

1. Recovery is the ultimate goal of Psychiatric Rehabilitation. Interventions must facilitate the process of recovery.
2. Psychiatric Rehabilitation practices help people re-establish normal roles in the community and their re-integration into community life.
3. Psychiatric Rehabilitation practices facilitate the development of personal support networks.
4. Psychiatric Rehabilitation practices facilitate an enhanced quality of life for each person receiving services.
5. All people have the capacity to learn and grow.
6. People receiving services have the right to direct their own affairs, including those that are related to their psychiatric disability.
7. All people are to be treated with respect and dignity.
8. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioners make conscious and consistent efforts to eliminate labeling and discrimination, particularly discrimination based upon a disabling condition.
9. Culture and/or ethnicity play an important role in recovery. They are sources of strength and enrichment for the person and the services.
10. Psychiatric Rehabilitation interventions build on the strengths of each person.
11. Psychiatric Rehabilitation services are to be coordinated, accessible, and available as long as needed.
12. All services are to be designed to address the unique needs of each individual, consistent with the individual's cultural values and norms.
13. Psychiatric Rehabilitation practices actively encourage and support the involvement of persons in normal community activities, such as school and work, throughout the rehabilitation process.
14. The involvement and partnership of persons receiving services and family members is an essential ingredient of the process of rehabilitation and recovery.
15. Psychiatric Rehabilitation practitioners should constantly strive to improve the services they provide.