Supporting the Development of a Strengths-Based Narrative: Applying the Leisure and Well-Being Model in Outpatient Mental Health Services

Authors

  • Colleen Deyell Hood Brock University
  • Cynthia P. Carruthers Department of Educational and Clinical Studies, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18666/TRJ-2016-V50-I2-7307

Keywords:

Well-being, strengths-based practice, recovery-oriented care, mental health, theory-based practice, narrative therapy, program evaluation, therapeutic recreation

Abstract

Strengths-based practice emphasizes the discovery, development, and expression of a variety of strengths as a significant strategy for well-being (Jones-Smith, 2014). The notion of recovery in mental health services refers to living well with mental illness and is often based in creating a self-narrative that includes mental illness but that is not defined by it, or in other words creating a self-narrative of strengths (Onken, Craig, Ridgway, Ralph, & Cook, 2007). The Leisure and Well-Being Model (LWM) (Carruthers & Hood, 2007; Hood & Carruthers, 2007) provides direction for the development of strengths-based therapeutic recreation (TR) programs and this article will describe the development, implementation, and evaluation plan for a TR program designed to address one of the distal goals of the LWM, “cultivation and expression of one’s full potential including strengths, capacities and assets” (Carruthers & Hood, 2007, p. 280) in outpatient mental health services. The literature on recovery in mental health treatment, strengths-based practice, positive psychology and narrative therapy provided the conceptual framework for the application of the LWM to TR services. The resultant program, entitled Be Your Best Self, is described in some detail and the ongoing plans for development and evaluation research are articulated.

Author Biographies

Colleen Deyell Hood, Brock University

Colleen Deyell Hood is a professor in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies at Brock University. 

Cynthia P. Carruthers, Department of Educational and Clinical Studies, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Cynthia P. Carruthers is professor emerita in the Department of Educational and Clinical Studies, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Downloads

Published

2016-04-29

Issue

Vol. 50 No. 2 (2016)

Section

Special Issue

License

Sagamore Publishing LLC (hereinafter the “Copyright Owner”)

Journal Publishing Copyright Agreement for Authors

PLEASE REVIEW OUR POLICIES AND THE PUBLISHING AGREEMENT, AND INDICATE YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THE TERMS BY CHECKING THE ‘AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS COPYRIGHT NOTICE’ CHECKBOX BELOW.

I understand that by submitting an article to Therapeutic Recreation Journal, I am granting the copyright to the article submitted for consideration for publication in Therapeutic Recreation Journal to the Copyright Owner. If after consideration of the Editor of the Therapeutic Recreation Journal, the article is not accepted for publication, all copyright covered under this agreement will be automatically returned to the Author(s).

THE PUBLISHING AGREEMENT

Assignment of Copyright

I hereby assign to the Copyright Owner the copyright in the manuscript I am submitting in this online procedure and any tables, illustrations or other material submitted for publication as part of the manuscript in all forms and media (whether now known or later developed), throughout the world, in all languages, for the full term of copyright, effective when the article is accepted for publication.

Reversion of Rights

Articles may sometimes be accepted for publication but later be rejected in the publication process, even in some cases after public posting in “Articles in Press” form, in which case all rights will revert to the Author.

Retention of Rights for Scholarly Purposes

I understand that I retain or am hereby granted the Retained Rights. The Retained Rights include the right to use the Preprint, Accepted Manuscript, and the Published Journal Article for Personal Use and Internal Institutional Use.

All journal material is under a 12 month embargo. Authors who would like to have their articles available as open access should contact Sagamore-Venture for further information.

In the case of the Accepted Manuscript and the Published Journal Article, the Retained Rights exclude Commercial Use, other than use by the author in a subsequent compilation of the author’s works or to extend the Article to book length form or re-use by the author of portions or excerpts in other works.

Published Journal Article: the author may share a link to the formal publication through the relevant DOI.

Author Representations

  • The Article I have submitted to the journal for review is original, has been written by the stated author(s) and has not been published elsewhere.
  • The Article was not submitted for review to another journal while under review by this journal and will not be submitted to any other journal.
  • The Article contains no libelous or other unlawful statements and does not contain any materials that violate any personal or proprietary rights of any other person or entity.
  • I have obtained written permission from copyright owners for any excerpts from copyrighted works that are included and have credited the sources in the Article.
  • If the Article was prepared jointly with other authors, I have informed the co-author(s) of the terms of this Journal Publishing Agreement and that I am signing on their behalf as their agent, and I am authorized to do so.