A Qualitative Analysis of Participant Feedback from the Wellness Management and Recovery (WMR) Program

For most individuals a diagnosis of serious mental illness (SMI) is a catastrophic event (Marsh & Johnson, 1997). However, a wellness-centric or recovery perspective views an individual with SMI as living beyond their diagnosis (Deegan, 1995). Psychological recovery has been defined as "the establishment of a fulfilling, meaningful life and a positive sense of identity founded on hopefulness and self-determination" (Andresen, Oades, & Caputi, 2003, p. 588). The Wellness Management and Recovery (WMR) program is an example of a psychotherapeutic/psychoeducational program that is designed to promote communication, social support, wellness, and self-empowerment. The goal of the WMR program is to support mental health recovery and promote better overall health. A central tenet of the WMR model is that the individuals with SMI benefit from having opportunities for both intra-personal growth and inter-personal relationship building (Bullock et al., 2009).;The WMR program places an emphasis on empowerment and "finding the voice" of each consumer participant. The primary goal of the current study was to determine what participants of the WMR program liked most and least about the program, as well as what components of WMR participants believed were most influential in their individual journeys to recovery. Using qualitative data analysis of three open-ended questions regarding participants' experience in the program, the following phases of data analysis were conducted: (1) initial thematic categories for three open-ended questions were inductively developed during a pilot study using a subsample of 75 responses; (2) the coding system developed for the pilot study was utilized by this author to code all data (current N = 500+ who have completed the WMR program, and who have provided responses to the qualitative questions for the current study); (3) a team of three researchers (this author and two intern-level graduate students unaffiliated with the WMR program and blind to the research questions) developed a revised coding system; (4) all current data was coded independently by the three raters (inter-rater reliability was high); and (5) the author analyzed data using NVivo (qualitative data analysis software).;Current findings suggest high levels of overall satisfaction with the WMR program and the strongly expressed belief by the majority of participants that the WMR program was beneficial to their individual recovery journeys. Results suggest that key aspects of the WMR program's success in aiding individuals in their individual recover journeys included: group dynamics; social support; the program content (e.g., materials) and educational components; its focus on wellness; communication skill-building; and individual activation (e.g., feelings of empowerment, gains in self-insight, becoming an active participant in their recovery). Participants indicated that certain elements of time, social interaction, and content were components that they liked least about WMR. Results of the current study supported those of a previous study conducted using in-depth interviews to look at recovery outcomes following participation in WMR, and other qualitative studies of recovery. Results also offered insight into limitations and areas for growth within the program, which will aid in future training of facilitators as well as offer information as to how to expand or modify the WMR program.