Bringing recovery to the youth – a review of discovery colleges

Bringing recovery to the youth – a review of discovery colleges Aleisha Fitzgerald, Tom Moberg, Phelim Quinlisk, Chloe Costello Mental Health and Social Inclusion, Vol. ahead-of-print, No. ahead-of-print, pp.- While the research literature on Recovery Colleges is relatively well-established, comprehensive research concerning Recovery Education for young people is currently scarce. The purpose of paper is to provide an overview of determinants of, and barriers to, the successful implementation of youth-adapted Recovery Colleges, known as Discovery Colleges, and to explore the wider impact of Discovery Colleges and Recovery Colleges.In consultation with a Recovery College Peer Educator, three undergraduate applied psychology students conducted a literature review with no date limits on publications in the Google Scholar and PubMed electronic databases.A total of 15 publications were included. Determinants for successful implementation included the importance of previously established Recovery College foundations, service and content accessibility and evaluative feedback. Barriers were primarily related to differences in how development, identity and environment between adults and young people impact positive educational outcomes. The wider impact of Discovery Colleges highlighted an improvement in relationships between service users and health-care professionals, an improved attitude towards education; improvements in well-being, self-worth and social connection; and promotio...
Source: Mental Health and Social Inclusion - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Source Type: research