Fellow-sufferers course appears effective
The course for fellow sufferers ‘Herstellen doe je zelf’ helps people with serious mental problems to start to work on their recovery, concludes researcher Hanneke van Gestel, who studied the effectiveness of the course.
Van Gestel conducted her research at Tranzo, a scientific centre at Tilburg University for health care and welfare. As starting point she used a relatively new concept of the word recovery, which was introduced in psychiatry in the 80s.
Previously, recovery meant cure, now it is: experiencing a satisfying, hopeful and meaningful life despite the limitations of your illness. This new view on the recovery in mental problems has consequences for the organization of mental health care (GGz in the Netherlands), which still uses the conventional medical definition.
To test the new concept Van Gestel studied the usefulness and effectiveness of the fellow-sufferers course ‘Herstellen doe je zelf’ (recovering is something you do yourself). The course, developed for people with severe mental health problems, focuses on a recovery-oriented mental healthcare. ‘Herstellen doe je zelf’ is led by someone who is also familiar with serious psychological problems.
The training has positive effects on the recovery of the participants, shows Van Gestel’s PhD research. At het end of the course, they experience more hope, (self) confidence and empowerment than similar clients who did not follow the course. Three months after the course, these effects are still present. [ TvN/transl. YV]
