Personal Mental Health Recovery Values and Ethics of WRAP®

There is hope. People get well, stay well for long periods of time, and do the things they want to do with their lives.
Self-determination, personal responsibility, empowerment, and self-advocacy are expected outcomes of WRAP®.
Insisting that you be treated as an equal, with dignity, compassion, mutual respect, and unconditional high regard; as a unique, special individual, including acceptance of diversity with relation to culture, ethnicity, language, religion, race, gender, age, disability, sexual identity, and “readiness” issues, and treat others the same way.
WRAP is based on the premise that there are “no limits” to recovery.
Every part of WRAP is totally voluntary. You, the person who is developing the WRAP, decide if you want to do it, when you want to do it, how long you will take, what it will include, and who assists and supports you.
It is understood that you as the person who is developing this WRAP, are the expert on yourself.
Concentration on your individual strengths and away from perceived deficits as determined by you or others.
Keeping the focus on things you do well, and avoiding negative self-judgments or the findings of deficit-based assessments.
Avoiding the use of clinical, medical, and diagnostic language.
If possible, working together and learning with your peers, to increase mutual understanding, knowledge, and promote wellness.
Emphasizing strategies that are simple and safe.
Understanding that difficult feelings and behaviors are normal responses to traumatic circumstances, and that what is happening in your life need not be considered symptoms or a diagnosis.

Mental Health Recovery Values and Ethics for Group Facilitators

In order to do mental health recovery and WRAP® work, it is essential that you understand and support the following Values and Ethics. If you don't want to, or cannot adhere to these Values and Ethics, please do not do this work. About - Values - Image 1

As a Facilitator you must:

honor the participants.
accept them as they are; as unique, special individuals.
remind them that there are "no-limits" to anyone's recovery.
give them a sense hope.
validate their experiences.
treat them with dignity, compassion, respect, and unconditional high regard.
give each person choices and options, not final answers.
support the concept that each person is the expert on themselves.

In this work, participants learn through their own experience and the experience of others.

This work is:

based on self-determination - it opens the door for individuals, but doesn't dictate their path.
rooted in the belief in equality - no one is any better or has higher value than anyone else.
a mutual learning model, where both people work together to increase understanding and promote wellness.
not necessarily a replacement for other kinds of therapy, but can complement any other therapy.
adaptable to anyone's personal philosophy.
simple and safe for anyone, regardless of the severity of their symptoms.
based on common sense.
infinitely do-able.
always changing - the body of knowledge is always expanding and is infinite.
not based on any philosophy or model, but can incorporate any philosophy or model.
not only a program - it is a way of life.

There is no room for big egos or "power trips," bigotry, prejudice, or hatred. Everyone belongs at the table, no matter what their issues or where they are on their path. There are no predetermined outcomes. Each individual works at their own pace toward their own goals.

There is no "political" agenda. (Political discussions need to be saved for the appropriate forum.)

Follow strict codes of sexual conduct at all times. As a Facilitator, do not behave in a manner that might be construed as sexually suggestive, harassing or discriminatory. If anyone in your group or at your presentation does these kind of things, let them know that it is not acceptable. If you are having a hard time with this, discuss it with someone you trust who can give you helpful guidance and support in addressing this issue.

Do everything you can to ensure a safe, comfortable, and respectful atmosphere for participants.

Mental Health Recovery and WRAP Values and Ethics Checklist

The Values and Ethics Checklist is for both facilitators and people looking for groups to get an idea of the community they will find in their WRAP group.