Foundation Course

The Foundation Course provides an introduction into personal recovery and is designed to support people face the future with renewed hope and optimism.

People need a challenge like recovery; it’s not about managing your problem but actually living the life you want.

Course aim:

1. Finding and maintain hope: a person begins to believe in themselves, develops a sense of having control and influence over their life and starts to feel more optimistic about the future.
2. Reestablishment of a positive identity: the person develops a richer understanding of their identity, in which illness is peripheral to a core, sense of self.
3. Building a meaningful life: the person is able to make sense of their mental health problems, find meaning and purpose in spite of their illness, and is engaged in life.
4. Taking responsibility and control: the person feels in control of their mental health and life.

(Rethink Mental Illness, 2008)

Scheme of Work:

No.	Unit Title	Unit Description
1a)	What is personal recovery?	There are many paths to the good life. In this unit, we explore what ‘recovery’ or ‘getting better’ means to you.
1b)	Character Strengths	How familiar are you with your character strengths? In this unit, we think about how we can bring more of our true selves to the world.
2a)	CHIME framework for personal recovery	There are five things we believe that all people need in their lives.  In this unit, we look at the CHIME factors, and apply them to our own lives.
2b)	Wellbeing	Wellbeing is about living more intentionally. In this unit, we think about how we spend our time and how we can develop good habits.
3a)	The ‘We’ in Wellness & Stigma	Recovery doesn’t happen in isolation; it happens in the community. In this unit, we consider the role of other people in our recovery and discuss mental health stigma.
3b)	Telling your Story	We all make sense of our lives by telling our stories. In this unit, we think about the most empowering way to think about our situation? Change the narrative.
4a)	Disidentification	You are not your diagnosis. In this unit, we try to make a healthy separation between what is us and what is our mental health problem.
4b)	Creating a strong sense of self	What makes you you? In this unit, we look at identity and the roles we play.
5a)	Recovery as a Process	Recovery is best thought as a process, and it’s going to take time. In this unit, we look at a stage model of change, and identify what stage of the process we are at.
5b)	Overcoming Stuckness	The difficulty in life is making the choice. In this unit we explore resolving ambivalence and our reasons for not changing.
6a)	Goal Setting	If life is a journey, then goals help us stay on the path. In this unit, we look at the benefits of goal setting. If you goal is get better, than what do you have to do?
6b)	Developing a life road map	What is your next step? In this unit, we start to tentatively think about the future and mapping the road forward. The best way to manage the future is to create it.