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The therapeutic power of volunteering

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

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Summary

There is growing evidence from smaller evaluative studies in the USA and anecdotal papers in the UK that supported volunteering can help recovery and can be a pathway into paid work for people with serious and fluctuating mental health conditions. It allows the person to take risks and test out a working environment. This opportunity can integrate their experience of mental illness into a valued identity and provides opportunities to engage with a world of work. We recommend that mental health professionals consider ways of providing volunteering opportunities as part of a recovery-oriented service within their organisations.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  1. Appreciate the benefits patients gain from volunteering.

  2. Understand the principles of a supported volunteering scheme.

  3. Appreciate the potential value to the patient of volunteering within health and social care settings.

Information

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2014 
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