CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON AND BEYOND ‘RECOVERY’: TEN YEARS ON 

At the first critical perspectives conference, in 2009, recovery principles and practices were debated and discussed with a considerable optimism about their potential to radically change mental health care. Now, with the conference in its 10th year, it is time to take another critical look at recovery and in particular the adoption of so-called strategies of inclusion (e.g. co- production, community engagement, and the employment of peer support workers) by mainstream institutions. The conference will consider whether such strategies have led to a recovery-focused mental health care where service users have choices, control and authority, or whether these strategies constitute an act of appropriation and co-option servicing primarily the interests of the mental health establishment.

Lydia Sapouna, School of Applied Social Studies and Harry Gijbels, School of Nursing and Midwifery (retired).