The Way WRAP Works

The Evidence-Based Model

The information below originally appeared in SAMHSA’s evidence-based program registry, which is no longer available. 

Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP®) is a manualized group intervention for symptom and illness management that is delivered in a self-help group context. WRAP guides participants through the process of identifying and understanding their personal wellness resources (“wellness tools”) and then helps them develop an individualized plan to use these resources on a daily basis to manage their mental illness. WRAP has the following goals:

• Teach participants how to implement the key concepts of recovery (hope, personal responsibility, education, self-advocacy, and support) in their day-to-day lives
• Help participants organize a list of their wellness tools—activities they can use to help themselves feel better when they are experiencing mental health difficulties and to prevent these difficulties from arising
• Assist each participant in creating a crisis plan that guides the involvement of family members or supporters when he or she can no longer take appropriate actions on his or her own behalf
• Help each participant develop an individualized post-crisis plan for use as the mental health difficulty subsides, to promote a return to wellness

WRAP groups typically range in size from 8 to 12 participants and are led by two trained Facilitators. Information is imparted through lectures, discussions, and individual and group exercises, and key WRAP concepts are illustrated through examples from the lives of the Facilitators and participants.

The intervention is typically delivered over 8 weekly 2.5-hour sessions. It can be adapted for shorter or longer times to more effectively meet the needs of participants, as long as all essential components are covered in no less than 16 hours of instruction and interaction. Participants sometimes choose to continue meeting after the formal 8-week period to support each other in using and continually revising their WRAP plans.

Although a sponsoring agency or organization may have its own criteria for an individual’s entry into WRAP, the intervention’s only formal criterion is that participation is strictly voluntary. WRAP is generally offered in mental health outpatient programs, residential facilities, and peer-run programs. Referrals to WRAP are usually made by mental health care providers, self-help organizations, and other WRAP participants.

Although the intervention is used primarily by people with mental illnesses of varying severity, WRAP also has been used by people coping with health issues (e.g., arthritis, diabetes, Hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS), other disabilities (e.g., intellectual/developmental disabilities, physical disabilities), substance use disorders, life issues (e.g., trauma, decision-making, interpersonal relationships), life course transitions (e.g., youth, older adults), and former or current service in the armed forces (e.g., military personnel, veterans).