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WRAP Research Findings

by | May 22, 2015 | Blog, Early Warning Signs, Elements of WRAP, Facilitator Training, For Facilitators, Implementation & Evidence, Key Concepts, News

The listing in SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices is a significant step for WRAP. It is the result of many, many years of intensive work and rigorous research. My goal has always been, and continues to be, to get WRAP and the other mental health recovery information, key concepts and values and ethics I have learned through over 20 years of intensive research, out to more and more people, people with mental health challenges who are desperate to reclaim their lives.

WRAP listing in SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices.

WORD OF WARNING. The WRAP intervention that is listed on the NREPP site has been rigorously studied. We know that this model is what works. And we know that it can be easily adapted, staying within this model, to make it work well for people with all kinds of issues and in all kinds of circumstances. People who have serious mental health challenges and other major life issues deserve the best intervention possible. They deserve WRAP as it has been studied so intensively over time.

From time to time, we hear about agencies and organizations that are “short changing people”–1. giving them some modified, untested version of WRAP, 2. changing the order of the plan, 3. not including information on the Key Concepts, 4. not following the values and ethics, 5. not referring to the manual and other resources that have been developed to describe this innovation, 6. not adequately training WRAP facilitators, or 7. not making information and resources available to people who would benefit from it. This is unfair. People who have mental health issues deserve the best.

If you are not sure whether your program meets the standards that will most benefit everyone, please contact The Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery at info@copelandcenter.com or (802) 254-5335.

We have also heard, and seen, resources and training models that are clearly plagiarized from Mary Ellen’s work. They often have slightly different wording, leave out important information, add information that is not part of this program, and leave out or change the values and ethics. They are not evidence-based. They siphon financial resources from our organization which is doing everything it can to develop, publish and distribute legitimate, well-studied materials wherever they are needed, while keeping the cost of these resources low and accessible to everyone who needs them–often even giving them away. We are so appreciative of the many, many people who use this program and materials as they have been so intensively studied.

Here are some other Research findings:

  • Peer Support Services for Individuals With Serious Mental Illnesses: Assessing the Evidence Matthew Chinman, Ph.D.; Preethy George, Ph.D.; Richard H. Dougherty, Ph.D.; Allen S. Daniels, Ed.D.; Sushmita Shoma Ghose, Ph.D.; Anita Swift, M.S.W.; Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D. Objective: This review assessed the level of evidence and effectiveness of peer support services delivered by individuals in recovery to those with serious mental illnesses or co-occurring mental and substance use disorders. Psychiatric Services April 2014; doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.20130024
  • Press Release [June 2012] from the American Psychiatric Association: “New Study Examines Benefits of Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) for People with Serious Mental Illness“ The research paper by Mary Ellen Copeland, Judith Cook, and others, entitled “A Randomized Controlled Trial of Effects of Wellness Recovery Action Planning on Depression, Anxiety, and Recovery”  has been reviewed by the American Psychiatric Association [APA]. The American Psychiatric Association is a national medical specialty society whose physician members specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and research of mental illnesses, including substance abuse disorders.
  • Outcomes of an Illness Self-Management Group Using Wellness Recovery Action Planning Starnino VR1, Mariscal S, Holter MC, Davidson LJ, Cook KS, Fukui S, Rapp CA.Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal Issue: Volume 34, Number 1 / Summer 2010  OBJECTIVE:The aim of this preliminary study was to examine the impact of participation in an illness self-management recovery program (Wellness Recovery Action Planning-WRAP) on the ability of individuals with severe mental illnesses to achieve key recovery related outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary results offer promising evidence that the use of WRAP has a positive effect on self-reported hope and recovery-related attitudes, thereby providing an effective complement to current mental health treatment.