A randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of a modified recovery workbook program: preliminary findings

The study examined the effectiveness of the Recovery Workbook as a group intervention for facilitating recovery of persons with serious mental illness.

The multicenter, prospective, single-blind, randomized controlled trial included 33 persons who were receiving assertive community treatment services. For 12 weeks, a control group (N=17) received treatment as usual and an intervention group (N=16) received Recovery Workbook training in addition to usual treatment. At study entry and within three days of completion of the intervention, participants' perceived level of hope, empowerment, recovery, and quality of life were measured with the Herth Hope Index, the Empowerment Scale, the Recovery Assessment Scale, and the Quality of Life Index, respectively. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to examine between-group differences.

Participation in the intervention group was associated with positive change in perceived level of hope, empowerment, and recovery but not in quality of life. The associations remained after analyses controlled for demographic variables.

The study, which is one of the first randomized controlled trials of a recovery-based group intervention for persons with serious mental illness, showed that the Recovery Workbook group program was effective in increasing individuals' perceived sense of hope, empowerment, and recovery. In an era when recovery is the primary goal around which reformed mental health service delivery is organized, researchers should continue to study recovery-based interventions such as the Recovery Workbook to determine their potential as evidence-based treatment options.