Recovery centers for people with severe mental illness: a survey of programs

Recovery centers are physical entities offering various services and resources for people living with severe mental illness. In this study we identified and surveyed 24 recovery centers recruited through snowball sampling. The goal was to understand the range, common features and nature of current incarnations of recovery centers, assessing commonalities and differences with regards to: (1) overarching philosophies; (2) organizational and operational factors; (3) clientele; (4) service offerings; (5) staffing and financing; and (6) governance and oversight. We discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of recovery centers, especially important given wider policy commitment to recovery, detailing the importance of future research and evaluation.