Wellness Recovery Action Planning

Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) is a 'self-management' tool used in many countries around the world to help individuals take more control over their own wellbeing and recovery. It emphasises that people are the experts in their own experience and is based on the premise there are no limits to recovery.

The tool was designed by Mary Ellen Copeland and others to offer a structured means by which people could maintain wellness and recovery while working to anticipate and reflect on crisis.

What makes up a WRAP?

WRAP is underpinned by a number of core principles:

That recovery is possible (‘hope’)
That individuals should take personal responsibility for their own lives and well being (‘personal responsibility’)
That it is important to know yourself, to be self aware (‘education’)
That it is important to believe in and advocate for oneself (‘self advocacy’); and that the support of others is vital (‘support’).

People work within these principles to create their own WRAP. Each plan should include the following components:

Wellness toolbox
Daily maintenance plan
Identification of triggers and associated action plan
Identification of early warning signs and associated action plan
Identification of signs that things are breaking down and associated action plan
Crisis planning
Post crisis planning

Creating a WRAP can be a challenging process and the process is best supported by a trained facilitator in a group setting.

Level one training is delivered over twelve to fifteen hours and introduces people to recovery concepts and supports the start of the process of producing a WRAP. This training is delivered by a WRAP Facilitator, and it is recommended that this is done in a group setting to allow for mutual support and the sharing of ideas and experience.

The training is designed to enable individuals to start the process of creating their own working WRAP, sharing ideas and support from the group. The participant would then continue to develop their own WRAPs building on ideas and concepts learnt during the sessions. Once created the WRAP would be used as a tool to manage and maintain wellness.