What is WRAP?
WRAP stands for Wellness
Recovery Action Plan™
WRAP is a self-management and recovery system
developed by a group of people who had mental health difficulties
and who were struggling to incorporate wellness tools and strategies
into their lives. WRAP is designed to:
- Decrease and prevent intrusive or troubling feelings and behaviors
- Increase personal empowerment
- Improve quality of life
- Assist people in achieving their own life goals and dreams.
WRAP is a structured system to monitor uncomfortable
and distressing symptoms that can help you reduce, modify or eliminate
those symptoms by using planned responses. This includes plans for
how you want others to respond when symptoms have made it impossible
for you to continue to make decisions, take care of yourself or
keep yourself safe.
People who are using WRAP say:
- “It helps me feel prepared.”
- “I feel better more often and I’m able to improve
the overall quality of my life.”
The person who experiences symptoms is the one who develops their
personal WRAP. The person may choose to have supporters and health
care professionals help them create their WRAP.
The WRAP system was developed by people who have
been dealing with a variety of psychiatric symptoms for many years
and who are working hard to feel better and get on with their lives.
Mary Ellen Copeland has shared it with people with other illnesses
and they too believe that it can be easily adapted for use with
other conditions.
What People are Saying About WRAP . . .
"Recovery & WRAP have changed my life."
"I've gone from being totally disabled to being able to live
a full and rich life. I am so grateful."
"Everything has improved at our organization. People are recovering
and moving forward with their lives. Our work is so much more fulfilling."
“Finally, something I can do to help myself.”
“I used to spend months, even years, in the hospital. Now
I have a bad afternoon or a bad day. And it's all because I use
WRAP.”
“WRAP for me is about personal responsibility. I can just
let my "symptoms" take over my life. Or I can take personal
responsibility, use my WRAP, and do what I need to do to take care
of myself and feel better.”
“In the years that I have been using WRAP, everything has
changed in my life. I used to spend all my time just sitting around,
watching TV and smoking. Now I hardly ever watch TV, I've given
up smoking, I've gone back to school and I have a real job. And
I have a wonderful partner. I never thought life could be this good.”
“This has changed my life completely. I used to think of
myself as this "mentally ill" person. Now I am a person
who knows how to take care of myself and help myself in difficult
time. If I am feeling badly or having a hard time, I take action.
And there are so many simple, safe things I can do.”
“When I was feeling badly I used to call the doctor or call
the hotline. Now I check my list of Wellness Tools and do something
I really enjoy. Usually its call a friend to go for a walk, go to
a movie, watch a video or just talk.”
“The word crisis has a different meaning for me now. I used
to think it was a crisis when I felt really anxious and upset. I
thought I needed to go into the hospital or get my medications increased.
Now a crisis is when everything is so bad I need others to take
over for me. And I don't have them anymore, because now I know how
to take care of myself.”
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