What is WRAP?

Wellness Recovery Action Plan, and WRAP, are the registered trademarks for a recovery model authored and designed by Mary Ellen Copeland and The Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery. It is an evidence-based practice, consisting of a personalized wellness and crisis plan development program, and is included on the SAMHSA National Registry for Evidence-Based Programs and Practices. The WRAP model was developed with the help of a team of people with lived experience.

WRAP is a fluid, holistic and pliable program that can be adapted and modified to apply to mental health recovery; dealing with the effects of trauma, addictions, diabetes and fibromyalgia. WRAP can be modified for families, veterans, and kids, and other emerging recovery models. Some elements of WRAP focus on peer support and peer education.

WRAP undertakes a strengths-based approach to recovery. Participants are encouraged to manage their own wellness and recovery in a manner that is comfortable to them and within their means. The key recovery concepts of WRAP are hope, education, personal responsibility, support and self-advocacy.

The first part of WRAP is developing a personal “Wellness Toolbox”. This is a list of resources for developing a recovery plan.

A Wellness Recovery Action Plan has six sections:

1. A daily maintenance plan with three parts: a description of the person when they are well, the wellness tools to use every day to maintain wellness, and a list of regular daily activities.
2. A list of events or triggers that might make the person feel worse—like an argument with a friend or getting a big bill—along with the wellness tools that can be used to deal with them.
3. A list of the early warning signs, subtle signs that let a person know they are beginning to feel worse—like being unable to sleep or feelings of nervousness—along with an action plan for responding to these signs and to help the person feel better and avoid difficulties.
4. A list of the signs that things are breaking down and the person is feeling much worse—like feeling sad all the time, or hearing voices—along with an action plan based on the wellness tools to help the person feel better and prevent an even more difficult time.
5. Crisis plan or advance directive: A list of signs that let others know they need to take over responsibility for care and decision making including who takes over and supports through this time, health care information, a plan for staying at home through this time, things others can do that would help and things they might choose to do that would not be helpful. This kind of proactive advanced planning keeps the person in control even when it seems as though they are not.
6. Post crisis plan: This part of the plan is thought out in advance of a crisis or as one begins to recover from the crisis—when there is a clearer picture of what needs to be done to get and stay well.

A WRAP facilitator is an individual who has been trained and certified to teach and instruct the principles, values and ethics of wellness recovery. The Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery was created to provide training in the Wellness Recovery Action Plan and certifies WRAP facilitators. (referenced from http://en.wikipedia.org)

WRAP is currently running across our network;

See each Centres calendar for more information on dates and times, better yet give us a call or stop into our Centre…

Videos and other links about WRAP

• Mary Ellen-Copeland – Video Part 1 of 2
• Mary Ellen-Copeland – Video Part 2 of 2