Recovery in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing: From a Personal Journey to What’s Next
For Sue Brammer, PhD, RN, CNE, FAAN, who has worked in psychiatric-mental health nursing for decades, recovery is personal.
“I am 68 years old and have lived with a mental health condition since approximately age 18,” she explains. “My recovery journey really didn’t begin until my 40s, when I finally accepted that my condition was not going to go away, but I could still live a full, meaningful life. Through involvement with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and support from my family, close friends, and colleagues, I was able to celebrate my strengths and let go of shame and unrealistic expectations of myself.”
Now, she shares that perspective with fellow providers through her role as Chair of the APNA Recovery Council.
“My work with APNA allows me to pay forward lessons from first-person experience to other nurses so we can stay true to our patients,” she says.
In honor of National Recovery Month, Brammer weighs in on the basics of recovery in psychiatric-mental health nursing and reflects on how far we’ve advanced in recovery-oriented care since SAMHSA declared it a priority 15 years ago.
The Basics: Recovery in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing
FAQ: What is meant by recovery in mental health?
Brammer: Our Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice defines recovery as:
“The process in which people are able to live, work, learn, and participate fully in their communities. For some individuals, recovery implies the ability to live a fulfilling and productive life despite a disability. For others, recovery implies the reduction or complete remission of symptoms.”
A more personal, succinct definition is that recovery is returning to a life you care about.
FAQ: What is the role of psychiatric-mental health nurses in recovery?
Brammer: Psychiatric-mental health nurses are instrumental in promoting recovery principles when collaborating with patients and colleagues, supporting families, and educating the public.
FAQ: What are some examples of nursing interventions for recovery?
Brammer: The most important nursing intervention in recovery-oriented care is to advocate for:
- The patient’s voice to be given the same consideration as everyone else’s on the treatment team
- The patient’s choices, not the rest of the team’s, drive the treatment plan
If nurses could ensure those two things through their advocacy, it would advance the cause for persons receiving care for mental health conditions immeasurably!
Progress & Next Steps in Recovery-Oriented Care
In 2010, SAMHSA declared recovery as an important goal in the transformation of mental health care in the United States. Reflecting on psychiatric-mental health nursing progress since then, Brammer shares:
Progress Made
“Awareness of, and even agreement with, the concept of recovery-oriented care has gained traction. Psychiatric-mental health nursing textbooks, for example, now address recovery, some devoting an entire chapter to it.”
Work Still Needed
“To what extent recovery principles are being taught in nursing programs and practiced in mental health care settings, however, is debatable and in need of more research (especially in the United States). “I would like to see more studies conducted in the United States on recovery-oriented nursing interventions in hospitals, as competing interests in those settings make such interventions particularly challenging. We need exposure to evidence-based practices so they can be widely implemented.”
As a start to this work, the APNA Recovery Council will present a poster at this October’s APNA Annual Conference. Recovery Oriented Care: Is it Actually Being Taught to Nursing Students? presents findings from an informal literature review and a survey of psychiatric-mental health nurse educators and recent graduates. The presentation also offers recommendations to enhance the inclusion of recovery-oriented care principles in nursing curriculum.
FREE CE & More in Honor of National Recovery & Suicide Prevention month! Brush up on your skills for engaging with clients in recovery, discover the first suicide prevention competencies for PMH nurses, and more through October 5, 2025.
Published September 2025. Edited for length and clarity.
