Speaker: Mary Bartram PhD

September 14th 10:50am-12:30pm Clipper Room

Abstract: Recovery has long been a key concept in both the addiction and mental health sectors. But does the concept of recovery in addictions mean the same thing as in the mental health field? Recovery in both sectors has its roots in the advocacy of people with lived experience and their families, and includes a focus on hope in the face of stigma, self-determination, transformation, and the many dimensions of life (such as adequate housing, meanginul activities and connections, and freedom from discrimination).

While there are differing opinions in the addiction field as to whether abstinence is in fact a necessary condition for recovery, cure is generally not thought to be necessary for mental health recovery. This presentation will explore the implications of these convergences and divergences for the development of a shared vision for addiction and mental health recovery

Learning Objectives:

1. To understand what the convergences between the recovery concept in the addiction and mental health sectors are, and how these convergences came about.
2. To understand where the recovery concept in the addiction and mental health sectors diverge, and why.
3. To explore – in both small and large group discussions – the implications of these convergences and divergences for the development of a shared vision for addiction and mental health recovery.

References: Davidson, L. & White, W. J (2007). The Concept of Recovery as an Organizing Principle for Integrating Mental Health and Addiction Services. Behav Health Serv Res (2007) 34: 109-120, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-007-9053-7
Mulvale, G. & Bartram, M. (2015). No More “Us” and “Them”: Integrating Recovery and Well-Being into a Conceptual Model for Mental Health Policy. Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health, 34:31-67, https://doi.org/10.7870/cjcmh-2015-010
McQuaid, R., Jesseman, R., & Rush, B.R. (in press). Examining Barriers as Risk Factors for Relapse: A Focus on the Canadian Treatment and Recovery System of Care. Canadian Journal on Addiction.
Jacobson, N., & Greenley, D. (2001). What Is Recovery? A Conceptual Model and Explication. Psychiatric Services, 52(4), 482–485. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.52.4.482

Bio:

Mary Bartram has extensive experience in mental health policy development with federal and territorial governments, indigenous organizations and NGOs, including as the Director, Mental Health Strategy with the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Mary has been working as an independent researcher and consulted since completing her PhD at the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University in 2017. She is an RSW and holds an MSc in Family Therapy from Purdue University.

Mary’s doctoral researched focused on equity in access to psychotherapy in Canada, Australia and the UK, with a particular focus on financial barriers and how government structure shapes service system design. Her consulting work to date has focused on implementation of reforms to improve access to psychotherapy and mapping the connections between the substance use and mental health sectors. She is particularly interested on the role of human resources and metrics in ensuring meaningful implementation of the new $5billion federal transfer for mental health and addictions.