Illness Management and Recovery / IMR-A02-1
Understanding My Experience — Concept brief
Understand the idea behind understanding my experience and consider whether it fits your context.
8 minutes · Handout · Adults; supported use as appropriate
Fictional example: Casey wants clearer information about recurring concentration difficulties.
Use an ordinary or fictional example, with a clinician when appropriate. Learning about mental health concerns can support agency without reducing a person to a diagnosis.
The idea
Learning about mental health concerns can support agency without reducing a person to a diagnosis.
An ordinary example
Casey wants clearer information about recurring concentration difficulties.
What this can look like
Separate experiences you notice, explanations offered by providers, and questions you still want answered.
Check the fit
What would you like explained in your own language? You may disagree with the framing, use fiction, or decide that this approach is not useful today.
A useful distinction
A personal recovery goal and a symptom-management strategy serve related but different purposes; the person defines what a meaningful life includes.
Prompts for this resource
- What part of this idea makes sense to me?
- What would you like explained in your own language?
Conceptual background
Illness Management and Recovery Evidence-Based Practices KIT — SAMHSA
Background on the approach only. Original exercises and wording are by More Than Therapy with AI assistance; the source does not validate or endorse these materials.