WRAP

Domain V · Systemic, relational, group & community · Mary Ellen Copeland

What it is

WRAP is a self-designed wellness and crisis-prevention plan, developed by Mary Ellen Copeland with a group of people who had lived experience of mental health problems and wanted to manage their own recovery. It is mainly taught as a peer-led group programme run by certified WRAP Facilitators,…

Format

• Group programme format. Groups of about 5 to 12 participants with two trained co-facilitators; weekly 2 to 2.5 hours over about 8 weeks (range 8 to 12); lecture, discussion, individual and group exercises, and examples from facilitators' and participants' own lives; many groups continue meeting…
• Individual format. Read the whole booklet once, then work on one section at a time, at the person's own pace, alone or with chosen supporters, setting sections aside and revising as self-knowledge grows. In therapy a common rhythm is one section per one or two sessions, with homework between. Daily…

Who practises it, and how they are trained or regulated

• Certification and fidelity. Anyone may write their own WRAP. To run WRAP groups (of three or more people) under the WRAP name, complete Seminar I then Seminar II (facilitator training, 3-5 days, led by Advanced Level Facilitators) to become a Certified WRAP Facilitator. Renewal interval differs by source: every three years for facilitators and two for ALFs versus a two-year certification. A session-by-session…
• Version followed: Mary Ellen Copeland's Wellness Recovery Action Plan as set out in her public-domain SAMHSA booklet Action Planning for Prevention and Recovery (SMA-3720, rev. 2003), updated to the current structure published by the Copeland Center and licensees (five key concepts, Wellness Toolbox plus six plan sections including a Post-Crisis Plan, Values and Ethics), with group delivery as described in the NREPP…
• What it is. WRAP is a self-designed wellness and crisis-prevention plan, developed by Mary Ellen Copeland with a group of people who had lived experience of mental health problems and wanted to manage their own recovery. It is mainly taught as a peer-led group programme run by certified WRAP Facilitators, usually 8 to 12 weekly sessions of 2 to 2.5 hours, or a 2-day Seminar I workshop. It is not a psychotherapy and…

Questions to explore with your client

• What drew you to it, and what are you hoping it will change?
• Does it involve any substance, plant preparation, remedy or supplement? Has your doctor or prescriber been told, especially about any medication you take?
• Does it involve intense or unusual breathing? Have you been told about the medical conditions for which that is not advised?
• Does it involve fasting, a special diet or 'detox'? Have you discussed this with your doctor?
• Is it a group, retreat or community? How do they respond if someone wants to leave or raises a concern?
• Who runs it, and what training or registration do they hold?
• What actually happens in a session or meeting, and how often?
• What does it cost, and is there pressure to commit to more?
• How do you feel afterwards, in the hours and days that follow?
• Does it fit with, or clash with, the work we do here?

What practitioners of it watch for

• Assuming legal force it may not have; check local law.
• Shame (reinforce that a crisis does not end recovery). Working: a dated revised WRAP.
• Plan stored and forgotten. Working: the person can say where they are on the plan on a given day.
• Confusion between triggers (external) and early warning signs (internal). Working: earlier help-seeking and shorter dips.
• Fewer than two real supporters; a named supporter who is also a source of harm. Working: supporters have confirmed agreement.

When to involve someone else

• New or worsening physical symptoms, or advice to stop or change prescribed medication: involve the client's doctor or prescriber.
• Signs of coercion, isolation from family and friends, escalating costs or secrecy: discuss openly and consider safeguarding.
• A crisis or thoughts of suicide: follow your crisis protocol. In the US, call or text 988; in the UK and Ireland, Samaritans on 116 123.

Drawn automatically from the guide's own sections. Stay curious: neither endorse nor dismiss what the client values, and check anything that matters against the full guide and its sources. Not medical advice.