A non-randomised controlled trial testing the effectiveness of a recovery planning workshop implemented in community mental health services in Spain

This study explores the effectiveness of a 12-session recovery planning workshop designed to train users of community mental health services to draw up their personal recovery plan. We employed a non-randomised controlled trial design with 152 participants, comparing those who participated in the workshop with a control group. The primary outcomes assessed were the stage and level of personal recovery, while secondary outcomes were empowerment, hope, and perceived social support. Change in the recovery stage from baseline to post-intervention was assessed using the McNemar-Bowker test. Separate two-way mixed ANOVA (group × time) were performed to examine the effects of the recovery planning workshop on both primary and secondary outcomes. Results suggest that participants in the experimental group experienced significant improvements in terms of recovery stage, particularly as regards the number of individuals who, following the intervention, considered themselves unrecoverable (i.e., at the moratorium stage), in comparison with baseline and controls. Changes in the level of recovery and secondary outcomes were not statistically significant when the initial stage of recovery was not taken into account. However, when accounting for the stage of recovery at baseline, significant differences were observed in the level of recovery, empowerment, and hope, highlighting the importance of considering the baseline stage of recovery when evaluating recovery-oriented interventions. These results suggest that the workshop has the potential to promote mental health recovery, empowerment, and hope, while also highlighting the need to assess the initial stage of recovery prior to any intervention so as to properly evaluate its effectiveness.