Search

Background Mental health recovery is still largely clinically defined and as such can lack person centeredness. To address this, recovery oriented experiences are required which recognise the holistic and diverse needs of individuals. Aim The aim of the study was to examine the experiences of people living with a mental illness who participated in a recovery oriented program called Recovery Camp. The study aimed to examine how the program may have related and contributed to their mental health recovery. Methods A descriptive phenomenological approach guided the study. Consenting participants ( n =5) were interviewed and asked about their subjective experience of Recovery Camp . The interviews were digitally audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using van Kaam's Psychophenomenological method. Findings This paper presents the perspective of consumers regarding the ways in which Recovery Camp facilitated mental health recovery. Data analysis revealed five themes (Self-determination, Participation, Extending Self, Relationships and Positive change) and a core essence of meaning (Empowerment). Conclusions Personal mental health recovery for people living with mental illness can be enhanced through recovery oriented mental health care approaches. Findings contribute to existing literature regarding therapeutic recreation and its link to mental health recovery.

Behaviors associated with resilience can be seen as tantamount to coping with stress and vulnerability. This is important for people who live with mental illness. This study aimed to determine whether key basic psychological needs influence resilience among people with a lived experience of mental illness. A total of 159 consumers with a lived experience of mental illness completed self-report surveys measuring resilience and the basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) espoused in self-determination theory. A 2-step analysis was conducted, including Pearson product correlations and stepwise multiple regression. Higher levels of relatedness significantly predicted resilience. Competence and autonomy did not have a significant influence on resilience. Reconnecting or establishing social relationships within ones community is important for people living with mental illness. The link between resilience and relatedness ought to be considered in treatment plans.

Leisure, risk and safety are for most leisure practitioners across the globe, thoughts that arise in quick succession to determine the viability of a leisure intervention. However, in a risk aware world so focused on safety, is Leisure too safely structured to be truly beneficial to the individual?, Rarely are leisure seekers given the opportunity to fail and to learn from that experience. Lack of opportunity to face adversity in a supported way hinders the individual’s ability to learn and grow, and to develop personal resilience as a result. This paper will discuss Recovery Camp, a Therapeutic Recreation initiative developed in Australia which utilizes experiential leisure to facilitate resilience in individuals with a mental illness. This paper aims to discuss Leisure Boredom data obtained from volunteer consumers attending recovery camp in 2014 and its relationship to an individual’s personal resilience in the context of living in recovery from mental illness. Importantly Theraputic Recreation...

The concept of stigma and the stigmatizing behaviours of health-care professionals can have a profound influence on people with mental illness. A key construct that has been identified as influencing our behaviours is self-determination. As such, in the present study, we attempted to examine the connection and influence of motivational measures on the stigmatization of preregistration nurses. Data were collected once using three surveys that measured the motivational responses and stigmatizing behaviours of preregistration nurses after an approved mental health clinical placement. Using a path analysis, the results indicated that psychological needs significantly influenced preregistration nurses' self-determination towards work. In addition, self-determination was a significant influence on the stigmatization behaviours of preregistration nurses. The results of the present study provide initial empirical evidence that supports the importance of professional self-determination and the potential connection of quality care, as illustrated with the low stigmatizing behaviours of preregistration nurses who are more self-determined towards their work/career. Because of the significant results of the present study, it is recommended that future research is needed that uses self-determination theory as a lens to understand the application and importance within the field of nurse education.

People living with mental illness (consumers) often experience difficulty in achieving life goals, particularly those important for their recovery. An innovative approach to address consumers' goals for recovery can be found in the form of therapeutic recreation (TR) initiatives. Recovery Camp is a five-day TR program, bringing together people with a serious mental illness, undergraduate health students, and staff members. This article aims to examine the types of goals set by consumers in the context of Recovery Camp, and to what extent the self-identified goals were attained. The consumers (n = 27) were invited to set goals that they wished to achieve during the week. On the final day of Recovery Camp, each participant rated the degree to which they felt that each of their goals was achieved or not. The goals were themed using content analysis, revealing four key themes: connectedness, developing healthy habits, challenging oneself, and recovery. All goals were, to some extent, attained. The results suggest people with a mental illness are able to both set and evaluate the self-identified goals in the context of a TR initiative. A collaborative recovery approach indicates that goal planning should be undertaken in direct consultation with the consumer.

Preregistration education needs to ensure that student nurses are properly trained with the required skills and knowledge, and have the confidence to work with people who have a mental illness. With increased attention on non-traditional mental health clinical placements, further research is required to determine the effects of non-traditional mental health clinical placements on mental health clinical confidence. The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of a non-traditional mental health clinical placement on mental health nursing clinical confidence compared to nursing students undergoing traditional clinical placements. Using the Mental Health Nursing Clinical Confidence Scale, the study investigated the relative effects of two placement programmes on the mental health clinical confidence of 79 nursing students. The two placement programmes included a non-traditional clinical placement of Recovery Camp and a comparison group that attended traditional clinical placements. Overall, the results indicated that, for both groups, mental health placement had a significant effect on improving mean mental health clinical confidence, both immediately upon conclusion of placement and at the 3-month follow up. Students who attended Recovery Camp reported a significant positive difference, compared to the comparison group, for ratings related to communicating effectively with clients with a mental illness, having a basic knowledge of antipsychotic medications and their side-effects, and providing client education regarding the effects and side-effects of medications. The findings suggest that a unique clinical placement, such as Recovery Camp, can improve and maintain facets of mental health clinical confidence for students of nursing.

Introduction There exists a need for innovative thinking to identify new clinical placement opportunities for nursing students. Recovery-based clinical placements for mental health nurse students remain unique and require investigation. Aim To examine the learning experience of Bachelor of Nursing students who undertook an innovative mental health clinical placement known as Recovery Camp . Design This study incorporated qualitative analysis of written reflections. Using Braun and Clarke's (2006) six phases of thematic analysis the corpus of student reflections were reviewed by three members of the research team independent to each other. Findings Four themes emerged. The theme of Pre-placement Expectations incorporates participant foci on pre-conceptions of Recovery Camp . The theme of Student Learning incorporates the ways in which participants recognised the experience of Recovery Camp influenced learning. Reflections themed under the title Placement Setting include discussion of the Recovery Camp as a clinical placement. The theme of Future Practice incorporates students' reflections on how they plan to practice as nurses as a result the learning experiences of Recovery Camp . Conclusions An immersive clinical placement such as Recovery Camp can influence students' perceptions of people with mental illness, have a positive impact on student learning and influence students' decisions about future practice. The learning experience of nursing students whom attend unique, recovery-orientated clinical placements can be both positive and educative.

Background Given the importance of perceived control to mental health and recovery, research is needed to determine strategies to increase perceived control for people with a mental illness. Aim Investigate the implications of a therapeutic recreation program on the perceived control of people with a mental illness. Method Participants of an intervention group ( n = 27) and comparison group ( n = 18) completed the Perceived Control Across Domains Scale at three time intervals. Subscale and total scores were analysed. Results and Discussion Significant variation occurred in the perceived control areas of substance use, personal cognition and personal empowerment. Implications A unique nurse led therapeutic recreation initiative, such as Recovery Camp, can improve and maintain facets of perceived control among people with mental illness.

Background The way people who experience mental illness are perceived by health care professionals, which often includes stigmatising attitudes, can have a significant impact on treatment outcomes and on their quality of life. Objective To determine whether stigma towards people with mental illness varied for undergraduate nursing students who attended a non-traditional clinical placement called Recovery Camp compared to students who attended a ‘typical' mental health clinical placement. Design Quasi-experimental. Participants Seventy-nine third-year nursing students were surveyed; n =40 attended Recovery Camp (intervention), n =39 (comparison group) attended a ‘typical' mental health clinical placement. Methods All students completed the Social Distance Scale (SDS) pre- and post-placement and at three-month follow-up. Data analysis consisted of a one-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) exploring parameter estimates between group scores across three time points. Two secondary repeated measures ANOVAs were performed to demonstrate the differences in SDS scores for each group across time. Pairwise comparisons demonstrated the differences between time intervals. Results A statistically significant difference in ratings of stigma between the intervention group and the comparison group existed. Parameter estimates revealed that stigma ratings for the intervention group were significantly reduced post-placement and remained consistently low at three-month follow-up. There was no significant difference in ratings of stigma for the comparison group over time. Conclusions Students who attended Recovery Camp reported significant decreases in stigma towards people with a mental illness over time, compared to the typical placement group. Findings suggest that a therapeutic recreation based clinical placement was more successful in reducing stigma regarding mental illness in undergraduate nursing students compared to those who attended typical mental health clinical placements.

The provision of mental health care has recently focused on the concept of recovery-oriented care. Clinical placements are important for imparting recovery-oriented knowledge and skills to students. However, it has been determined that not all clinical placements are beneficial for future nursing professionals. The aim of this study was to examine what elements of professional learning were facilitated by engagement in a recovery- and recreation-based clinical placement for pre-registration nursing students called Recovery Camp. Qualitative data were collected through individual interviews and reflective journals of pre-registration nurses. Findings from this study indicate that Recovery Camp enhanced students' understanding of stigma, developed their professional knowledge and applied skills, and helped them gain insight into the role a consumer plays in his/her own recovery journey. Placements that allow pre-registration nurses the opportunity to authentically engage with people with a lived experience of mental illness may assist in the effective development of future professionals in meeting their diverse needs.

Engagement in clinical placements is mandatory for all pre-registration nursing programs. Although clinical placements can be valuable, recent literature illustrates that placements within a mental health setting can vary in their educational development. The aim of the current study was to examine the potential learning benefit of 20 pre-registration nursing students in an innovative, university-accredited mental health clinical placement called Recovery Camp. Recovery Camp is a 5-day immersive clinical placement, grounded in therapeutic recreation, which involves all participants engaging in a variety of activities focused on enhancing personal recovery. Qualitative data were collected using individual interviews, reflective journals, and researcher field notes. Analysis of data was conducted using an inductive thematic approach. Analysis of data revealed five themes: (a) Initial Anxiety/Nervousness , (b) Diffusion of Power , (c) Student Perceptions of Consumers , (d) Interaction and Communication , and (e) R esource Shift as a Result of Camp . Developing the professional learning of pre-registration nurses through immersion in effective clinical placements is paramount. Findings demonstrate that pre-registration nurses may benefit from clinical placements that provide immersive and collaborative experiences that allow for the development of relationship-oriented skills that can facilitate person-centered care. [ Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services , 55 (2), 36–43.]

Nursing students across the globe are expected to undertake clinical placements. To date, there have been no studies that have examined the potential educational benefits for undergraduate nursing students engaged in a mental health clinical placement grounded in self-determination theory. The present study examined the experiences of undergraduate students engaged in a mental health clinical placement termed Recovery Camp. An ethnographic methodology within a case study approach was used. The researchers were immersed in the clinical placement, which took place at a YMCA camp facility. Participants were 20 3rd year undergraduate nursing students. To gain insight and understanding, the researchers used interviews, observations, and reflective journals. The constant-comparative method was used to analyse the data. Emergent themes identified from systematic analysis were: (a) social connection and (b) experiential learning. Recovery Camp facilitated a sense of inclusion and positive/supportive behaviour. It also enhanced student learning and understanding of symptoms of mental illness. Findings from this study support and extend findings for the use of therapeutic-recreation based work placement experiences in the clinical education of future nurses. Findings demonstrated a link between this type of placement and undergraduate student's development of deeper knowledge of symptoms and experiences associated with mental illness.

Many individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) require the support of an informal carer, such as a family member or close friend, to assist with everyday living. The difficulties and altered life circumstances experienced by individuals with SMI result in carers taking on significant responsibilities. The current study aimed to address the benefits to carers of several days relief from their caring responsibilities. Carers ( N = 9) of a cohort of individuals with SMI who attended a therapeutic recreation initiative, Recovery Camp, were surveyed in late May 2015. A custom-designed instrument using open and closed questions was administered. Data were analyzed using the constant-comparative method. Participants reported negative health effects that they directly associated with their caring responsibilities. The experience of having a break when their care recipient attended Recovery Camp was positive for all participants, highlighting the need for respite services. Further research is required to explore the specific respite needs of individuals who provide care to those with SMI to reduce the burden experienced by these vulnerable populations. [ Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services , 54 (12), 33–38.]

TransPoC is a not-for-profit research organization that will deliver open-access, large-scale translational oncology platforms to enable greater clinical proof-of-concept success for new cancer therapies. TransPoC will comprise three platforms: 1. CPN - Cancer Cell “PoC” Network for screening compounds against 1000+ genomically-characterized cell lines; 2. MPN- Mouse “PoC” Network - a multi-site platform for mouse preclinical trials using genomically-characterized Patient-Derived Xenograft (PDX) models; 3. BioIT - analysis and integration of genomic information and pharmacological profiling data. Here we present an overview of the Mouse “PoC” Network, define a path to implementation of multi-center pre-clinical trials in mice and describe a pilot study to demonstrate the feasibility of implementing such a network. PDX models are increasingly used in pre-clinical studies as they capture and retain the histological, molecular, and genetic heterogeneity of the original tumor compared to cell line derived xenografts and are therefore a closer representation of a patient's tumor in situ. To enable transformative preclinical studies, models need to be characterized in a manner similar to tumor samples in The Cancer Genome Atlas and the International Cancer Genome Consortium, and must be assembled in sufficient quantity to capture clinically relevant major cancer (sub)types. To achieve this, TransPoC is building a global network of mouse PDX “hospitals” with genomic and metabolomic profiles characterized in a consistent manner. In addition, each mouse hospital will utilize common SOPs to generate comparable pharmacology data sets across sites that will include testing standard of care agents. BioIT will enable deep interrogation of data sets and provide pipelines for pharmacogenomics correlates of response to both standard and novel agents. To date, the network has collated over 2,000 PDX models and will enable sponsors to execute multi-center pre-clinical trials in a manner similar to those used in multi-institutional cooperative clinical trials. To demonstrate the viability of MPN, a pilot study has been initiated at 6 sites located in Canada, Italy, China and USA to evaluate the activity of MEK and RAF inhibitors against a panel of BRAF/KRAS mutant melanoma and colorectal cancer PDX models. An update on the initial tolerability, PK/PD/efficacy studies and molecular characterization of PDX models in the network will be presented. TransPoC continues to recruit new sites and characterize their PDX models for incorporation into MPN for use by TransPoC sponsors. Through this effort TransPoC enables rapid assessment of standard and novel investigational therapies to determine their therapeutic potential for translation to clinical trials with a mission to improve the chance of observing clinical proof-of-concept. Citation Format: Peter G. Smith, David Sutton, Andrea Bertotti, Livio Trusolino, Susan Airhart, Ming S. Tsao, Bradly G. Wouters, S. Gail Eckhardt, Lai Wang, Tim Heffernan, David Verbel, Andrea Gerken, Peter Fekkes, Lihua Yu, Lihua Yu, Markus Warmuth. Translational Proof-of-Concept (TransPoC), a not-for-profit research organization enabling access to large-scale translational oncology platforms: The Patient-Derived Xenograft network. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1191. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1191