Use of the Recovery Approach to Support Chinese Immigrants Recovering from Mental Illness: A New Zealand Perspective

Recovery has become a popular concept in mental health services. The Mental Health Commission in New Zealand has recently endorsed the recovery approach as an approach to working with people suffering from mental health problems. Ten recovery-based competencies were developed by the Commission as the underpinning principles for training of mental health professionals and delivery of mental health services. The ethnic composition of the New Zealand population has become increasingly diverse in recent years, including a rapid rise in the number of Chinese immigrants. Immigration is a stressful experience and it may result in changes in mental health. One vignette is used to discuss how health professionals can use the recovery-based competencies to help Chinese New Zealand immigrants with mental illness (re)gain their healthy life roles and (re)integrate into society. Further research is required to help identify specific intervention methods that contribute to successful recovery among Chinese immigrants with mental illness.