Paper short abstract:

Community health workers (CHWs) played a central role in implementing a visual mental health recovery tool in northern India. This paper analyses the role of CHWs in enabling social recovery.

Paper long abstract:

Approaches to mental health recovery should reflect local context and priorities. This study aimed to strengthen knowledge and skills in mental health recovery among people with psycho-social disability (PPSD), caregivers, community leaders, mental health practitioners in Uttarakhand state, India through co-production of a visual tool for recovery. The piloting of the tool led to a statistically significant reduction in self-reported mental health and qualitative results suggested the tool led to better engagement with clients. Community health workers (CHWs) played a central role in implementing the tool. This paper analyses the role of CHWs in enabling social recovery.

Set in Burans, a community mental health project in Uttarakhand, the research employed a participatory action research framework to develop the tool, in partnership with experts by experience (EBE). The role of CHWs is analysed through thematic analysis of client case notes, participant observation of tool implementation, and in-depth interviews with CHWs to better understand their role in enabling recovery amongst a group of 30 clients who were involved in piloting the tool.

Preliminary analysis of data suggests several findings and areas for exploration. The nature of the relationship between the community health worker and the person with psycho-social disability appears crucial to enabling recovery. Analysis of data will focus on dissecting the processes of developing these relationships and the role of an engaging visual tool impact on 'recovery' outcomes. It will also address how the nature of the CHW relationship and the tool impacts on 'recovery' amongst clients with varied 'recovery' outcomes.