Where Leadership Deepens Together

1. Patricia Deegan

• Psychologist diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager who became one of the most important voices in the recovery movement.
• Her essay “Recovery: The Lived Experience of Rehabilitation” (1988) transformed how mental health recovery is understood.
• Founder of CommonGround, a shared decision-making model used in clinics.

Website
https://www.patdeegan.com

2. Daniel B. Fisher

• Psychiatrist who experienced schizophrenia and later helped found the National Empowerment Center.
• Major advocate for peer-run services and recovery-oriented mental health systems.

Website
https://power2u.org

3. Judi Chamberlin

• One of the founders of the psychiatric survivor movement.
• Author of the groundbreaking book On Our Own: Patient-Controlled Alternatives to the Mental Health System (1978).
• Helped create the idea of consumer-run services.
• 
  

4. Shery Mead

• Developed Intentional Peer Support (IPS), now used internationally.
• Her work emphasizes mutual relationships, shared power, and lived experience.

Website
https://intentionalpeersupport.org

5. Mary Ellen Copeland

• Creator of WRAP – Wellness Recovery Action Plan, one of the most widely used peer-developed mental health self-management tools.
• WRAP is now used worldwide in clinical and peer settings.

Website
https://copelandcenter.com

6. Ron Coleman

• Influential international trainer in hearing voices recovery approaches.
• Works closely with the Hearing Voices Movement and peer recovery training programs.

Website
https://workingtorecovery.co.uk

7. Danielle LaVerne

• Executive leader in the peer movement and former president of the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery.
• Advocate for expanding peer-run services nationwide.

Website
https://www.ncmhr.org

8. Rufus May

• Known for integrating peer approaches with psychology.
• Promotes alternatives to traditional psychiatric treatment models.

Website
https://rufusmay.com

9. Leah Harris

• Influential writer and advocate on trauma-informed care, peer support, and lived experience leadership.
• Former director of the National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery.

10. Vicki Reynolds

• Developed influential approaches to trauma-informed, collaborative healing and resistance to oppression.
• Her work strongly influences peer-support philosophy.

Website
https://vickireynolds.ca

• Implementing Recovery through Organizational Change is a UK-based initiative that helps transform mental health services so they are recovery-focused, co-produced with people who have lived experience, and centered on helping people live meaningful lives.

• Website:
  https://www.imroc.org

• ImROC works internationally through training, consultancy, research, and leadership development programs designed to shift mental health systems toward recovery and lived-experience leadership.

ow ImROC Is Connected to King’s College London and Nottingham

• ImROC grew out of collaborations between mental health researchers, the NHS, and universities, particularly:
• King's College London
• University of Nottingham
• Key contributors included researchers and clinicians such as Julie Repper (University of Nottingham) and colleagues working on recovery-focused practice and peer support.
• The program originally launched in 2009 as a partnership between:
• Centre for Mental Health
• NHS Confederation’s Mental Health Network
•  

The purpose was to answer two questions:

• How to change staff attitudes so they support recovery.
• How to change organizations so recovery-focused practice becomes part of the culture. 
•  y connected to academic research programs in recovery, peer support, and mental health system transformation. 

Core Ideas Behind ImROC

• ImROC promotes the concept of “personal recovery,” meaning people can build meaningful lives even if symptoms continue.

Key elements include:

1. Recovery-focused services

• Shifting mental health systems from symptom management to hope, purpose, and life goals.

2. Peer support workers

• Employing people with lived experience within mental health services.

3. Recovery Colleges

• Educational programs where people learn recovery skills together.

4. Co-production

• Services designed jointly by professionals and people with lived experience.

5. Organisational culture change

• Transforming the entire mental health system rather than creating small programs.

Major ImROC Programs

1. Recovery Colleges

• One of ImROC’s most influential initiatives.
• Recovery Colleges function like community colleges for mental health recovery.
• Participants enroll in courses such as:
• understanding mental health
• trauma and healing
• self-management skills
• peer support
• employment and life goals
• Courses are co-taught by professionals and people with lived experience.
• Recovery Colleges have now spread to over 200 locations worldwide.

2. Peer Support Workforce Development

• ImROC helps organizations:
• train peer support workers
• integrate lived experience roles into services
• develop leadership pathways for peers
• This has helped create hundreds of peer worker positions in the UK and internationally.

3. Organizational Change Programs

• ImROC works with hospitals, health systems, and governments to implement its framework.
• The original model identified “10 organisational challenges” needed to transform services toward recovery, including:
• changing daily interactions with service users
• developing recovery education programs
• creating recovery colleges
• increasing personal choice and autonomy
• integrating peer workers into teams
• promoting opportunities for life beyond illness

4. Research and Publications

• ImROC publishes many briefing papers and research guides used internationally by mental health systems.
• Topics include:
• trauma-informed care
• peer support workforce development
• recovery colleges
• lived-experience leadership
• You can explore these here:
  https://www.imroc.org/publications

Training, Seminars, and Learning Opportunities

ImROC offers multiple ways to participate in their educational programs.

1. Training Courses

• peer support training
• recovery-focused practice training
• leadership programs for mental health services
• co-production and lived-experience leadership
• Training can be online, hybrid, or in-person.
• Training page:
  https://www.imroc.org/training

2. Webinars and Events

• webinars
• conferences
• learning events
• recovery college workshops
• Events are announced here:
  https://www.imroc.org/events

3. Recovery College Courses

• If you live in the UK or work with a service connected to ImROC, you can enroll in Recovery College courses.
• These typically involve:
• registering with a local recovery college
• selecting courses like a university catalog
• attending classes with peers and professionals

How to Sign Up or Connect With ImROC

• Step 1
• Visit the main website:
• https://www.imroc.org

• Step 2
• Choose one of these sections:
• Training
• Events
• Publications

• Step 3
• You can also contact them directly:
• Email
  imroc@imroc.org
• Head office
  Nottingham, England

Why ImROC Is Important

• ImROC helped shape the modern recovery movement in mental health services by promoting:
• lived-experience leadership
• peer support workforces
• recovery education programs
• system-wide cultural change