Welcome to the King County Mental Health Recovery Page

"Mental health recovery is a journey of healing and transformation enabling a person with a mental health problem to live a meaningful life in a community of his or her choice while striving to achieve his or her full potential."

sunrise

Recovery means remembering who you are and using your strengths to become all you were meant to be. Similar to living with an illness such as diabetes or asthma, mental health recovery requires a person to become an active partner in finding and maintaining their own wellness. The principles of recovery empower individuals to reach for their dreams and find hope in tomorrow. There is no single definition for recovery. Recovery is unique to each individual and is based on what recovery means to you.

Recovery is a journey and a process for everyone. Research and experience has found that for a significant percentage of people diagnosed with a major mental illness, full recovery is possible. People can and do get well.

The King County Mental Health, Chemical Abuse and Dependency Services Division (MHCADSD) is proud to partner with mental health agencies in King County to build a recovery oriented system, including involving people who participate in mental health services in the design, administration, leadership, services and/or day-to-day program decision-making. Read King County Transformation Initiatives to learn more.

Having a safe place to live and meaningful ways to spend the day are basic to everyone. MHCADSD has programs to help people with housing and with employment. Mental health agencies will help people rebuild their lives, whether that is a job, school or community and family activities.

Also see:

Other resources on mental health recovery and consumer empowerment
"The Good News Letter", King County's own Consumer Newsletter
What research says about mental health recovery

We welcome your comments and suggestions! Please send us an email to kcrecoverypage@kingcounty.gov

Living Recovery

Recovery stories spark hope that can give people the courage to take their first steps on their recovery journey. These stories are testament to the strengths and resiliencies of people who live with the challenge of mental illness. We are grateful to the authors for sharing their stories.

"My name is Naomi and I have been in recovery from bipolar for almost twenty years. Here is my story and a few things I've learned along the way." Read her story.

"I'm "Sticks" and I am a recovering addict in my 14th year in recovery and would like to share with you my experience, strength and hope for my recovery from addiction as well as for mental illness. [...]" Read the rest of the story

Every person's life is worth recovery. Click here for an article about the power of recovery stories. If you are interested in sharing your story, contact us at kcrecoverypage@kingcounty.gov.