After a lengthy assessment process, an individual and her practitioner identified a long-term goal of getting a job as a massage therapist. Halfway…

The foundational principle of psychiatric rehabilitation is person-centered care, which prioritizes the individual's self-determination. Following a significant life event like a car accident, the individual's priorities, physical capabilities, and motivation may have changed. The practitioner's first responsibility is to help the individual explore and clarify their own goals in light of these new circumstances. This collaborative re-evaluation respects the individual's autonomy and addresses their stated feeling of being "overwhelmed and uncertain." Jumping to solutions (Options A, B) or assessing feasibility (Option C) before re-establishing the person's chosen goal is contrary to recovery-oriented practice.

A. This provides solutions before confirming the individual's goal is still the same, which is not a person-centered first step.

B. This is a skill-building step that is premature until the individual has clarified their current goals and desires post-accident.

C. This focuses on a practitioner-led assessment of feasibility rather than the individual's own desires, which must be established first.

1. Farkas, M., & Anthony, W. A. (Eds.). (2006). Psychiatric rehabilitation: A practical guide. Boston University, Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation. The "choose-get-keep" model is central to psychiatric rehabilitation. A major setback requires returning to the "choose" phase to collaboratively re-evaluate the goal with the individual before proceeding with new "get" (skill acquisition) or "keep" (support) strategies. The practitioner's role is to facilitate this choice process. (See Chapter 3: The Process of Psychiatric Rehabilitation).

2. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (PRA). (2013). The Practitioner's Role in Recovery-Oriented Psychiatric Rehabilitation. This official guidance emphasizes that the practitioner's role is to "assist individuals in articulating their goals for recovery." When a person is overwhelmed and uncertain after a crisis, the primary task is to help them re-engage with their own goal-setting process, not to prescribe solutions. (See Section on "Facilitating Recovery").

3. Corrigan, P. W., Mueser, K. T., Bond, G. R., Drake, R. E., & Solomon, P. (2008). Principles and practice of psychiatric rehabilitation: An empirical approach. Guilford Press. The text underscores that rehabilitation planning is a dynamic, ongoing process. It states that "goals need to be reassessed regularly and changed as the consumer’s life circumstances and preferences change." The accident represents a significant change in life circumstances, mandating a reassessment of goals as the first step. (See Chapter 4: Assessment and Rehabilitation Planning, p. 71).