Identifying personal preferences and values is a part of assessing

Assessing rehabilitation readiness is a foundational process in psychiatric rehabilitation that determines a person's interest in and commitment to making a specific change. This assessment is inherently person-centered and involves a collaborative exploration of the individual's personal preferences, values, and life goals. Understanding what is important to the person is crucial for identifying a desired role or environment that will provide the motivation for engaging in the rehabilitation process. Readiness is not about being "cured" but about being prepared to pursue a personally meaningful future.

A. resource needs: This assessment identifies the specific supports (e.g., housing, financial, transportation) required to achieve a goal, which is distinct from identifying the underlying values that shape the goal itself.

B. mental health status: This is a clinical evaluation of symptoms, thought processes, and mood. It focuses on the person's current psychiatric state, not their long-term aspirations or personal values.

D. skill functioning: This assessment measures a person's current abilities in specific life domains (e.g., social, vocational). While guided by goals, it evaluates "can do" rather than "want to do."

1. Farkas, M., Gagne, C., Anthony, W., & Chamberlin, J. (2005). Implementing recovery-oriented evidence-based programs: Identifying the critical dimensions. Community Mental Health Journal, 41(2), 141–158. (This article discusses the core principles of psychiatric rehabilitation, including the centrality of readiness and person-centered goal setting based on values and preferences as a critical dimension of recovery-oriented services). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-005-2655-z

2. Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation. (n.d.). A Vision for the Field: Psychiatric Rehabilitation. In Rehabilitation of Persons with Long-Term Mental Illness in the U.S.A.. "The first phase of the psychiatric rehabilitation process is the readiness development and/or assessment phase... Readiness assessment is a process by which the rehabilitation practitioner and the client get to know each other and determine the client's readiness to set and actively pursue a rehabilitation goal." This process is described as exploring what the client values.

3. Anthony, W. A., Cohen, M. R., & Farkas, M. D. (2002). Psychiatric Rehabilitation (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation. In Chapter 6, "Assessing Readiness for Rehabilitation," the authors state that readiness assessment involves helping individuals clarify their dissatisfaction with the present and articulate a desire for a better environment, which is intrinsically linked to their personal values and preferences for their life.