Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the establishment of the Dumfries and Galloway Wellness and Recovery College (The College) within the University of the West of Scotland. Design/methodology/approach – A narrative approach is taken to outline the project and justify its philosophy. Findings – Progress so far is outlined and the vision for the future is explained. Social implications – It is believed that stigma and discrimination are pernicious and pervasive and a concerted and deliberately conscious attempt is needed to establish an inclusive, egalitarian and aligned approach whereby practices match values base. Originality/value – This is justified as being in keeping with a philosophy based on the concepts of recovery, co-production co-delivery and co-receiving. Although not without precedent this development is innovative in being embedded within the university sector and challenging existing paradigms in terms of the positive and inclusive approach to mental health.

The effectiveness of any treatment is best judged by the individual receiving care, and positive results have been achieved in this case study. Use of this approach ensured professionals were looking beyond diagnosis, illness, and problems in line with the principles of recovery-focused practice (Scottish Recovery Network [SRN] and NHS Education for Scotland [NES], 2007). The use of the MWQ in this case enhanced the knowledge of evidence-based practices, in line with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, ) and improved overall outcomes for individuals receiving care.

The value of timelines is discussed with regard to the promotion of recovery, particularly emphasizing relapse signature and concordance in medicine-taking. Recovery approaches in contemporary mental health care rely on understanding motivations, aspirations and decision making. In the authors' experience timelines are a useful way of working together with people to make sense of experiences, of which they may only have partial or intermittent awareness. The mental health workers' philosophical approach, the tools available to them and their skills and attributes, shape the therapeutic relationship. Timelines are a useful tool in helping reach the kind of joint understanding within a therapeutic relationship which characterizes concordance. As this relationship develops, decision making including that around medicine-taking and relapse signature, can be based on this shared understanding. Timeline examples (Tables 2 and 3) based on the fictitious experiences of Philip, a young man diagnosed with schizophrenia, show their application in recovery-focused practice. Further research is needed to enhance the limited evidence base underpinning timelines as a method of facilitating concordance.

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