Key Findings

The key findings from the project included:

• The analysis has characterised important areas of service user / provider dissonance regarding addiction recovery. The dichotomy is especially poignant since many service providers also have a service user background.
• Significant areas of common ground were also identified regarding how people with addiction issues can be more effectively supported towards health and well-being. For example, wider access to treatment for psychological trauma; more preventative work; more time / resources to develop and maintain a therapeutic relationship between service users and providers.

Key Recommendations

The key recommendations from the project included:

Implications for practice or policy | Recovery should be defined by service users, not service providers, including exactly what they are seeking to recover from; clinical goals should be based on service users’ recovery goals; management plans should include the client’s own recovery goals; progress towards and changes in recovery goals should be reviewed throughout an episode of care; service drivers such as reportable outcome measures and service integration should better reflect the recovery goals of service users.

Implications for translational research | The findings will be used to inform development of an educational intervention to improve professional knowledge and attitudes toward addiction and recovery.