Final Thoughts

My major take away from this course that there is hope. I don't mean this in a cheesy, fluffy kind of way. I mean it in a gritty, genuine sense. The mental health profession has come so far, and it seems to me that while we have so much farther to go, there is true progress being made. I ended my final review thinking about Daniel Fisher's thoughts about empowerment in regard to treatment for mental illness. What a concept it is that recovery is not merely stabilizing people so that they can learn to cope with their symptoms, but rather it is recovering in full from the disease itself. I must admit that this idea challenges me, because I have seen mental health symptoms seem pervasive and long lasting. But what a gift it is to begin a client's treatment with the belief that they can and will get better. This, to me, is hope.

I liked this class because it presented ideas that made me feel intrigued and excited to continue on in my career as a social worker. I want to bring this sort of radical hope presented by Addams, Pinel, Pussin, Deegan, Fisher, Karon, and so many more. It makes me feel lucky to know that I have chosen a profession in which I can help someone regain their power in their own life. It also makes me happy to think that I can have some part in dismantling the old, as well. The humans that I will work with in the future deserve more than the old way of doing things. Instead, I will continue to hope.