Building Recovery of Individual Dreams and Goals through Education and Support

Building Recovery of Individual Dreams and Goals through Education and Support (BRIDGES) is a peer-led education and self-management skills training program. It teaches participants about mental illness and available treatments, and develops self-advocacy skills that are reinforced through problem-solving and communication skills training. It was created by peers and staff from the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Tennessee, the Tennessee Mental Health Consumers Association, and the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities.

Instruction includes group discussion, structured exercises, and role playing. Topics cover mental health recovery principles, brain biology and psychiatric medications, traditional and non-traditional treatments for mental illness, strategies for enhancing social support and accessing community support systems, structured problem-solving and communication skills, relapse prevention, and coping skills. Key concepts are illustrated through examples from the lives of the co-facilitators and participants.

Find out more about BRIDGES

BRIDGES improves empowerment and self-advocacy outcomes

BRIDGES enhances hopefulness and self-perceived recovery

Psychiatric symptoms moderate the effects of BRIDGES
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BRIDGES wins prestigious Reintegration Award
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Learn more about BRIDGES and BRIDGES training.