Grant: Planning and Dissemination Grant - Institute Community Support

The Integrated Schizophrenia Recovery Program (ISRP) at The Royal Ottawa Health Care Group (The Royal) provides specialized assessment, treatment, support, and education to clients diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum illness. Our services are client-focused, with an emphasis on recovery. Due to a clinical need for improved holistic treatments for psychosis, we would like to develop a physical activity program for clients admitted on an inpatient unit at a tertiary mental health centre. Using a Recovery Oriented Cognitive Therapy (CT-R) approach, the aim of this individualized physical activity program is to improve both mental and physical health during the recovery process, which is consistent with Health Quality Ontario (HQO) and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) practice guidelines (HQO, 2016; NICE, 2014). Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy (CT-R) is a treatment approach designed to promote empowerment, recovery, and resiliency in individuals with serious mental health conditions. Expanding from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (CBTp), CT-R is a strengths-based approach that focuses on increasing energy and motivation, developing meaningful aspirations, and engaging in personally meaningful activities to bring about one's desired life (Beck et al., 2021). Recent studies support the feasibility and effectiveness of CT-R in patients with schizophrenia (Grant et al., 2012; Grant et al., 2017). The conception of this project was derived from a pilot physical activity program that was incorporated into an Assertive Community Treatment team (ACTT) in Ottawa, Ontario. Considering its initial successes (described below), the question arose if this kind of program could also positively improve care for clients in an inpatient setting.