The psychiatric nurse's role in application of recovery and decision-making models to integrate health behaviors in the recovery process.

Recovery from mental illness is a process that involves personal decision-making in many areas. Nurses are in a unique position to assist individuals in assessing their personal health status and integrating health behaviors into their recovery plans. The use of assessment tools, motivational interviewing techniques, and recovery planning can help individuals make decisions about their health, try out new behaviors, and integrate healthy living behaviors into a recovery plan and activities. This role of the nurse in this process is outlined, strategies are described, and outcome examples are provided.