“A Feeling of Safeness and Freedom”: The Promotion of Mental Health Recovery Through Co-Production in an Italian Community Organization

In mental health promotion, recovery is a process that leads to personal strengthening, control over crucial life decisions, and participation in communities through relevant professional, educational, or family social roles. Co-production, a key aspect of the recovery-oriented approach, emphasizes collaboration and active participation of people with mental health first-hand experience, family members, and citizens. Even though studies on co-production are limited and fragmented, there is evidence that co-production leads to positive outcomes, including improved well-being, empowerment, social con- nectedness, inclusion, and personal competencies. This study aimed to contribute to the limited literature on co-production in mental health by evaluating the co-production process in a non-profit mental health organization and its impact on empowerment processes and personal recovery outcomes. The research team adopted a collaborative approach and con- ducted qualitative research, including 13 individual semi-structured interviews and four focus groups. Results showed how the different dimensions of empowerment are promoted in and by the organization: (a) co-production processes sup- ported empowered outcomes on an individual level, such as self-awareness; (b) the organization was perceived to promote empowering processes, such as a sense of safeness and protection; (c) co-production was a mean to build and maintain a network with mental health services that acknowledges the dignity and value of each subjectivity and promotes participa- tion and recovery. Peer support workers were seen as facilitators of mental illness management, and the organization as a place for sharing mental health experiences and fostering individual recovery journeys.