The Therapeutic Value of Recovery International—An Academic Perspective

Recovery International Interviews Robert Motta, Ph.D.

Robert Motta, Ph.D., is a Professor of Psychology at Hofstra University, New York, and Director of the Doctoral Program in School-Community Psychology at Hofstra University. He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Professional Psychology. Dr. Motta has published more than sixty scientific articles and chapters dealing primarily with child arid family psychology cord posttraumatic stress disorder.

Recovery: What is your connection to Recovery International?

Motta: For the past fifteen years I have been inviting Recovery Leaders to conduct panel demonstrations for my graduate level psychology classes in adult psychopathology. These panels demonstrate the Recovery Method and give examples of what happens during the weekly selfhelp support group meetings.

Recovery: What is your opinion of Recovery International?

Motta: Recovery is a wonderful organization that trains people in self-help, mental health skills and also helps them to help others. I have referred patients to Recovery for years and hope that my students will do the same once they become professional psychologists.

Recovery: Why do you feel Recovery Demonstrations are valuable in your classes?

Motta: The panels help to educate our future health professionals. My students will eventually have contact with a large number of patients and therefore must become familiar with the important community resource provided by Recovery International.

Recovery: We're sure that a great deal of the material you present in your classes has changed over the past fifteen years. Yet, you feel information about Recovery continues to be timely - why is that?

Motta: I still offer information about the Recovery Method in my classes because it focuses upon the basic processes of social support and cognitive structuring. Many self-help groups, such as Recovery and AA, have been around for many years but are just as timely and effective today as when they were formed.

Recovery: Recovery was developed over 60 years ago and its Method has not been changed since them. Why do you feel Recovery has continued to be successful for so many years?

Motta: People continue to develop serious adjustment problems and may be developing them at a higher rate today than in the past. Our world is far more fast-paced and stressful than it used to be. For these reasons, Recovery is just as needed today as it ever was. In fact, I see many other groups developing Recovery methods.

Recovery: What type of students do you think benefit most from learning about Recovery?

Motta: Advanced level students, such as graduate students, medical students and the like, who are aiming for careers in the health service professions, seem to benefit the most from the Recovery demonstrations. This list would include psychology graduate students, social work students, mental health therapists and medical students.

Recovery: When you teach about Recovery in class, what kind of feedback do you get from your graduate students?

Motta: The feedback I get from students is, for the most part, positive. Students see the Method as very useful in helping people deal with the "trivialities" of life. The only negative I have heard is that the method seems so "restrictive" and "controlled." I try to explain to students that the structure, which they are reacting to, is the reason why Recovery is so effective. Recovery shows people how to structure their thoughts. Despite the comments about what appears to be excessive structure, Recovery is very positively evaluated by our students.

Recovery: Do you think it would be beneficial for psychology programs at other universities to incorporate Recovery Panel Demonstrations into their courses?

Motta: Recovery is based upon sound basics of mental health. I firmly believe that all professional schools dealing with mental health should have exposure to Recovery International.

Recovery: Let's go outside of the classroom for a moment. I know you have referred patients to Recovery. Why type of patients do you feel benefit most from Recovery?

Motta: I refer those patients who need additional support and structure in their lives beyond that which can be provided by weekly therapy visits. In many cases, the Recovery Method and it's weekly self-help support group meetings provide a way of life, or a way of healthy living for many who are in need of these services.

Recovery: Can you point to any specific elements that make Recovery particularly effective for your patients?

Motta: The fact that participation in Recovery is voluntary, that groups are not led by professionals who might have an interest in furthering a particular theoretical perspective, and the fact that it is a "grass roots" organization, are all positive aspects of Recovery.

Recovery: Why do you think Recovery is so helpful to people?

Motta: There are a number of reasons:

1. The Recovery Method provides a way of thinking, a way of structuring one's experiences that is rational. It trains people not to overreact to common stressors. Many of those who are not in need of Recovery are able to structure their own thoughts with minimal effort. For those requiring additional cognitive direction, Recovery can be of value. The Recovery Method is based upon the writings of psychiatrist. Abraham A. Low, M.D. While I believe that many different kinds of structures would be helpful to those who emotionally and cognitively overreact, the teachings of Dr. Low have shown themselves to be particularly helpful.
2. Recovery processes were developed in the "real world" of the psychiatric hospital and not in some researcher's laboratory. For this reason, there is a certain intuitive appeal and reality to the Method that rings true for those in Recovery groups.
3. Recovery focuses on life's "trivialities," or small, every day issues. Despite the emphasis on "trivialities," it is important to understand that trivialities are not trivial in one's life. Most of what negatively impacts upon people are in fact "trivialities" and therefore most of what impacts upon people in a distressing fashion is what is dealt with by Recovery. The legal, medical, financial, religious, and similar issues are not the focus of the Recovery Method. These issues are left to professionals and are not considered to be day to day, "trivial" issues.
4. Aside from the specific techniques that are presented in Recovery, the groups provide social support. In a Recovery group, one learns that one is not alone, that others have similar distressing experiences and that they have learned to manage them. Social support, in and of itself, has been shown to be of value in numerous research studies.

Recovery: Is there anything you'd like to add?

Motta: In summary, Recovery is an invaluable resource for those who experience psychological difficulties in their daily lives. It is an equally invaluable tool for mental health professionals in that it is a powerful adjunct to traditional psychotherapeutic and medical interventions.

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