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Summary of CooperRiis Research
by Drs. Virginia McKinley and Bob Swoap, Spring 2007
A promising new approach to the treatment of severe and persistent mental illness was the subject of his sabbatical research and of a recent Faculty Seminar presentation by Dr. Bob Swoap, chair of the Warren Wilson College Psychology Department. Dr. Swoap conducted his study through participant-observation and interviews with residents of CooperRiis, a residential healing farm community with emphasis on relationship-centered care. He provided the following introduction to CooperRiis and a brief summary of his findings.
The CooperRiis community is designed to empower residents in their growth towards mental and physical health. All of the residents live on campus, eat their meals in the dining room, and work on various crews in the community (i.e., garden, art barn, woodshop, landscaping, housekeeping, and kitchen). The community is designed to help residents move from being "stuck" and disengaged to participating fully in the community�s activities. In addition to traditional care, such as psychiatric medication, group and individual psychotherapy, and social work, residents are encouraged to develop their "whole person" including their physical health.
Based on my observations and interviews, it is evident that there are a variety of recovery pathways and methods. Nevertheless, it appears that in addition to managing symptoms to allow a return to functioning, the following recovery themes are common to many residents.
Community / Being supported by others / Feeling safe: Community support helps move residents from despair to hope. Residents attributed this transformation in thinking primarily to the incredibly accepting environment at CooperRiis. They stated that they felt little stigma and that people tolerated their behaviors and emotions. As a result, they learned how to connect and coexist with different types of people. Because approximately 90% of the active staff members of CooperRiis live on-site, residents can interact with staff in many informal settings throughout the day. Also, everything from the design of the buildings to how the residents interact with the natural environment is intended to improve mental and physical health synergistically. For example, participating in growing one�s own food, gathering one�s own eggs, and then helping prepare the meals empowers individuals in their strivings to recover mental and physical health.
Regaining hope from hopelessness: The spark of hope is nurtured by staff and fellow residents who feel it is the key to recovery. A unique aspect of CooperRiis is that graduates interact regularly on campus, providing hope and modeling for "life beyond a diagnosis" (e.g., employment). Once they begin to regain hope, residents are able to commit more to their recovery.
Participating in activities: The number and diversity of activities in which residents may participate is extraordinary and include softball, Qi Gong, meditation, yoga, art, groups (e.g., actors' group, bipolar awareness group, and the like), ballroom dancing, movies, card games, and more.
Work: Residents participate in the Life Skills Program and spend 20-30 hours per week helping the CooperRiis community to function. For many residents, the program can help build basic job skills. It also provides a structure and opportunities to learn more advanced skills through an apprenticeship system, and it furthers opportunities to gain independence through work.
Holistic health: At CooperRiis, the relationship between physical and mental health, and especially the knowledge that mind-body-community health is interconnected with one's symptomatology, is taught early and often. The focus on holistic health creates a system of healing that goes beyond recovery, defined as regaining what one has lost due to one's illness. It also includes discovery � creating new meanings, roles, identities, and connections in one's life. It includes the joy that is experienced when a resident accomplishes some new task (e.g., playing soccer, planting a flower bed), and the space to reflect on and deal with one's illness; each task and experience ideally becomes meaningful in the context of each resident's recovery. In this sense, recovery isn't so much moving past one�s illness, but being able to embrace it while continually making gains in coping and personal growth.
Even before my sabbatical research at CooperRiis, the relationship between Warren Wilson College and CooperRiis was mutually beneficial. For example, ever since CooperRiis opened in the summer of 2003, graduates of Warren Wilson College have worked there. Ken Dean (B.A. in Psychology, 2003) works closely with the clinical team. Fiona O'Neil (B.A. Psychology, 2002) helps individuals make the transition from the CooperRiis residential component to graduate housing and becoming employed. Saleem Penny (B.S. Chemistry, 2001) worked at CooperRiis for several years and then decided to attend graduate school in psychology; he is completing his master�s degree in May 2007. Each summer, several Warren Wilson College students take advantage of CooperRiis internship opportunities offered through the Warren Wilson College Environmental Leadership Center. The internships emphasize the CooperRiis principle of utilizing the natural surroundings, animals, and organic gardening to address the needs of each resident�s mind, body, and spirit.
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