Recovering Relationships: A Feminist Analysis of Recovery Models

Two models of recovery based on the concepts of independence and interdependence are contrasted from a feminist perspective. Drawing on social and psychological analyses, the authors critique the overemphasis of independence as the goal of health care and instead advocate a more relational model of therapy that reinforces social and emotional connections between people. Two narratives from occupational therapy are used to illustrate the differing assumptions underlying these models. The authors discuss some of the structural and interactional barriers to the expression of interdependence in health care institutions. They suggest that through purposefully sharing practice experiences and instating collaborative, nonhierarchical models of organization, practitioners can begin to overcome these barriers.